Part 3 includes courses 9 through 12 of the 12 courses of the 2009 PNC Beer Dinner held in Russian River’s barrel room and presented by Sean Z. Paxton.

Course No. 9: Assorted Belgian Cheese, which were served buffet style. The cheeses include Affligem (cow, Trappist style, made w/beer), Chimay (cow), Orval (med. soft, cow, Trappist style), Pate a Chouffe (cow, soft rounds), Petrus (cow, med. firm), St. Bernardus (cow, med. hard, made w/Watou beer), Val Dieu (cow, med. hard, Trappist style), Westvleteren (cow, small rounds, made w/beer) and Westvleteren (cow, softer, not made w/beer).

The cheese course was paired with two beers; Brasserie De La Senna’s Taras Boulba and Russian River Batch 1 Redemption.

Course No. 10: Sonoma Foie Gras & Wild Boar Belly, which consisted of seared fois gras over a pomegranate molasses and Damnation cured wild boar belly with pomegranate caviar and cara cara orange with Westmalle Tripel syrup.

The view from my seat at the table.

Course No. 11: 120 Flames For Our Sins, a Maris otter flour crepes with Pliny the Elder wort butter with a Dogfish Head 120 flame. There was also Jameson whisky in this dish, which was paired with Russian River Batch 3 Damnation.

As an added bonus — and because otherwise there just wasn’t enough food — Sean also treated us to his nitrogen sorbet.

Which was cold enough that you could see your breath with it.

Cold, but not too cold to pick up, though it seemed close, like it might almost stick to your skin ala the flag pole in A Christmas Story.

Still, it was funny to see the mist, like smoke, rise from people’s mouths.

Matt Brynildson tries to control his like smoke rings.

Course No. 12: Pot de Creme, made with Straus cream, TTT Farms duck eggs with Belgian dark candi sugar, Velvet Merkin and wattle seed.

This last course was paired with Firestone Walker XII.

Afterward, there was a de-briefing, a lot of full stomachs and toasts to another great beer dinner. The Falling Rock’s Chris Black; “can I get an amen?”

Then we all raised a glass as Sean introduced his volunteer staff who helped with the long night’s beer dinner.

When it was all over, some hours of Washoes then ensued making it a perfect day.

 

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