05 Apr Take me to church so I can have an amazing beer dinner, please!
St. Joseph Brewery and Public House recently hosted their first beer pairing dinner with glorious results. This intimate gathering was held in their private room high above the brewery.
Located in the Lockerbie neighborhood of downtown Indianapolis, St. Joseph Brewery is housed in a beautiful building that was formerly a Catholic church. Originally built in 1879, the brewery opened nearly a year ago keeping many of the original church’s angelic aesthetics.
Karl, St. Joseph’s Managing Partner, served as our host for the evening. Karl selected all of the beers chosen for the dinner and introduced each of the five courses.
The assembled guests sat together at one long communal table. We were blessed to have Alan, St. Joseph’s Head Brewer, sit at the head of the table. Alan, a veritable fountain of brewing knowledge, offered an in-depth, detailed description of each course’s paired beers and insight into their creation.
The appetizer course brought pan seared Diver Scallops with applewood smoked bacon and fingerling potatoes accompanied by the Sanctuary Saison. This was St. Joseph’s second brewed batch of their Saison after it was one of their most popular beers last year. Freshly tapped on the day of the dinner, this cloudy 5.9% ABV Farmhouse ale is fruity and robust. The refreshing, easy drinking Sanctuary Saison nicely complemented the succulent seared scallops.
The soup course had a savory English pea and fennel puree topped with crispy, salty prosciutto. This course was paired with the Scotch Export Absolution Amber Ale. The medium-bodied 5.6% ABV Amber contains Cascade hops and malt-like characteristics. Fruit, citrus hops and caramel unite in this Amber delight.
The St. Joseph Beer Dinner entree course was a locally sourced Viking Farms rack of lamb served with the Descendant Belgian Dubbel. The rich, herb roasted lamb was juicy, bursting with flavor and melted in your mouth. Crafted with a unique candy syrup, this 6.4% ABV Belgian beauty contains deep, dark roast elements and fruity esters. The caramel character reverberates throughout this delicious Dubbel.
The outstanding staff at St. Joseph’s Brewery stressed throughout the evening that this was the first of many beer dinners to come. Based on the overwhelming success of St. Joseph’s first effort, it would be a sin to miss their next one.
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