We had the pleasure of attending our second “Brewmasters Dinner” at Ray’s Boathouse Café this past Thursday.

Executive Chef Peter Birk of Ray’s selected 5 local brews and then built a 5-course dinner around them. Everyone has heard of wine dinners, but Chef Birk does a great job of putting together these beer dinners about twice a year. We only wish that more local places would do the same.

Beer dinners are a great way to get to know the complexity of various styles of beers. And at Ray’s, where you get to speak directly with brewmasters, it can be a fantastic learning opportunity.

Menu:

1st course:

Farmstead Cheese Sampler
Isle of mull cheddar, harbourne blue and doddington’s
Hale’s Brewing Irish Style Nut Brown Ale

2nd course:

Ray’s Smoked Weathervane Scallops

Anselmo farms greens and pickled mushrooms
Diamond Knot Brewing Brown Ale

3rd course:

Little Skookum Manila Clams
Housemade yellow curry and basmati rice
Maritime Pacific Brewing Islander Pale Ale

4th course:

Williamson Farms Tri-Tip Steak
Celery root gratin and theo cacao nib demi
Big Time Coal Creek Porter

5th course:

Coconut Rum Crunch Cake w/ Tropical fruits
Baron Brewing Hefe-Weisse

Favorite pairing: The clams with curry and rice paired with the very hoppy Pale Ale. The similarities between the spicy, but not overwhelming, curry and the spicey hops of the IPA complimented each other perfectly. The coconut cake paired with the hefe was a close second. The hefe fit perfectly with the tart fruits and crunchy coconut.

Favorite food item: The steak. Our piece was cooked to perfection (some in our party complained there’s was overdone)…nicely seared on the outside and medium rare in the middle. The celery root gratin was tasty and a unique presentation.

Favorite beer: Big Time Coal Creek Porter. This is a smooth, chocolatey porter that is not too over the top and medium bodied. Nicely hopped, as are a good portion of Big Time’s brews. Very balanced and drinkable. Not heavy at all.

Overall Experience: Great food, beer and company…but the execution was a bit off this time around. Lag time between courses was a bit much. For the 4th course, we had just about finished our beers before the steaks came (and we were not drinking fast). Our girlfriend talked the waiter (who was great) into topping off our glasses though…

A 2 ½ hour meal is a bit long for 5 courses on a Thursday night…too much “dead” time.

Also, we did not get to meet with brewers for the last 2 courses. No explanation or excuses…they just never came by. Speaking with the other 3 brewers was a pleasure.

We’ll likely be back next time around, but hoping for improvement in the execution.

Go Beer!