Deschutes Beer Dinner at Eureka!

If you weren't at Eureka! Santa Barbara's Deschutes Beer Dinner a couple of weeks ago, then you missed out! But they plan on having more beer dinners, so it's okay! Just be at the next one! Your $60 will be well spent. So much food. So much beer. Really. So. Much. Beer.

If you don't know about Deschutes Brewery, look them up! Or go out and buy a six-pack of their Fresh Squeezed IPA or Mirror Pond Pale Ale--some of my favorites! They were born in Bend, OR and they are fantastic! They also have a pub house in Portland, OR, which I've had the pleasure of visiting and I immediately fell in love.

First Course

Lollipop Corn Dogs
Polish sausage dipped in sweet corn batter and served with a spicy porter mustard
 
paired with

Deschutes Cream Ale on Nitro
4.7% ABV
30 IBU
An Ale version of an American Lager, Deschutes' Cream Ale is light, with good hop balance and clean finish

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Second Course

Crispy Glazed Brussel Sprouts
Tossed in herb oil and topped with macadamia nuts

paired with

Deschutes Armory XPA
5.9% ABV
55 IBU
Experimental pale ale with floral and tropical notes, perfectly balanced

You'd enjoy this one if you like their Fresh Squeezed IPA.

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Third Course

Lobster Taco
Knuckle and claw lobster with cabbage, avocado, saffron crema, watermelon radish and Eureka's signature handcut fries

paired with

Deschutes Hop Slice Session IPA
4.5% ABV
45 IBU
Brewed with Meyer Lemon, Hop Slice balances floral hop notes with a subtle citrus kick

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Fourth Course

Fresno Fig Burger
Fig marmalade, melted goat cheese, bacon, tomato, red onion, arugula, and spicy porter mustard (medium rare)

paired with

Deschutes Jubel 2015 American Strong Ale
10.4% ABV
55 IBU
An imperial take on Deschutes' festive winter ale with notes of toasted caramel, raisins, dates and figs are complemented by spicy and herbal hop aromas

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Fifth Course

Chocolate Torte
Dark chocolate torte with vanilla ice cream and macadamia nuts

paired with

Deschutes The Abyss Imperial Stout
12.2% ABV
86 IBU
12 months barrel aged in Bourbon, Pinot Noir and New Oregon American Oak, this deep, dark Imperial Stout has almost immeasurable depth and complexity. Hints of molasses, licorice and other alluring flavors make it something not just to quaff, but contemplate

One of the beer reps from Deschutes came down to do the pairing with us and talk about each beer, and the pairings were made by Eureka's bar manager/AGM, Lindsey. Thoroughly enjoyed each beer and food pairing, and like I said... a lot of food and a lot of beer. I barely finished my food and well, five beers is a little too many for me, ha.

I'm a BIG fan of Eureka's Steal The Glass event on Wednesday nights, so I was excited when I heard that we also get to keep our Deschutes glass.

Anyhey, $60 might seem like a lot, but if you're able to go to one of these beer dinners, you'll see that it's worth it! It's also more fun when you do it with friends. :)

Follow Eureka! Santa Barbara on Instagram or like them on Facebook to stay updated on all their events!

Happy dining and happy drinking!

The Original Craft Beer Club

This past week, I had the pleasure of getting a shipment of craft beer from The Original Craft Beer Club. Every month, they feature exceptional craft beers from the country's best, small and independent brewers. They take the guesswork out of buying craft beer and give you beers you normally wouldn't even have access to!

When you become a member, you get 12 beers per month (4 styles, 3 of each) for only $39 a month and shipping is always free (excludes HI & AK)! You can also receive bonus gifts like a bottle opener, tasting glasses and a years worth subscription to Beer Connoisseur.

This month's featured craft beers are Payette Brewing Co's India Pale Ale and American Pale Lager & Black Tooth Brewing Co's Amber Ale and English Brown Ale.

PAYETTE BREWING COMPANY

PC: @originalcraftbeerclub

NORTH FORK

American Lager
4.4 % ABV
19 IBU's

This American Lager has a laid-back personality and pairs well with just about all your favorite foods. Hops bring a mix of woody, green, floral and fruit notes with subtle herb and spice character. The North Fork is a sessionable beer with lower alcohol content for a quick, smooth run. Enjoy it at home, or pack it with you for your next outdoor adventure.

Pours a clear gold color with a white foamy head. Smell is clean malt and some herbal hops. Taste is smooth and refreshing. Body is light and starts out dry and slightly tart. Extremely drinkable. This would be the perfect beer to have while you're laying out at the beach or going on a hike.

