Three short primers on pairing beer and food as the grilling season begins

Would you like some suggestions on pairing beer and food?

Would you like to see how others have paired beer and food?

And how to pair the right beers with grilling cuisine?

I've been writing about these topics for the Weekly Surge and Blogcritics.

Allow me to point you to three articles available online and free of charge.

1. A Perfect Pair: Matching Brew and Barbecue, Other Grilling Too

2. Brewmaster Dinners Offer Pairing Advice

3. Call That A Bargain

Enjoy your summer -- and your beer!

Liberty Steakhouse and Brewery to hold Brewmaster Dinners

I went to the first Brewmaster Dinner at Liberty Steakhouse & Brewery in Myrtle Beach, SC, this past Wednesday evening, and another will likely take place in late May.

In fact, the Liberty folks might even make it a monthly event.

The $35 dinner began with a pint of anything on tap, followed by a tour of the brewing facility conducted by Eric Lamb, the brew chief at Liberty.

Then the dinner included pairings with four courses: appetizer, soup-and-salad, entree, and dessert. I will write about the full experience in my next column for The Weekly Surge.

And stay tuned for more information on the next Brewmaster Dinner.

MB Beer Fest Update: food for VIP tent finalized

The Myrtle Beach Beer Fest presented by the Weekly Surge (March 28 at The Market Common) will have a VIP tent with food and as many as 10 beers unavailable to those with regular admission. Mike Shanks of Festival Promotions, who is working on the fest with the Surge, sent an email tonight that updates the VIP beers and grub:

The VIP Ticket is $70 and is tented, includes food, non-alcoholic beverages, additional beers from the general admission, a 5-oz tasting glass and dedicated port-a-johns. Those tickets will not be sold the day of the event, and can be purchased online at www.myrtlebeachbeerfest.com or by calling my office at 843-712-2618.



Here is the menu for the VIP Tent:



Spicy Pork and Sauerkraut Sandwiches



Bavarian Potato Salad



Grilled Brats with Hot mustard Onion Relish



German Chocolate Squares



Autumn Apple and Pear Salad with Pecans



Pretzels



Spiced Nuts



I also currently have the following beers for the VIP Tent

Magic Hat Number 9

Stella Artois

Sam Smith Nut Brown

Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout

Delirium Tremens

Sierra Nevada Seasonal Torpedo Ale


Eventually I expect to end up with about 10 beers for the VIP Tent.

Beer-and-cheese pairings!

Have gouda with your bock.

Have feta with your pilsner.

Have limburger with your lager.

See many, many more beer-and-cheese pairing suggestions at this great site.

Article on beer-food pairings now archived online

Everyone talks about wine pairings, but not as many talk about beer pairings.

If you've ever wanted to know what beer to have with a certain food -- or what food to have with a certain beer -- I've got you covered.

Here's the link:

http://www.weeklysurge.com/2008%20archives/072408%20archives/main072408.html

Enjoy!

Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale with Chicken Salad

I had just written an article about beer-and-food pairings. I had not included chicken salad in the beer-and-food pairings mix, but the next day, a friend visited for lunch and we had chicken salad sandwiches with Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale.

Excellent pairing. My friend agreed. I knew it would be close. Rogue includes little pairing icons on its larger, single-sale bottles (one pint + six ounces), and the Morimoto Soba Ale included a fish icon and a bird icon. Morimoto Soba Ale was light enough and zippy enough to compliment white meat, even when that white meat is mixed with mayonnaise and grapes.

You can read the beer-and-food pairing article here.