Beer Dinner at Dogfish Head
This local brewery from Delaware has blown up in the last 5 years or so. I remember going to the original ale house in downtown Rehoboth Beach long before they became popular. We would go to get some great craft beer and honestly, some ok food. But it was the beer that set this place apart. Over the years they have increased their distribution area and it is very easy for me to find this beer in my local super market here in Norther Virginia. Discover Channel even had a short lived tv show featuring Sam and Dogfish called Brew Masters.
Enough with the brewery, this post is about the incredible dinner they had. Father’s Day was a few weeks ago and I missed it because I was on Phish tour (night 1, night 2, night 3). For the last few years Phish has played on Father’s Day, usually in Saratoga Springs (2004, 2009 and 2010) and this year in Portsmouth. When I am getting tickets I never realize what the date is, I am just looking for some close shows to attend. Back in 2010 I got called back home and missed the SPAC Father’s Day show, but I caught the first year at SPAC and I was making the Portsmouth show this year. I did of course call my Dad from the road and wished him happy Father’s Day and that I would take him out for dinner on my return to celebrate.
For a few years now my Dad has always paid when just the two of us go out for dinner and I thought it should be my turn to treat him. It had been a while since our last dinner together and we both love beer so when I saw the announcement I jumped at the chance. Since they opened their ale house in Fairfax and Seven Corners I have gotten their emails about dinners but never had the chance to attend one. This I was looking forward to trying.
an incredible menu, click to enlarge
My Dad and I meet Nancy at the bar before the dinner for a quick drink before dinning. Work has been crazy for Nancy so it was good to get her mind off work and enjoy a beer. Later she went to dinner with Pat at Madigan’s Waterfront in Occoquan. When the dinner started my Dad and I took our beers to the table and were surprised to find a full class of Festina Peche waiting for us, this was what I ordered from the bar. It is a tart wheat beer with a hint of peach and I love it. It certainly is not for everyone, but I dig the tartness and the hint of peach. Many times when a brewer add fruit to their beer all you taste is the fruit and I hate that. This one is well balanced and extra special with the tartness. Abita Purple Haze and Magic Hat #9 are two other “fruit” beers I think are really good.
We got put into a booth and quickly meet our dinner quests for the night, two really cool guys who’s names I can’t remember. We talked all night about beer and life in general. One of the guys is an Archer fan so he got mad brownie points with me. Thankfully he informed us that as the night went on the size of the beers would get smaller, after all there were five courses. But as the glasses got smaller the alcohol content went up so it was really just a wash.
The night started off with three large bacon wrapped scallops that I thought was for the table but in fact was for each person. They were cooked perfectly and I thought the peach wheat beer paired nicely. Second course was potato salad with lobster paired with Burton Baton. The potato salad was good, nothing special and I am not a big fan of the giant insects called lobster. Even the beer was just ok, high alcohol content and a strong taste. I thought they should have paired a lighter beer to go with the delicate salad. I would have also preferred a lettuce salad, but that is just me. In fact this was the only miss of the whole night.
Next up was the soup course and it was clam chowder paired with Shelter Pale Ale. First thing we all noticed was the soup was broth based and not the traditional cream based chowder I am use to. The broth was light but you could still taste the clam/sea/salt. The beer was light of course and didn’t overpower the subtle flavors of the soup. Surprisingly the guy who grew up in New Jersey never had clam chowder before and ate every last drop of it.
Next up is the main course, blue cheese stuff petite filet. By this point we are all getting full but I was determined to eat all the courses. My jaw dropped as I cut into the filet and tasted it. It was perfectly cooked medium-rare and the flavor combo of blue cheese and port wine reduction was incredible. The potatoes had a great flavor of bacon and cheese, creamy yet still a little lumpy, just the way I like it. Even the brussel sprouts had a great tang and flavor. The Raison D’Etre was a so so beer, like the name suggests it has a raisin flavor and was heavy as crap. This beer was hard to finish but I forced myself to drinking it all. Now and again I kept going back to the Festina Peche to cleanse my pallet. By the time I was half done with the main course I had already eaten and drunken a ton and was completely full. If this was a normal meal I would have yelled uncle and taken it home with me. I wad determined to finish everything, even if I did happen to slow down a bit. It was just to good to not finish.
Finally dessert came out which was a waffle, ice cream, maple syrup and MORE BACON. The desert was incredible and I was surprised my Dad actually finished his, not just sampled. He is known for not eating desserts but on rare occasions and this was that rare occasion. Unfortunately as good as the dessert was the beer was anything but. It was the Sah’ Tea which is brewed with juniper berries just like gin. Next they add all these spices and add them to the mix. The beer is brewed in a traditional style with heated river bed rocks but I must say the smell is awful. All you can smell is flowers and taste nothing but juniper. This one I could barely drink, back to my Festina Peche.
Around 9:30 we finally finished, stuffed and fully satisfied we headed home. We were thoroughly impressed with the operation and I can’t wait to go back for another beer dinner. One of our table mates has been to several of these and says the menus have never been repeated. The only thing I was disappointed about was my Dad and I never really talked. We chit chatted all night of course, but usually when he and I go to dinner we have some deep discussions. Guess I will have to take him out for another dinner here shortly.
