Restaurants, it seems, keep wising up to something beer enthusiasts have known for a while: Beer can be more versatile than wine in creating interesting food pairings.
It seems not a day goes by that I don't get an announcement about a new beer dinner in town. And we're not talking pedestrian stuff like an ice cream float with stout (although, that is delicious -- try it).
Take, for example, this dessert pairing that will be the final of a five-course meal coupled with Goose Island beers Sunday at Newstead Tower Public House:
Local goat cheese, peach custard, lavender and a balsamic reduction served with draft Blackberry Dominique. This rare beer was created when brewers let a sour version of Goose Island's Matilda, a Belgian-style pale ale, mature in bourbon barrels along with 55 pounds of Michigan blackberries. I've never tasted the result, but I bet the tart fruit from the Dominique will be a dreamy complement to the creamy cheese and custard elements of the dish.
Read the rest of the Newstead-Goose Island menu and make reservations here. The event starts at 6 p.m. and costs $50. Newstead -- a local leader in beer dinners -- hosts similar events each month.
Other upcoming beer dinners:
• Variety, the Children's Charity of St. Louis, is bringing together six St. Louis-area breweries for its "Brew Revue" at the Malt House Cellar, part of the Moulin event space, from 4-7 p.m. on Sept. 25.
Moulin chefs will prepare bites to bring out the best in beers from O'Fallon, Schlafly, Highlands, Cathedral Square, Charleville and Hill Brewing Co. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased here.
• Bridge Tap House and Wine Bar today announced a new "Badass Beer Dinner" series to take place four times a year. The first event will be a five-course meal with pairings on Sept. 28.
No word yet on the food menu, and it sounds like Bridge is going to reveal one beer at a time leading up to the dinner. The beer mentioned in today's announcement is Founders Black Biscuit, a rich and robust cross between an old ale and a Baltic porter that carries a hefty 10.5 percent alcohol by volume.
Bridge will offer two seatings -- at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. -- for the beer dinner, which costs $50. According to the tap house's Facebook page, reservations can be made by e-mailing owner Dave Bailey at dave@baileysrestaurants.com.
