Yesterday (Thursday, January 26), we attended our very first beer dinner at Prairie Trail Hy-Vee Market Grille in Ankeny, IA. There’s nothing quite like a four course dinner served with your very own beer! Here’s 4 things we learned:
1. You won’t be able to finish every beer….and that’s okay.
This was discovered right away when we were served grilled Heart of Romaine served with anchovy vinaigrette paired with Gluten Full Blonde Ale. Our full-bodied blonde comes in at 7% ABV. We were blown away by the salad dish only to find that we still had most of our beers left with 3 more courses to go.
If you DO finish every beer with every course, give yourself a pat on the back and hand your keys to your designated driver. However, if you don’t, it’s okay to pace yourself and take in the full experience. Savor the food, savor the beer. Lather rinse repeat.
2. Sometimes the beer is used IN the dinner, not just with it.
Course #2 was a spent grain bread bowl filled with beer cheese soup paired with NoCoast’s Agricultured Rye Porter. Spent grain was obtained with the leftover grain after a brewing day at NoCoast’s Oskaloosa brewery.
The rye porter helped cut through the richness of the beer cheese soup and had the whole room wondering if there were extra spent grain bread bowls to take home for themselves.
3. Each course is its own experience.
You wouldn’t normally finish a thick and hearty bread bowl soup and think to yourself “I could really go for some indian food right now”. However, the Tandoori Chicken served with roasted baby potatoes, wilted greens, and red curry sauce served with our Yoga Poser Pale Ale was nothing short of perfection.
4. You’ll leave the dinner full, in more ways than one.
The meal ended with “Beeramisu" -Chef Nick's Housemade Tiramisu made with the reduced wort from our Trend Bucker Stout grains. Paired with our Mammoth Barrel-Aged Stout, this course was prepared to send you home to your victorious food coma. As the meal winded down and tables were merged, brewers, beer fans, and chefs alike gathered to brainstorm outlandish and delicious ideas for another meal yet to come. Our stomachs were full of 4 courses of pure excellence and our minds are overflowing with inspiration for our next big event.
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