“Because it is nearly a food itself, beer’s range of flavors, aromas, colors, and textures complement many kinds of fare, giving us plenty to choose from when seeking resonance. From a cherry golden Pilsner to a brooding Imperial Stout; from a comforting, malty Scotch ale to a bracingly hoppy India pale ale, beer is hands-down the most varied beverage on earth. So whether it’s a rustic handmade sausage or the loftiest tall-food masterpiece, there’s a beer made for it.”
Randy Mosher, Tasting Beer
I had been a homebrewer for eight years (2005) and was ready to start formulating my own recipes. I came across a book by Randy Mosher called Radical Brewing, which not only became my guide to creating my own beer recipes but was the best homebrewing book I had ever read. I still consider the best by a long shot. In the second from last chapter of the book, Randy had a chapter called, A Few Words on Beer & Food. That was the first time I encountered the idea of cooking with beer and pairing beer with food. It was a whole new world to explore in my craft beer drinking journey. While I never became much of a beer cook, I came to enjoy many beer food pairings over the years. Many chefs find beer much more versatile than wine when cooking and pairing it with food. The range and complexity of flavors is unending. Lucky for Beer and Food aficionados that we have the oldest and longest running beer and food pairing events in the country - the Chicago Beer Societies (CBS) Chicagoland Brewpub and Microbrewery Shootout.
This year is the 24th year and It was held on Feb 18 at Metropolitan Brewing in Chicago. Every year CBS Invites around ten craft breweries whose task is to create a great craft beer and food combination that will be judged by all the attendees at the shootout.
Here is the list of each brewery that participated this year with a description and sometimes a picture of their beer food pairing:
Orkenoy - Chicago
Brewer - Briana Hestad
Chef - Ryan Sanders
Pairing Beer - Stupendous Gustav - Catherine Sour with Prickly Pear & Pink Guava (4%)
Food Pairing - Hornado de Chancho: Roasted Pork, fruit gastrique, with carmelized onion cornbread and pork jus
Web site - orkenoy.com
Revolution - Chicago
Brewer - Jim Cibak
Chef - Steve Kowaleski
Pairing Beer - Infinity Hero (7%)
Food Pairing - Brisket Al Pastor: Mojo Brisket Burnt Ends, Pineapple Relish, Habanero Crema, and Corn Tortilla
Web site - revbrew.com
Double Clutch Brewing - Evanston
Brewers - Head Brewer: Scott Frank, Asst. Brewer: Kyle Wood
Chef - Pat Wasserman
Pairing Beer - Helles Rauchbier Lager (4.7%)
Food Pairing - “Fleischkuekle:” A deep fried turnover with beef braised in Helles Rauchbier
Web site - double clutch brewing.com
Half Acre - Chicago
Brewer - Ken McMullen
Chef - Andrew Hoelscher
Pairing Beer - WayBird Hazy IPA (6.5%)
Food Pairing - Red Curry Rice Bites
Web site - halfacrebeer.com
Old Irving - Chicago
Brewer - Trevor Rose-Hamblin
Chef - Alex Marzo
Pairing Beer - Beezer Hazy IPA (6.9%)
Food Pairing - Hodson’s Call: Curry sesame seed crisp, curry bone marrow butter, curry beer braised short rib, papaya gastrique micro radish.
Web site - oldirvingbrewing.com
Ravinia - Chicago
Brewer - Sam Jackson
Chef - Christian Sanchez
Pairing Beer - Food Truck Pilsner (4.9%)
Food Pairing - Carnitas Ramen
Web site - raviniabrewingcompany.com
Off Color - Chicago
Brewer - John Laffler
Chef - Jesse Li from QXY Dumplings
Pairing Beer - Si Fang Pale Lager with Black Tea and Osmanthus Flower (5%)
Food Pairing - Soup Dumplings: Beef and Onion/ Pork and Cabbage
Web site - offcolorbrewing.com
Haymarket - Chicago
Brewer - Pete Crowley
Chef - Christopher McCoy
Pairing Beer - Hazy is Lazy American IPA (6.6%)
Food Pairing - 5 Chili Smoked Sausage: guajillo chile smoked pork jus, 5 chile sausage (guajillo, pasilla, chile de arbol, jalapeño, poblano peppers),corn tortilla chips, cotija cheese, pickled radish and jalapeños.
Web site - haymarketbeer.com
Flipside - Tinley Park
Brewers - Erik Pizer
Chef - Kyle Morris
Pairing Beer - Thistlehead XB, Ordinary Bitter (4%)
Food Pairing - Far East Side Pastrami on Rye: Asian inspired sandwich with house-brined pastrami, homemade kimchi, and Sake-Dijon
Web site - Flipsidebrewing.com
Eris Brewery and Cider House - Chicago
Brewers - Joe Flores, Jimmy Beyer and Mark Beery
Chef - Steven Espinoza
Pairing Cider - VanVan Mojo w/Mosaic Hops and Blueberry (5.6%)
Food Pairing - Peanut Butter Pie Bites: creamy peanut butter and cream cheese mousse surrounded by a chocolate cup
Web site - erischicago.com
Brickstone Brewing - Bourbonnaise
Brewers - Brickstone Brew Team
Chef - Brickstone Culinary Team
Pairing Beer - Indecisive Particle - Hazy IPA
Food Pairing - Greek Style Street Souviaki on a Pita: marinated pork skewers dusted with Oregano atop a pita with Tzatzika Sauce, red onions and ripe tomatoes
Web site - brickstonebrewery.com
I can start by saying every beer and food combo was excellent as the brewers and chefs pull out all the stops. I would say they approach it as a fun and creative task where they can show off their skills at designing food and beer pairings that will impress the discerning craft beer drinker and foodie. If there is a favorite or preferred combination it seems to be combining Pork dishes with Pale Ale beers as seven participants used this combination.
The process for attendees works like this: The Eleven serving tables are all in row, you can visit them in any order you choose, and they will give you a small plate of their food dish and fill up your 5 oz attendee glass and your on your way. You can stop at all the tables as many times as you want, in addition each brewers brings second beer, usually a stronger one, which you can try at your pleasure.
All attendees can go online and vote for the top in each of the three categories - Best Beer, Best Food Dish and Best Beer-Food pairing