Jack Curtin’s LIQUID DIET

The first beer v. wine dinner event I ever attended—hell, the first one I ever heard of—was put together by Jim Anderson (gone but not forgotten or forgotten but not gone, you choose) at  Bridgid’s in the late 1990s, ‘97 or ‘98 I’d guess. Five courses, tied two-to-two when we reached dessert, which was a rich chocolate brownie sort of thing and a very good stout blew away a run-of-the-mill domestic champagne as I recall it. Whether that latter is correct or not, the fact is that beer triumphed.

There have been a lot of such contests since.  Chefs love the challenge of these things, creating a menu where either the right wine or the right beer will be perfectly matched. It’s a great way to introduce the possibilities of great beer into white tablecloth dining and, as has been written about here and elsewhere, the inroads being made by beer are significant enough to have the wine industry initiating a counter-campaign in some areas.

Sam Calagione and Marnie Olde got a book and a lengthy tour out of the  beer v. wine concept, although their presentations, to the extent I am familiar with them, seemed as much shtick as substance.

And now I’ve learned that there has been an epic, three-year-long battle going on in this continuing struggle. From a email news release just received from Stone Brewing:

“Beer vs. Wine” was a three-part challenge pitting Wine against Beer in a food-pairing showdown. The multi-course fine-dining dinners were held over three consecutive years (2007-2009) at the Rancho Bernardo Inn’s critically acclaimed El Bizcocho restaurant. Each course was paired with a specially selected wine and a specially selected beer, and guests voted on their preference.

The Wine pairings were hand selected each year by Barry Wiss of Napa’s Trinchero Family Estates, and the Beer pairings were determined by Greg Koch, CEO & Co-Founder of Stone Brewing Co. Neither Barry nor Greg had any say in the creation of the food menu.

In October 2007, “Beer” won. However, it was very close. Beer took three of the courses and wine won three, yet Beer edged out Wine with more total votes during the evening. In October 2008, “Wine” won. Again, it was very close with three courses to three courses, with Wine winning more total votes in the evening. Friday, October 16th, 2009’s dinner was the tie-breaker to determine the “best two out of three” winner.

Beer emerged victorious in the October 16, 2009 Beer vs. Wine Dinner. The competition was so fierce that the ballots had to be recounted twice, but it was eventually determined that Beer won by one single vote.

There’s more on Greg’s blog, including lots of video. Good stuff.

Tags: Beer Events, News //