Some of the most underrated beer events are beer pairing dinners. To expertly pair fine dining dishes alongside strong and bold brews is truly an art. I trekked the snowfall last Wednesday night to make it to Brixx Firewood Pizza and Flat 12’s beer pairing dinner, and I’m so glad I did.
All of the items on the specialty dinner menus are NOT included in the traditional menu, so every item was truly unique. Chef Mike went above and beyond with the menu by including every single beer in the entree itself, which gave me new found gratitude for the culinary arts.
The first staple was the Busta Rye Pale Appetizer that had the brew included in the soy ginger dipping sauce that came alongside an Asian fusion lettuce wrap stuffed with angel hair pasta. Definitely not what I expected from a pizza place, but it worked oh so well. The second, my favorite of the evening, was Bleeding Heart IPA alongside a Focaccia toast topped with feta, goat cheese, fresh tomato, basil, and homemade mozzarella. This blood orange IPA comes in at a whopping 104 IBUs and had enough citrus to make you forget that it’s 30 degrees outside.
I conveniently sat directly next to bar manager Jeremy, who gave me the low down on the upcoming calendar of events. The goal is for 1 beer dinner a month with Triton being on the radar for March. Aside from this event, he also knew about pretty much every other craft beer event happening within a 20 mile radius of Fishers. If you go to Brixx, this guy will know what the best beers in the area are, where you can find them, what time a tap takeover will start, etc. Just ask for Jeremy, he’s your beer guy.
This event was well worth venturing through the arctic tundra, and I’m sure those who didn’t make it are kicking themselves now. The food was excellent, beer on point, and had a knowledgeable staff that sealed the deal. I would go back for the homemade mozzarella alone. Can’t wait to see what the next dinner holds.
Cheers,
Traxler
