Pike Brewing's Charles Finkel Toasts the Room

It is not often when a pioneer of the American craft brewing industry comes to Alberta. And it is even rarer that a person gets a chance to have a specially designed dinner with said pioneer. But that is what happened on Friday. Charles Finkel, owner of Seattle’s Pike Brewing, is doing a whirlwind tour of Alberta to promote his beer line. After some stops in Calgary with some tastings and cheese pairings, he headed into Edmonton on Friday to be the host/honoured guest of a beer-themed dinner at Manor Bistro. I was fortunate enough to sit with Mr. Finkel as we worked our way through four splendid courses paired with selections from Pike’s long list of styles.

Finkel was a splendid host and scintillating conversationalist. He had me rapt all evening telling stories of the early days of craft brewing in the US and beer appreciation internationally. I learned much over the course of the evening. For the moment I am going to hold off on relaying those stories to you – but I will, I promise. There simply is so much there that I can do a full article on it alone. So I plan to in the near future.

So instead, let me make you jealous that you were not there by offering an account of the evening’s pairings. We started with a “liquid appetizer” (I guess the fancy people call it an aperitif) of Dry Wit. It is a sharp, dry version of a wit, with pronounced floral and lavender qualities. I found myself remarking to my neighbour about the marked lavender aroma just as Charles told the assembled diners that lavender was one of the secret ingredients in the beer.

The first course came quickly: an English Stilton cheese soup topped with a curls of roasted parsnip, both made with and paired by Naughty Nellie Golden Ale. The soup was divine, offering a sharp earthy cheese character accented by crisp, sweet parsnip. The Naughty Nellie pairing was perfect, as its light fruitiness and slightly sharp finish unified the soup’s duality.

Next was a trio of west coast salmon served with a yellow pepper salad. One salmon was smoked, one cured with basil and one tartare (uncooked). The range of flavours would be tough to pair, I thought. They went for the Pale Ale, whose bitterness and soft malt undertones did span the flavour range well, but was not the best pairing of the night. (In the organizers’ defence the original plan was to pair with Monk’s Uncle Tripel, but it had recently sold out in Alberta – I suspect it would have been a more successful match).

Discussing the beer pairings

The main dish was free range chicken breast stuffed with Quebec Oka cheese and sage, served with eggplant cannelloni, grilled peppers and roasted tomato coulis (a form of thick sauce). On its own, I think the Oka would have overpowered the delicate chicken flesh, but the tomato coulis offered a strong counterpoint, which – interestingly – allowed the roasted peppers (one of my favourite things) and their sweetness to take up some palate space. In a way, the chicken was simply the vehicle on which to deliver the cavalcade of flavours. Well done. The pairing was Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale. I liked this pairing as the hints of smoke from the beer complimented both the Oka and the roasty sweetness of the peppers. It helps that Kilt Lifter is on the less heavy end of the scotch ale spectrum, preventing it from being too much for the dish. I wonder if it might have worked just as well with the salmon.

Braydon of Cold Bubbles Blog appears to be enjoying himself

The evening ended with bread pudding made with stout and a fig compote. Bread pudding is a decadent indulgence at the best of times, but this one felt particularly sinful. I think the fig compote lightened the impression of the pudding, as it did not seem too heavy or dense. The beer match was originally to be XXXXX-tra Stout, but again it had sold out. So Old Bawdy barley wine was subbed in. Barley wine as the second stringer? Talk about bench strength!

Old Bawdy may have been a bit too intense for the dessert; I found I left it until after I finished the plate and then sipped it as an after-dinner digestif. I am not complaining however. A chance to slowly sip on Old Bawdy while being regaled with stories is my idea of a fun night.

My belt might disagree but I am hoping we have more of these kind of events, as they the perfect mix of beer education, local food appreciation and conviviality. I know a Charles Finkel doesn’t come around every day, but there is more than one quality brewer out there who might be willing to swing through our humble burg and proffer up some beer and lovely gourmet food.