Houston Beer Week: Beer & Food Pairing

Last night I had a great time at Catalan with my girlfriend at a beer and food pairing event.  So much food and drink–I’m still stuffed!  Chef Chris Shepherd from Catalan & Kevin Floyd of Anvil Bar did such a great job.  I especially liked hearing about the the history of different types of beers, and how our American breweries got their styles and techniques from European brewers.

These are the beers we drank.  The food was awesome, but I didn’t write it down, and I wouldn’t do it justice to repeat from memory.

We started out with a flute of Keystone Light to show what typical Americans drink in mass quantities.

1. Saison by ?
2. Polestar Pilsner by Left Hand Brewing Company
3. Imperial Dunkel Wit by Nøgne Ø
4. Wild Devil Ale by Victory
5. Hop Stoopid Ale by Lagunitas
6. Russian Imperial Stout by Stone

I, being an IPA fan, loved #s 4 and 5.  The Russian Imperial Stout went really well with a decadent chocolate souffle with chocolate ice cream.

Lastly, and definitely least, I’d like to finalize my objection to a conversation topic at our table: unqualified usage of the word “gamey” and what that word means.  I found a forum thread with the Chowhound group’s website, which my girlfriend is a member of.  The verdict is anything but conclusive.  So, I recommended not using that word, or qualifying it to avoid its inherent ambiguity.  See my post here.

Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout

I had this beer at the Flying Saucer (beer menu) and it was excellent. I was really impressed. This is my second favorite beer. My favorite is still Rogue Chipotle Ale.