Friday night was a very special night for a beer dinner, with two of the finest craft brewers going head to head in a friendly competition where not one, but two, beers were paired with each of the four courses.

Beer Chef Bruce Paton addresses the hungry crowd, glass in hand.

Then Vinnie Cilurzo, from Russian River Brewing, with an glass of Avery beer tells us part of the story of their two Salvation beers becoming one as Collaboration Not Litigation Ale.

Then Adam Avery, from Avery Brewing, Russian River beer in hand, completes the story.

Our second course, Pan roasted skate filet with ginger butter and spicy cilantro pesto, which was paired with Avery’s The Majarajah and Russian River’s Pliny the Elder.

Everything was shared that night, as Cynthia Kralj sits on Adam Avery and my wife, Sarah, sits on Vic Kralj’s lap, with Vinnie Cilurzo, sans Natalie, in the middle. Vic and Cynthia own The Bistro in Hayward, California.

The main course, olive oil poached breast of duck with confit “Shepherds Pie”, corn fig relish and orange gastrique paired with Avery’s The Reverend and the phenomenonally good Damnation “Batch 23” from Russian River.

Cynthia Krajl and my wife, Sarah.

At the end of the evening Vinnie Cilurzo made a toast to our two recently fallen comrades, Steve Harrison, from Sierra Nevada Brewing, and world champion beer writer Michael Jackson, both of whom passed away in recent weeks.

After the dinner, from left: Vic Krajl, Vinnie Cilurzo, Bruce Paton, Adam Avery and Tom Dalldorf, publisher of the Celebrator Beer News.

Adam Avery, Bruce Paton and Vinnie Cilurzo raise a glass to great beer and food.