Great Waters Beer Dinner

Early this week, my wife and I attended a beer dinner at Great Waters along with our friend Kurt. The kitchen staff did a spectacular job with the food! It was a lovely meal that had a different beer paired with each of the 5 courses:

• Sweet potato and coconut soup with spicy relish - paired with Golden Prairie Blond Ale
• Grilled queso fresco with onion and tomato salad in a honey lemon vinaigrette - paired with Sans Pantalons Ale
• Grilled tomato risotto with ham and andouille sausage stuffed calamari - paired with St. Peter Pale Ale
• Rack of lamb in plum sauce with mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables - paired with The Fredrick
• Pumpkin cranberry cake with cinnamon ice cream topped with candied bacon - paired with French oak aged Blackwatch Oat Stout

First, I want to note a few things about the food:

• I'm not normally a fan of sweet potatoes, but wow, that soup was delicious. It was smooth, creamy and the relish was an awesome finishing touch. My wife loved it so much I think she was tempted to lick the bowl clean...
• I've never had a salad like this one. The large cubes of queso fresco and cherry tomatoes were grilled perfectly. The onions were mild, sweet and very tender. Add the greens and vinaigrette, and it's all over.
• Let me say this; I LOVE RISOTTO! This was no exception. The stuffed calamari looked like little sausages with the squid serving as the casing. Very good, especially with the spicy sauce drizzled over it. It was almost too zippy for my wife, but it was perfect for me!
• I've found that lamb puzzles me. Sometimes I like it, but I usually prefer some other type of meat. Not the case here. It was almost unbelievably tasty! If lamb was always prepared like this, I'd never turn it down.
• The cake and ice cream were heavenly. Candied bacon? I wasn't sure what to expect, but I've officially decided I would really enjoy it with any dessert. Sweet and salty. Yum.

The beer was great as always, and it was paired perfectly with the food. In case you were wondering; the Sans Pantalons was an Ardennes-style Belgian ale and The Fredrick was a dunkelweizen. To me, the most amazing beer of the evening was the French oak aged Blackwatch. Bob put a spiral oak core into a keg with some Blackwatch and let it sit for 4 months. The taste difference from regular Blackwatch was immediately noticeable. It had a wonderful vanilla oak character that paired beautifully with dessert. Impressive.

Owner Sean O'Byrne and head brewer Bob DuVernois were there to participate in the presentation of the dinner and answer questions. We were actually lucky enough to have Bob sit right next to us! We had a fun conversation with him that carried through the dinner. Thanks Bob and thanks Great Waters! I would love to enjoy more evenings like this.