Last night Edible Brooklyn hosted one of its unforgettable foodie soirees, this time pairing local craft beer with everything from ceviche, cheese, and kielbasa pretzels to ice cream and gingersnaps. Beers by connoisseur favorites like Ommegang and Sly Fox were matched with grub from area restaurants including Gramercy Tavern, Back Forty, and Co. Pizzeria. After the jump, check out our photo gallery and find out what pairings blew our mind (and tastebuds).
We started the very traumatic task of judging brews with a trip to Jasper Hill, matching three artisanal cheeses to selections from Troegs, Magic Hat, and Victory All Malt Lager which went very well with the Vermont Ayr. Ommegang, one of our favorite upstate breweries, presented their Rouge vintage with a geuze ceviche from Rose Water that tasted like a garden. An extremely flavorful garden. Co. (pronounced “Company”), the new pizza joint in Chelsea, couldn’t keep their pies on the table. We had to wait for a minute so we sampled two offerings from Southampton: a hoppy IPA and a Triple Ale, creamy and slightly sweet to contrast a savory Popeye slice.
Things were getting heavy so we skipped upstairs to hit Beer Table, pairing something really fancy with pickled jalapeno eggs; The Good Fork, whose crispy pork-and-chive dumplings blew the accompanied Blue Point Toasted Lager out of the proverbial water; and Snaps!, for ginger snap cookies paired with Brooklyn Brewery seasonal offering Cuvee de Cardoz. Next up, the brew-and-chow pairing of the night was found at Fort Greene’s own No. 7: the beer-poached shrimp with tomato, shallot, and crispy farro was tangy enough to complement a complex beer like Sly Fox Saison Vos. Ding ding ding, we have a winner.
Elsewhere, Porchetta‘s signature pork sandwich was already sold out; Greenmarkets served farm-fresh bruschetta with goat cheese, fave bean puree, and tomatoes (get ’em before the blight); Ici‘s inventive cornbread with summer squash and mushrooms won over some minglers and not others; and Gramercy Tavern recreated the classic pigs-in-a-blanket with their own kielbasa in a soft pretzel shell.
Here, a slideshow of photos from the event>>
Can’t you smell the hops?
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