Wednesday last found me with about 16 men – enjoying beer and food. It was a special night in the form of a educational and social event for the male staff at Standing Stone Brewing Company.

table set...ready to go

Why men? Why not. WEB is about education and opportunity.

It takes all parties to progress the conversation. Plus on the Home Free Tour last fall, we had held a women’s only tasting and pairing. So it was time.

We had the good fortune to have a few other guests join us – people who are related to SSBC in some way. Coffee supplier, bar manager at another local restaurant, and 3 regular patrons. Good mix.

The first two courses were as follows.

Course 1

Nitro Stout with Stir Crazy Chocolate Cake. We started off with a full flavorful match. The deep roasted malt in the stout is a most excellent pairing with Chocolate. The cake is made from scratch, like their whole menu always is as well as their beers, and it was a really nice consistency. Not too thick or light. Goldilocks would have approved. Juuuust right.

Starting with an unexpected pairing set a great tone.

Course 2

Lager with Fish Tacos. The light crispness of the lager went well with the lighter flavor of the fish, lightly sauteed with other simple fresh ingredients to complement it.

I picked the contrast of the stout to the tacos on purpose. To highlight the differences of the two styles of beer.

Course 3

India Pale Ale with the special Pork Chops. The forward hoppiness of the IPA was a good partner to the pork chops, local and organic. Nice bitterness – or bite as some servers like to describe it – and a medium flavor personality to pair with the chops.

Tomorrow – the other 3 courses….