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PC: @originalcraftbeerclub

OUTLAW

India Pale Ale
6.2 % ABV
65 IBU's

Untamed, unpredicatable and full of unforgettable character - that's Outlaw in a nutshell. Payette's Outlaw IPA has a solid malt base that quietly saunters in with a slightly spicy aroma, hints of sweet pine, citrus, and apricot tones. American hops (Centennial, Chinook, and Columbus) lend a hoppy, mildly bitter finish. This flagship brew is a Payette favorite.

Pours a hazy burnt orange color with a tight, creamy off white head. Smell is slightly sweet malt and citrusy hops. Taste is sweet and fruity with a strong malt backbone. Body is medium with some hop bitterness at the end, but it's a little light for an IPA. Goes down super easy.

BLACK TOOTH BREWING COMPANY

Bronze Medal - North American Beer Awards
Bronze Medal - U.S. Open Beer Championship
92 Points - Beer Connoisseur, Rick Franckhauser
PC: @originalcraftbeerclub

SADDLE BRONC

Brown Ale
4.8 % ABV
18 IBU's

An English-style Brown Ale, Black Tooth's Saddle Bronc is dark in color yet surprisingly light in body making it a great session beer. Hints of caramel, roasted nuts, and cocoa complement the malty sweet flavors and clean finish. Try pairing the Saddle Bronc with smoked baby back ribs and BBQ sauce.

Pours a deep brown color with an off white head. Smell is sweet malt, caramel and cocoa. Taste is sweet malt; starts with caramel and ends with cocoa and slight hop. Body is medium, smooth and crisp. Definitely fits the style of an English Brown Ale.

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Gold Medal - U.S. Open Beer Championship
PC: @originalcraftbeerclub

BOMBER MOUNTAIN

Amber Ale
4.6 % ABV
20 IBU's

Named after the notorious Bomber Mountain (a ridge line within the Big Horn Mountains and the site of a military aviation accident), this Amber Ale from Black Tooth is well rounded and balanced with a dry, crisp character. The complex malt profile of biscuits, caramel and cotton candy provide a hearty backbone for this fan-favorite ale.

Pours a copper amber color with a white foam head. Smell is dark malt and earthy hops. Taste is a little grainy with some caramel. Body is light-medium and smooth with a dry finish. Didn't get the cotton candy, but it's easy to drink.

If you couldn't tell, the focus for this month's shipment is cans. Why cans? Well, why not? Cans are more portable, lightweight, better for the environment, stackable, chill faster, don't break, and perfect for any of your outdoor adventures.

I also did some googling and came across an article on The Business Insider called, "Why Canned Beer Is Better Than Bottled Beer". Here's an excerpt from it:

PC: http://3dbrewing.com/cans-vs-bottles

First, canned beer weighs less. Less packaging means you can move the same amount of product in fewer trips, reducing a firm's expenses and carbon footprint at the same time.

Whole Foods, which retails its share of craft beer, has seen a 30% increase in canned beer sales in the past year. MarketWatch describes the paradigm shift:

As of 2012, cans constituted 53.2% of the beer market while bottles had a 36.5% share — a fairly significant gap. By contrast, in 2006, the two packagings were much closer in popularity — cans accounted for 48.3% of the market and bottles 41.9%. (Draft beer largely accounts for the rest of brew sales.)

To everyone's delight, canning is also better for a beer's quality, according to Welz.

Cans don't let light in, plain and simple. "Light is destructive to the organic compound in beer that make the flavors everyone is so crazy about," he said.

Welz also suspects that cans, with a "double-crimped" seal, are better than bottles at preventing air from getting in — air being one of the main enemies of a delicious brew.

All that is true, but Ska Brewing thinks the mounting consumer preference for canned beer has less to do with quality and more to do with convenience.

Biking to the store? Grab cans over bottles. Tired of glass breaking in the cooler on your road trip? Cans are safer. Own a grocery store (or a refrigerator)? Cans are more stackable.

There are a few other theories to explain the trend here. Cans harken back to a simpler time. Thanks to a sense of hipster nostalgia, Pabst Blue Ribbon enjoys its current reign among penny-pinching Brooklynites.

Canned beer also chills better, and collective hysteria over BPA poisoning — a chemical in the lining of aluminum and plastic products — has gone out of vogue.

I know what you're thinking... "But you can't make cool things with cans like you can with bottles." Wrong. You CAN. ;)

PC: @payettebrewing

But if you prefer bottles over cans or vice versa, it's okay. We can all still be friends!

PC: Craft Beer Club

Happy Friday and happy drinking!

P.S. Not a big beer drinker? They have a wine club, too! Check it out!