Pig & Pickle and Odell Brewing Co. Beer Dinner (Held 6/17/2013)

Lucky enough to attend another fine fine beer dinner event in the Valley. Friends (and major hop-heads) Sarah & Tom B joined us, along with my sister Cheryl K. Dinner was set for 6:30, and we arrived at 6:15 to find our seats all together (thanks Sarah!). With such a full menu, we decided to hold off on the pre-dinner beers (oh yeah, and C & I had been pre-cocktailing off-site).

The Beer Dinner Menu

This was the fantastic menu that was waiting for us. Up front, I'll say how much I appreciated this set-up, as we were able to pre-pay ($44.44 included dinner, tax & gratuity) and have no worries on the night of the event. Genius plan...

So, the first beer, "Double Pilsner" was a perfect match to the pretzel stick and cheese dip appetizer. It was light and refreshing. The cheese dip was soooooo yummy; warm, cheesy and bacony-three of my favorite things!

Pretzel stix & cheese dip

They placed a plate between each four people, so we got a really good portion of the cheese dip. The four people to the right of me were obviously zombies or some other type of mutants, as they allowed most of their dip to go back to the kitchen. If this was really the Wild West, I would have been justified in taking them down.

Next up was one of the most fantastic salads I've ever eaten. (Refer to prior postings regarding my soup whore propensities and you'll know I'm no big salad fan...this one may turn me into a salad eater.)

Grilled Peach Salad

Served with Tree Shaker (a Peach Imperial IPA) This salad was composed of grilled peaches, fresh mozzarella, mixed baby greens and topped with a brown sugar peach vinaigrette. Pow. It truly was awesome and just the right amount of salad for an "anti-green" eater!

Oh, I should probably talk more about this beer. Just not my speed, but I can't like them all...as a matter of fact, I like very few of them.

So why the beer dinners? That Sweet Baboo is a fan and I try to keep him monitored 24/7, which requires my attendance at beer dinners...NOT. It is really fun to watch others enjoy their pairings and I am always hoping that there will be a beer that I will find to my liking so that I can order one along with everyone else that likes the suds!

Main course time. New beer-Celastrina, a Saison ale with hints of banana and a clove-like flavor is a seasonal brew at Odell. Again, a Saison is not on the top of my list, but this one did have a good flavor and was paired well with...WHAT HAVE WE HERE? Chamomile and Lemon Verbena brined pork, gruyere mashed potatoes, pickled apples and pickled garlic? Holy Heck! This dish was insanely delicious. If you've ever had me cook your Turkey Day dinner, you know I'm all about the brine...and this one was a touch of genius. Great flavors, well cooked and those taters were just lousy with gruyere. Yummy Yummy Yummy, I Got Love in my Tummy.

Main Course-Pork Loin

Dessert

So I'll admit that I was really waiting around and eating all of this food because I was most excited about the dessert course. We had been out sampling the brewpubs on Sunday and I'd had a lovely sample of Odell Brewing Co. Lugene at another establishment. When I saw it was being served at our beer dinner I flipped (mentally, there's no way I can ACTUALLY flip any more...or could I ever?)

All of my dessert dreams came true...the kitchen team selected a dessert that really complemented the Chocolate Milk Stout that is Lugene. White cake with white chocolate frosting, fresh strawberries between the layers and a strawberry sauce on top. The sauce consistency was a bit thick for my liking, but those crunchy bits of white chocolate made it all better.

Totally delish way to finish a meal with lots of fun and laughter with friends and family.

The amazing kitchen staff

Kudos to all at Pig & Pickle for a fantastic evening.

While nicely planned and pretty flawlessly executed, it would have been a nice add to hear the chef tell us about the food that was chosen to pair with the beers. I always like to hear the specifics. This staff was busting their tails to make this dinner right and it would have been nice to hear the "why" of the pairing.

SWAG

And thanks also to Odell Brewing Co. for co-hosting and providing a nice full pour to sample. They also provided us with some wicked awesome SWAG. You can see what was left of our first beer there as well. Truly a grand evening.