Sonoma County may be a wine lover’s playground but, in recent years, the region has also evolved into a mecca for microbrew maniacs. While wine and food pairings have become old hat for some, Sonoma Beer Country is now serving up a new kind of duo.
On Tuesday, May 15th, Santa Rosa restaurant John Ash & Co. will team up with Seismic Brewing Co. to create combinations of beer and food that even the pickiest gourmands and beer nerds should enjoy. During a “special beer pairing dinner,” John Ash sous chef (and hophead) Danny Girolmo will serve “an innovative, seasonal four-course meal,” paired with four Seismic brews.
The evening will begin with a reception, during which guests can sip Seismic’s Alluvium pilsner while nibbling on appetizers, including pizza with Black Pig bacon, smoked tomato, and roasted garlic crème fraiche.
The first and second courses will include grilled puntarelle (a type of chicory) with boquerones, croûtes, sauce salmoriglio and caperberries, and a summer salad of prosciutto, melon, hearts of palm, red dragun, and cabernet vinaigrette, paired with Liquifaction, a Kolsch-style ale, and Namazu, an oat pale ale, respectively.
A Sonoma County beer pairing wouldn’t be complete without an IPA: the Szechuan seared duck main course will be served with Seismic’s Shatter Cone IPA. And there’s IPA for dessert, too: Seismic’s Megathrust IPA will combine with strawberry-banyuls (a dessert wine) sorbet with mint, tonka beans, and tropical fruits, to complement the beer’s tropical notes of mango, papaya, pineapple and tangerine.
The dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $95 per person and if you enjoy yourself a little too much, you’re in luck – John Ash & Co. also has a hotel onsite, the Vintners Inn, where you can rest your weary head and full belly. Tickets on sale now. Learn more here.