Beer versus wine throw down dinner at veracious brewing company

On May 24, 2017 Veracious Brewing Company held its first dinner. The theme- Beer vs Wine. I have always wanted to do an event like this so when Tess and Mark Szamatulski asked me to present the wine portion I was more than happy to sign on. 

I first met Tess and Mark many years ago when I started buying wine grapes and supplies from them at their first business, Maltose Express. We started doing wine tastings together and in 2010 I worked there on Wednesdays. During that time I was offered a job as an adjunct professor at the University of New Haven teaching Wine Appreciation. Reluctantly, I had to give up the Maltose job in order to be at UNH. 

 Chef Mike Jackson of It's A Party Catering  created  a fantastic menu with each course to be paired with a wine and a beer. Attendees would vote on which paired best for each course. 

The watermelon salad

So who won?

Chef Mike and his team

My job was to pick the wines and present them. I had total control over which wines I wanted to use. Mark was hoping we could use some of the wines from nearby Jones Winery in Shelton. I work with the Jones family doing their wine dinners, some shifts in the tasting room and staff training and agreed we should put some in the mix. I set up a tasting and Tess, Mark and I went through the line up.  We needed six wines for the night, we ended up picking five of the Jones wines. The wines are excellent and I was happy with the picks. If Jones Winery made a Sauvignon Blanc we probably would have used that as well. I had my mind made up to use a Sauvignon Blanc with the watermelon salad. With feta, tomato, basil, lime, cilantro and more  it seemed like a sure bet. 

Caribbean Shrimp

Chef Mike and Tess

Tess and Mark

Chef Mike Jackson with his mother, Diane Zello, who is also the pastry chef

After I agreed to do the dinner I was worried that since the venue was  a brewery I would be preaching wine to a beer crowd. I was quite wrong. The crowd was very open minded and were quite happy to share their feelings about the pairings. I knew wine had a chance but...

Charcuterie Sushi

The middle one was a real favorite of the crowd. Crispy cured meat wrapped around fig and a whole lot more. The flavors and textures were outstanding.

Bacon wrapped stuffed filet

Cheese Cake Duo

So, who was the winner? The food! Chef Mike stole the show with his dishes. The wines and beers showed very well and for a time it seemed that beer edged out wine by a vote. After the announcement one more ballot was found that had not been counted. In the end, a tie. Beer and wine each won two courses and there was a tie for the remaining course. It seemed appropriate. 

Click on images below to see full size picture

It was a great night of food, wine and beer. Mark, Tess and I took some friendly jabs at the opposing beverages as we tried to convince the group that our pairings were the best. This evening will be hard to top, stay tuned, maybe a rematch is a possibility. Thanks to Chef Mike and his team and to everyone that turned out for the dinner.  And yes, we did go a few rounds with the
Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots. 

Menu

Veracious Brewing Company Beer versus Wine Throw Down Dinner
Each of the five courses will be served with a beer and a wine that complement the dish. The chef will describe each course; Jon Haight of WineUnwrapped.com will tell you why the wine is the perfect pairing for the dish while Mark & Tess Szamatulski of Veracious Brewing Company and Maltose Express will make the case for Veracious beer! It is up to you to vote on which beverage goes best with each course. Chef Mike Jackson has created an incredible menu for our dinner.
Welcome glass of wine and beer
Jones Winery Blueberry Bliss
Veracious BLOOBS-Blueberry Wheat Ale

Watermelon Salad
Tomato, feta, basil, basil oil, apple pickled fennel, radish, cucumber-lime thyme papare, red wine balsamic reduction.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Sauvignon Blanc Horse Heaven Vineyard
Veracious 29 Pews IPA
Caribbean Spiced Shrimp
Tropical Salad- Grilled pineapple, cucumber, roasted red pepper, tomato, lime, cilantro Kiwi Avocado Mousse, Apple pickled Onion, Citrus Mango "Air“, Crispy Platanos 
Jones Winery Pinot Gris
 Veracious Saison d' Tessa-Belgian style Saison

Charcuterie "Sushi"
A charcuterie platter served in a "sushi" presentation.
Jones Winery Cabernet Franc
Veracious Last Call-Belgian Strong Golden Ale
 
 
 
Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Filet Mignon
 Gorgonzola-lime-scallion, sweet potato, roasted grapes, asparagus, arugula, herbs, spiced almonds 28 hour rosemary demi-glace
Jones Winery Merlot
Veracious Owd Boreas-Imperial Red Ale

Gelee Cheese Cake
Pig Tail Porter gelee with Lucy's Last Call caramel-bacon
Jones Winery 7 Generations Port style wine
Veracious Pig Tail Porter-Robust Porter
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