I’m not going to lie, I’m a bit drunk as I type tonight’s blog entry. Had I not claimed responsibility for ensuring Nicci’s safe passage to play rehearsal tonight, I would have hung around Morton’s until my buzz wore off, and might have had more fodder with which to pen this story. Instead I was forced out of my cushiony private room at one of the more exclusive steakhouses downtown (on a side note, I just totally batted a housefly out of my bedroom door into the common hallways of my apartment with my bare hand — sucks for you, fly!) and could not gab with the other beer snobs in attendance tonight. To put it in as succinct terms as possible, tonight’s Dogfish Head tasting at Arnie Morton’s was a great success!
Nicci and I arrived at about 6pm, unsurprising as our reservation was scheduled for precisely that time. There were four people in the little private room at that time. Two were servers, one was a quiet younger fellow in a Miller Lite collared t-shirt, and one was dressed casually in a collared shirt and jeans. He introduced himself as Brian and informed us that he was the California representative for Dogfish Head. He asked if we’d ever had the beer before, and at the risk of sounding like a stuck up asshole quoting his RateBeer or BeerAdvocate profile I just said, “It’s one of my favorite breweries in the country.” I let the fact that I’ve consumed dozens of their beers filter out through casual conversation. We took our seats at a small table chatted for a few minutes about the brewery, our other favorite beers, and jobs. A couple showed up and sat opposite from us at the far end of the table (which was only two or three seats away in reality), and then a young heavily-pierced guy entered the room and sat down across from us. When it was apparent no one else was going to join us, Brian kicked things off and we began to drink and taste.
The first glass that was poured for us was Midas Touch, an ancient Turkish recipe using the original (or closest possible approximation) ingredients from the 2,700 year old drinking vessels discovered in the tomb of King Midas. Categorically it falls between beer, wine and mead. It was promised that this brew could appease a Chardonnay or IPA drinker. Midas Touch was paired with a parmesan cheese from Wisconsin and tuna tartare canapes. Both foods interacted fantastically with the drink, highlighting the flavor of grapes and hinting more-than-subtly at the saffron included as one of the ingredients. I’m not a huge tuna fan but I found the canapes to be quite tasty, very light and refreshing. The cheese made diciphering the flavors of the beer easier than the bite of fish. Perhaps ironically, it was suggested that Midas Touch would be best paired with baked fish.
Next on our tasting menu was the pairing of Palo Santo Marron with a petite filet mignon sandwich (topped with mustard mayonnaise) and a Wisconsin Cubeddu (which I think is a Pecorino Romano, at least according to Google). God damn if that Palo Santo wasn’t delicious. The cheese brought out the sweetness of the beer, and the sandwich helped illuminate the woody, mildly bitter notes. Before continuing to the next course, Brian took a moment to share with us a creation he quite enjoyed — a mixture of 90 Minute IPA with Palo Santo. It wasn’t a sweeping success, some people didn’t enjoy the taste, but I thought the vanilla, caramel sweetness of the Palo Santo was a fine match for the hoppy bitterness of the IPA. It was a nice mid-meal break.
Next up was the 90 Minute IPA, which was paired with a horseradish cheddar and a petite lamb chop topped with brie. The creamy cheddar was a perfect match for this beer, and the lamb chop was both delicious and complimentary. Nicci didn’t enjoy the cheese, so I took her portion for her. Conversely, she took from me the smoked gorgonzola that was paired with the final beer of the evening, Festina Peche. We also received what was called a smoked-salmon pizza topped with capers and creme-freche. Peche is Dogfish Head’s summer seasonal, a tart Neo-Berliner Weisse fermented with a lot of peaches. I mentioned to Brian that I had been lucky enough to sample the Festina Lente many years ago at the Extreme Beer Festival in Boston, and he informed me that this was supposed to be an homage to that beer. It wasn’t quite as peachy, but it was really refreshing and most-definitely tart. It received a lot of comments from the tasters that it would make for a fine session beer, but that didn’t necessarily make it a super-high-quality brew. The salmon pizza was nice, the gorgonzola was way too strong for me, but Nicci enjoyed it.
As the booze flowed more freely, everyone at the table opened up a bit more to each other, which was really nice. We learned about the history of the brewery as well as plans for its future. I listened excitedly as Brian relayed details of an upcoming reality television program featuring Dogfish Head’s president Sam Calagione, where he travels around the globe collaborating with other brewers. I spoke of my own experience listening to Calagione speak, and other participants in the tasting, Brian, Nicci and myself shared stories of our favorite beers, drinking habits, and most frequented bars in California. It was as cool an experience as one could hope for: sparse enough to feel personal and yet populated by like-minded thinkers hoping to share their adulation for off-center beers. For the first time in a very, very long time, it felt as if I was drinking among people who appreciated the art of brewing as much as I do.
So…yeah! It was a really cool time. And we got buzzed on great beers and had good conversation with strangers. The television show with Sam Calagione is going to be called “Brewed.” The brewmaster will also be opening a bar/eatery in New York City next month called Eataly (23rd and Park, if I remember correctly) with the equally-gregarious Mario Batali. I’d say my scheduled trip home in October just got a little more crowded! Thanks to everyone at Dogfish Head and Morton’s who made this evening possible. Thanks for the good food, good cheeses and great beers. Hopefully more of these events will come to fruition in the future. If so, I’ll be there.
El Perro Del Mar – Dog
Ativin – Fortune Telling Fish
Loop – Head On
