One June 6th, 2017 I was invited out to an invite only beer dinner with Goose Island Beer Company out of Chicago that was held at Glowbal restaurant in Vancouver. This was my first time actually dining at Glowbal. To start the night off samples of Four Star Pils were served to guests.
The dinner was hosted by the brand new Head Brewer for Goose Island Toronto Brewhouse Bernard Priest and the Executive Chef Kyle Dampsy.
This is a fine dining restaurant and the room for the dinner was decorated to match the occasion. To start the night they brought up both Bernard Priest and Kyle Dampsy to discuss the beer and then the food. Once the talking had finished the started to serve the first course.
First Course
Amuse Bouche
Foie Gras Sable Cookie with Strawberry Gelee Se Salt
Paired with Gillian 2016
It was nice to start dinner off with what would almost be considered a desert. The cookie was really tasty and the sweet strawberry topping really paired nicely with the sour strawberry farmhouse ale. Sweet and sour counteract each other really nicely.
Second Course
Parmesan Fried Chicken
Parmesan Fried Chicken, Corn Puree, Compressed Watermelon, Pickled Watermelon Rind
Paired with 312 Urban Wheat Ale
The fried chicken in the Parmesan breading was amazingly flavorful with a nice little zing. I wouldn't say that the chicken paired perfectly with the wheat ale but the Watermelon sure did.
Course Three
Flank Steak
Yucatan Style Flank Steak, Mushroom Polenta, Roja Sauce, Cilantro.
Paired with Sofie 2017
Who can take what is considered a poor cut of beef and make it amazing? Holy hell can this chef! The BBQ sauce has a big pepper spice and goes well with the peppery saison. The flank steak was rare and cooked amazingly well. I don't know a ton about Polenta but this mushroom version was really great. The hint of earthy mushroom really worked with the saison.
Fourth Course
BBQ Pork Ribs
BBQ Pork Ribs, Celery Seed Brined Coleslaw, Jalapeno Corn Bread.
Paired with Goose Honkers Ale
The flank steak was great but this may have been better. I am still undecided and I may need to try both again to find out haha. The rib sauce had a mild sweetness that really melded well with the honkers ale. This is not my favourite beer from Goose Island but with this dish it really worked. I have never had a brined coleslaw but after having one I don't know how I have eaten it any other way. I love the kick that it gives. The final touch of the jalapanjo corn bread just rounded it out with a nice mild spice to contract the sweetness of the BBQ sauce and the beer.
Course Five
Carrot Cake
Carrot Cake with Goose Island IPA glaze.
Paired with Goose IPA
This desert lived up to the rest of the meal but even I was getting full. The carrot cake was not super sweet and the glaze was really nice. With Goose IPA being a malt forward English style IPA it really worked well with this pairing.
This was definitely a great beer dinner and I would like to thank Goose Island Beer Company and Labatt for inviting me out to share the evening with them.
Goose Island Beer Co
http://www.gooseisland.com
Glowbal
http://www.glowbalgroup.com/glowbal
As a nice little thank you to people that attended the dinner they gave us a bottle of Gillian 2016 Vintage a beer that is not sold in Canada.
