It began with a raddler, the hue of a sunset in Nice, the "German drink for cyclists to enjoy," quipped Graham With, the head brewer for Parallel 49. The East Vancouver brewery teamed up with Craft Beer Market’s kitchen in downtown Calgary to present June 27th‘s decadent Brewmaster’s Dinner. The wonderful pairing event happens monthly at Craft, with July 10th seeing dishes inspired by Mill St. Brew Pub’s fine ales. Head brewer from St. Johns, Newfoundland, Daniel Bouldrini, will be in attendance to explain the beers.

If future dates reflect the dinner GayCalgary was happy to attend in June, wear loose pants and pace yourself. The dishes were full flavoured and portions were not lacking: five courses and beers in just under three hours.

The raddler, a combination of grapefruit juice from Texas and Parallel 49’s lager, was paired with a sightly amuse bouche of a ‘scallop benny’. The scallop sat atop a thin crostini-like biscuit with bacon and mint, drizzled in sauce.

Next up a house-smoked cheddar croquette, breaded and fried to perfection akin a zesty organic beat salad, paired with a refreshingly light IPA – the Wobbly Pop – brewed from a Vermont yeast.

Then we climaxed: Ancho coffee crusted pork belly, served with a green garbanzo take on wasabi, charred pineapple and kale crisp. This licentious dish was aptly served with a stronger IPA, the Filthy Dirty, a hearty beverage that finishes with hoppy notes of citrus.

The main course could have lived up to its predecessor, however we found the beef dish over salted and less interesting than the belly, despite being absolutely swathed in lobster butter. This came served with Gypsy Tears, an easy drinking, robust red ale, that helped to cut the salt and fat the dish was rife with.

Finally the dessert: an absolutely lovely Bodhisattva sour ale, a great contrast to a sweet crème brulee (that I do not believe was torched) and a caramel that was a bit too hard to dig into.

Needless to say we were filled to the brim and absolutely satisfied with the experience. The ambiance of Craft is eye appealing and comfortable, the service polite and efficient, and the speakers informative and friendly. This is a perfect first date, anniversary or friends’ night out. Starting at $60 a ticket, inclusive of tax and gratuity, the night is very well priced. We were sent home with gorgeous Parallel 49 glasses that I cannot wait to pour my next raddler into après a Sunday morning cycle.

Related Articles

Contributor Janine Eva Trotta |

Locale Calgary |

Topic Craft Beer Market | Food |