Fort George Home Brewers' Dinner

On a happenstance shot in the dark competition entry, I carted three of my finest home brews down to the Hop 'N Grape  (www.hopngrape.com) in Longview, Washington one Thursday night in March. A five hour round trip venture in the middle of my work week didn't seem like the most appealing idea, but the prize of winning did. Fort George Brewery (www.fortgeorgebrewery.com) was going to be selecting six home brewers to be featured in a six course dinner at their brewery that following month. Just the thought of having a course built around one of my beers was enough motivation to continue through rush hour traffic.

Two short weeks later, I received an email while on a family vacation in Maui. My Peanut Butter Imperial Porter was chosen to be featured for the dessert course. Not only was I completely ecstatic, I found myself in a bit of a conundrum. I needed to get five gallons brewed in a little under three weeks, yet I wasn't returning home for a few more days. With the help of some great friends, I satellite brewed my PBP back home while still enjoying my island paradise.

Fast forward three weeks, I headed down to Astoria, Oregon for the featured event. Arriving an hour before the dinner started, I went straight to the Taproom bar and grabbed myself a pint of FG's Vortex IPA. My parents showed up soon after and we headed into the Lovell Taproom event space, a former car dealership showroom complete with floor to ceiling windows all around. Candlelit tables, overflowing beer goblets, and seats full of beer lovers from near and far anxiously awaited the as promised bacon filled dinner.

Caramelized Onion, Creme Fraiche, and Bacon Tart with Ken Fisher's Grateful Deaf Zythos Black IPA

If Ken Fisher's name sounds familiar, that's because he is.  Known as the Grateful Deaf Gypsy Brewer, Ken travels internationally to brew his Cascadian Dark Ale (or Black IPA, if you will).  Not only was this Bacon tart exquisite, Ken's hoppy dark creation was a smooth and tasty compliment.  Before I knew it, my tart was devoured and my beer glass empty.


Pancetta and Broccoli Bread Pudding with Andrew Livingston's Vanilla Cream Ale

When Drew described his ale, he noted that it was like an adult's cream soda.  A bit skeptical, I caught some of the aroma from the pour.  Sure smelled like cream soda.  Took the first sip.  Yup, adult cream soda.  I think I might be in serious beer love.  Drew has been brewing for just a little over a year and well, in my opinion, he hit this one out of the park.  A sweet pairing with the heavy bread pudding, I made sure to get another glass of this one just to make sure I liked it.  Turns out, I did!

Cream of Leek, Brussel Sprout, and Bacon Soup with Len Hallock's Pale Ale

Like Drew, Len has been brewing for just about a year.  He equates brewing his own beer to making his own BBQ sauce, it just makes everything taste better.  While his favorite beer to drink is IPA, Len brought a Pale Ale to the dinner.  With the richness of the Cream of Leek, this refreshing yet still a bit hoppy ale was a perfect fit.  Both the soup and the beer were gone way too quickly.
 

 

Spinach Salad with Hard-Boiled Egg and Roma Tomatoes, Tossed in a Bacon Sherry Vinaigrette with Thomas Litwin's Maibock
 

After the last three indulgent courses, it was refreshing to have some greens to lighten up the dinner.  A freshly boiled egg and bright tomatoes set the stage for the smoky Bacon Sherry Vinaigrette.  Tom's Maibock, in my opinion, went well with this lighter style bite.  I haven't explored many Maibocks over the years.  But after tasting this medal winning home brewer's creation, I was quite interested in trying some more.  Tom has been winning medals for his beers for eight years now, and it doesn't look like he is stopping anytime soon.

 

Roasted Quail with Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing, Served with a Smoked Tomato Gastrique with Ian and Mark Koelsh's Imperial IPA

I eyed this IIPA on the menu during the first course.  While I wanted to try it right away, the astutely trained FG staff knew that heavy hops would coat your palate too much to enjoy the other offerings.  So, I waited.  Patiently.  Yes, it was beyond worth the wait.  Mark and Ian, father and son, have been brewing together for the past two years, although Ian's brewing story started nine years prior to that.  Severe hopheads by nature, their IIPA was anything but mildly hoppy.  With the heat of the jalapeno stuffing, the pairing was once again well contrived.

 

House-Made Bourbon Ice Cream served in a Waffle Cone with Salted Caramel Bacon Bits with MY Peanut Butter Imperial Porter

I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't just a bit nervous to see how this course turned out.  See that big slab of caramel in the picture?  That caramel is sweetly wrapping a hunk of bacon, on top of ice cream, in a waffle cone.  Are you drooling yet?  After getting up in front of everyone to tell a few self medicating teacher jokes along with some stats about my beer, I settled in for a bite.  The creaminess of the dessert lent itself perfectly to the smooth peanut butter essence of my porter.  Beyond pleased, I basked in the glow of the candlelit evening.

I think I can speak for all of the aforementioned home brewers that having our beer a part of such a special night was beyond incredible.  To home brewers everywhere: keep brewing, keep taking risks, and keep competing!