Anyone who knows me, knows I really enjoy beer. I don't mean that mass produced, tasteless, watery stuff that America in particular seemed to fall in love with through much of the 80s and 90s. I mean the wide variety of craft beers that are now widely available.The proliferation of craft and micro breweries during the past ten years has been amazing. You can now find really good stouts, porters, ales, special bitters and many other styles available at many grocery stores.
Then there are the specialty stores like Cork and Fork and Total Wine here in Northern Virginia that not only stock great beers but have staff that understand them and can offer first hand advice to buyers in a way that wine enthusiasts have expected for a very long time. Most of these specialty stores and even some of the better grocery chains, like Wegmans, allow you to purchase single bottles and mix and match six packs.
You thought this was a food blog didn't you? Well, it is my contention that food can, and should at times, be paired with food in the very same way that wine is. In fact, there is a very good restaurant in Leesburg, VA that does that 5-6 times a year. Tuscarora Mill holds beer dinners where the chef works with an invited brewery to pair select beers with various courses. Cynthia and I have attended several of these and they are wonderful.
Look for more on this favorite topic of mine in future posts. Quoting my favorite tv commercial - "stay thirsty my friends".
I had no idea about the beer pairings at Tuscarora Mill; I will have to check it out! My Dad and I enjoy drinking beer together and love going to wine tastings but this would be a great way to learn more about beer pairings!
ReplyDeleteNext beer event at Tuskie's....
ReplyDeleteBell's Brewery (one of my favorite brewers, out of Michigan)
Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 7:00 pm