Beer Pairing at Twigs Restaurant

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Here’s what you missed at the Twig’s Beer Pairing Dinner last Friday night.  To start with, let’s get right into the food and beverages guests were served. After being seated, attendees were presented with a complementary glass of Sam Adams traditional Boston lager to go along with the appetizer; Whipped Blue Cheese on Toasted Rye. Placed atop the blue cheese were a slice of tomato, cucumber and green onion.  An excellent starter.  Moving on, we started our meal with a Saffron Seafood Chowder paired with Long Trail Ale (Vermont). Before even seeing the glasses of chowder being brought out, I could smell the wave of seafood scented goodness sweeping past my nose.  The chowder, which included clam and scallops, was very impressive to say the least. Chef Sean Keeney also noted that he used some of the paired beer in the chowder – a trend that would be repeated in other dishes throughout the night.

After finishing off the chowder we were presented with Kirin Ichiban (Japan), a favorite of mine since the first time I tasted it a few years ago. The Kirin was selected as the pairing with Sashimi Grade A (high quality sushi grade) Yellow Fin Tuna, imported from Japan.  The tuna was seared on a grill after being marinated in a slightly spicy mixture which included orange and lime flavor, along with some sriracha chili to add the heat.  Accompanying the tuna was a delicious LoMein cold salad with a Ponzu Vinaigrette. While every single dish impressed, this was easily my favorite.

After the third course, a Green tea ginger ‘ale’ granita was served as a pallete cleanser. Basically a shaved ice dessert, the granita tasted excellent and had a slightly ‘spicy’ quality to it as ginger generally does. All in all, it was a great treat to welcome the entree with.

The entree was a perfectly cooked braised beef short rib, with meat literally falling off the bone. Prepared with dry cherry demi-glaze served atop a creamy spinach polenta, served with roasted red and golden beets. The polenta was surprisinglly very flavorful and went well with the short rib and beets. The entree was paired with a domestic brew, Troegenator by Troegs. Not for the faint of heart, this double bock comes in at 8.2% alcohol by volume. Dark brown yet clear in it’s glass, Troegenator is a bit thick which is to be expected with beers of this higher alcohol content yet remains very smooth. All in all a great beer and one of my favorites of the evening.

For dessert, chocolate and orange scented crepes with a very delicate chocolate ganache sauce served with Michelob’s Shock Top. For those who have had Blue Moon before, Shock Top is very similar though after finally trying it I have to say I actually prefer it to Blue Moon. I typically don’t like beer with my dessert but must say that the pairing was absolutely perfect. The crepes were filled with a ricotta mixture and served with orange slices on the side. A perfect finish to this taste bud tickling dinner.

Between all servings, owner Jerry Bogedin challenged the minds of the guests with beer trivia, generating lively participation from the crowd which prompted much cross table conversation. After the trivia, head chef Sean Keeney gave descriptions of what was done to prepare the courses along with the reasons for the selected pairings of beers selected by beer coordinator Toni Place. A fun, delicious, and beer filled evening; at $40 per ticket, the Twigs beer pairing dinner will easily impress and be a night to remember.