Beer—The Other Bubbly

Gail Bellamy

Photo: The Linkery, San Diego

Beer isn’t just a warm weather beverage, as several recent winter restaurant promotions demonstrate. We’ve all heard the sayings about beer vs. champagne budgets, and while customers may find the price point of beer attractive, it’s also got other tasty and trendy attributes. Words like artisanal, regional and fresh come to mind. Combine those aspects with beer’s well-deserved food-friendly reputation and you’ve got a customer-pleasing profile. Here are a few examples of beer promotions around the country—ideas that may help you brew up a promotion of your own.

At Blue Restaurant and Bar in Charlotte, NC, executive chef Gene Briggs teamed up with local Olde Mecklenburg Brewery (OMB) for a casual, tasting-style beer and food pairing event. Appetizing duos include Charmoula Lacquered Duck Confit over an Anson Mills Charleston Gold Rice Pilaf, paired with Dunkel Lager, a dark winter seasonal beer. The event is priced at $45.95 per person, not including sales tax or gratuity.

In Savannah, GA, Gaslight Group has scheduled its 2012 Beer Dinner Series to be held at the company’s newest restaurant venue, The Blue Turtle Bistro. The theme of the year’s first dinner in late January is “Winter” and, at $50 per person, highlights seasonal craft beers paired with the restaurant’s dishes featuring fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. Among the beers are Gulpener Chateau Neubourg Pilsner, Hobgoblin Ale, Avery IPA, and Dogfish Head Chicory Stout. The five-course menu, put together by chef Matt Baldwin and g.m. James Yglesias, includes a dessert pairing of Dogfish Head Chicory Stout paired with Chocolate Banana Cherry French Toast with Amaretto Anglaise.

Other January events include the High Alcohol Beer Dinner, held January 19 at Pizzeria Paradiso, Georgetown in Washington, DC. At $65 per person (all inclusive), the beers are paired with a five-course menu. Some of the beer selections—ranging from 11.3% to 18% alcohol, include Alvinne Oak Aged Melchior (11.5%), Avery Mephistopheles (16.83%) and Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA (18%).
Cans of locally brewed beer are the highlight of Tokio Pub’s first beer dinner of the year, scheduled for January 30 in Schaumburg, IL. The four-course event, priced at $45 per person (excluding tax and tip), features beer-infused dishes paired with cans of beer from local breweries. For example, the second course is Tokio Pub Fish and Chips (Blonde Ale beer-battered fresh cod with roasted, home-cut potatoes served with wasabi mayo), paired with Finch’s Golden Wing Blonde Ale.