Bob Baxter regales the crowd with Yukon stories

Last Friday night I attended the Yukon Brewing Beer Dinner at the Urban Diner. It was a fabulous evening and for a number of reasons I am left buoyed by the potential for beer and food pairing in western Canada. I believe more than ever that it is the new trend in cuisine and soon we will see beer dinners popping up in many places.

The first reason to be encouraged was evident the moment I stepped into the restaurant. It was packed! The Urban Diner holds about 120 and that was the number of people awaiting the evening’s events. Even more impressive, I likely knew only a dozen people in the room, which means the bulk of the crowd were not beer geeks but interested consumers. I also noted the demographic range of the crowd – from twenty-somethings to more mature diners and a solid 50% women. I also sense there was a range of income and occupations as well, although that is hard to tell without a survey. All very uplifting.

The second encouragement is that I am once again impressed at beer’s versatility with food. The creative combination of flavours in the dishes – all made with different Yukon beer – was intriguing. The beer additions were subtle, adding dimensions to the flavours, rather than overpowering. Back to the food in a moment.

I spent the evening sitting with Yukon co-founder and owner Bob Baxter, who hosted the evening, before each course offering the crowd insights and stories into the brewery’s origins and development (note to organizers: a microphone would have made his job easier). I have always known that Yukon has original, flavourful, clean beer that chart their own course, not sweating style guidelines. Yukon beer doesn’t need to be flashy or bold – it goes about impressing you quietly.

Now I know why. Yukon’s beer is reflective of Bob’s personality. He is soft-spoken, generous, modest, insightful, observant and always interesting to talk to. Of course someone like Bob would make beer like Gold, Red and Lead Dog. As much as I respect Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione, Bob is the counter-point to Calagione. His brashness is balanced by Bob’s subtlety. Both do what they do very well, which is a good reminder for us all that there is plenty of room in the beer world for all of us.

And now back to the food.

The packed Urban Diner

The first course was a sweet potato, radicchio salad with a Vinaigrette made with Yukon’s Deadman Creek Cranberry Wheat, served with Midnight Sun Stout barbequed pork. The dressing was tart and flavourful, which balanced the spicy radicchio well. I don’t eat pork, so they gave me chicken instead, so I can’t comment on the meat. The course was paired with the Deadman Creek, which worked for me.

The second course was a divine Gruyere and Emmenthal cheese and potato soup, spiked with Yukon Gold with shavings of cajun dusted fries and paired with the Gold. I have decided that I love cheese soup and beer – it may be the perfect pairing. The Gold drew out some of the sweetness in the soup, but the cheese kept it hearty and earthy. A great combination.

The third course was a complex wild sea scallop ceviche that had heat, freshness and sweetness. It was socked in Yukon’s new spirit, Solstice (more on that in another post), accompanied by a potato focaccia made with Ice Fog, which was also the pairing. This one didn’t work for me so much, in part because I am not a big scallop fan, but I also found the flavour dimensions too busy. However, a creative effort.

The scallop ceviche

For the main I chose the baked arctic char brushed with a Discovery Honey ESB glaze and served with a leek and tomato risotto. The dish melted in my mouth. The beer glaze opened up the palate and gave the dish more than one dimension. The beer pairing was Lead Dog Ale, which I think was designed to go with the other main option, a beef brisket and wild mushrooms. I imagine with the latter dish the Lead Dog would be sublime. However, it was too much for the char. I think the Red or the Discovery would have been better choices for the fish.

The dessert was an intense white and dark chocolate creme brulee touched by Midnight Sun Espresso Stout, served with a Fireweed Honey biscotti. This was deep and rich, but maybe a bit too much. Many patrons couldn’t finish the ramekin. It was, obviously, paired with the stout, which was the only beer that could hold up to the strong presentation of the dessert. It was a nice mix.

In general the food was innovative and well prepared. I thank the chef for his efforts to produce dishes that are not pedestrian. The use of beer in the recipes was particularly inspired.

I am very familiar with Yukon beer, as they are often my go-to in pubs. However, the dinner made me re-acquaint myself the potential of their beer. I got to experience their flavours in new combinations and contexts. They work well in food and with food. And that may be my most important lesson from the night.