Belgian brewery Duvel-Moortgat and its Cooperstown New York partner, Brewery Ommegang paired up for a private beer dinner at City Winery. Both breweries produce complex Belgian and Belgian-style beers brewed with unique yeast strains which Executive Sous Chef, Dan Olson, complemented and contrasted with his delicious five course meal.
We started with a demonstration of the Duvel Perfect Pour by Duvel’s Andrew Berlanstein.
First Course | Duvel “Tripel Hop” Paired With Grilled Shrimp
Beer: A Tripel hop version of Duvel, this year’s release features Equinox hops
Food: Charred Pina Salsa, House Made Chili Paste
Pairing Notes: The high effervesce in Duvel Tripel Hop, combined with it’s unique, bright hop character work nicely with the delicate shrimp but stand up to the heat of the salsa and chili paste
Second Course | Brewery Ommegang “Hennepin Farmhouse Saison” Paired With Baby Beet & Carrot Salad
Beer: Ale brewed with grains of paradise, coriander, ginger, sweet orange peel
Food: Herbed goat cheese, mixed baby beets, heirloom carrots, pistachios, citrus supremes, ginger vinaigrette
Pairing Notes: “The main notes that I feel work with the saison are the beets, citrus from the supremes and the ginger in the vinaigrette really ties everything together.” – Chef Dan Olson
Third Course | Brewery Ommegang “Rare Vos” Paired With House Made Mergueze
Beer: Ale brewed with sweet orange peels, grains of paradise, lavender.
Food: Wilted lacinato kale, grilled vegetable ratatouille, pickled red onion
Pairing Notes: “Half of the pickling liquid for the red onions is orange juice, the Rare Vos is brewed with sweet orange peel so the juice and the acidity of the red onions helps tie it all together. The beer also does a great job of supporting a little spice and lamb, so we paired it with the mergueze sausage.” – Chef Dan Olson
Fourth Course | Brewery Ommegang “Three Philosophers” Paired With Espresso Crusted Pork Belly
Beer: Quadruple ale with 98% ale and 2% with cherries added, blend of Ommegang Quadruple ale and Liefmans Kriek
Food: Sparrow espresso, apple-rutabaga puree, Brussels sprouts, 3 Philosophers-cherry reduction
Pairing Notes: “We took Three Philosophers and reduced it a bit, added maraschino cherries, and macerated it a bit in the sauce. I didn’t want the bitterness of it, I wanted to alcohol bite from the beer.” – Chef Dan Olson
Fifth Course | Brewery Ommegang “Gnomegang” Paired With Sweet Grass Dairy “Green “Hill”
Beer: Belgian-style Blonde Ale brewed with Chouffe yeast and bottle-conditioned with Ommegang yeast.
Food: From Georgia, made from pasteurized cow milk and aged 4 weeks. Grilled and served with peach honey jam and non-traditional pickles and pumpernickel crisps
Special Beer Notes: Gnomegang originally started as a collaboration beer between Ommegang and Chouffe and uses the house yeast from both breweries. It’s since been adopted into a year-round offering from both breweries.
