Beerunch – Thank You / Menu / Photos; 2/12/11 – Save the Date!

MateVeza & Friends     

Would like to thank all of you who attended Beerunch at Public House, a beer and food pairing brunch featuring MateVeza and other morning-friendly brews.

We hope that the feats of flavor bestowed upon you by the world’s most versatile beverage left you as gleefully giddy as we are. And remember, folks, DO try this at home!

For those of you who were unable to attend, we thought we’d put together a few highlights for your viewing pleasure. But despair not! For our next Beerunch at Public House is just around the corner – February 12, 2012.

Morpho Herbal Ale from MateVeza and
Mill Valley Beerworks

Sculpin IPA from Ballast Point in San Diego, California
Mijita Huevos Rancheros with Ranchera Salsa and
Mimolette Cheese

This wonderfully fragrant, Simcoe & Amarillo hop focused IPA has its origins as a recipe kit at Ballast Point’s homebrew store. It would be hard for any dish to stand up to this IPA’s refined bravado, but the tangy Mimolette cheese does the trick. The beer’s hop bitterness brings out the heat of the peppy ranchera salsa while the soft bed of fluffy eggs provides a welcome respite from this pairing’s intense flavors.

Life & Limb from Sierra Nevada & Dogfish Head in Chico, CA
Al Pastor Taco with Roasted Jalapeño Salsa and
Caramelized Pineapple

Dig deep down into this beer… beneath the layers of oak, soft alcohol heat, and dark fruits… here you’ll find a rich savoriness that is well matched by the slow cooked al pastor pork. The acidity of the caramelized pineapple cuts through the beer’s flavors of dark molasses. And, true to Sierra form, this beer finishes surprisingly dry for such a malt forward beer providing the contrast you’re looking for after the moist al pastor.

Autumn Maple from The Bruery in Placentia, CA
Medjool Dates Wrapped in Niman Ranch Smoked Bacon

Brewed with 17 lbs of yams per barrel, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, molasses, and maple syrup, this beer is autumn incarnate. And oh, bacon. Its salt seems to bring the beer into sharper focus. But once you taste the Medjool date within, you return to the earthy sweetness of the yams in the beer and you’re stuck in an eternal lemniscate of autumn. 

Stateside Saison from Stillwater Artisanal Ales in Baltimore, MD Fried Baby Artichokes with Sauce Gribiche

Few brewers in the US have mastered the art of this Belgian farmhouse style the way Stillwater has. This is a delicate beer with soft notes of pepper and green grass from the yeast, though with a crisp hop bite. There’s plenty of common ground here with the earthiness of the eggs and the tang of the mustard in the gribiche. The fried baby artichokes are a texture playground as your taste buds frolic in the fields of a rural French estate.

Black Lager from MateVeza in Ukiah, CA
Pink Lady Apple Salad with Goat Cheese,Candied Walnuts
and Micro Beet Tops

Don’t be fooled by the dark color of this beer, it’s a lager and plenty approachable. The subtle lactic character of the beer is mirrored by the tartness of the Pink Lady Apple. The goat cheese is a creamy contrast against the carbonation and roasted malt backbone. The candied walnuts bring out a bit of nuttiness in the beer and the earthy micro beets complete this texture wonderland.

Fairfax Coffee Porter on Cask from Iron Springs in Fairfax, CA Mini Churros with Mexican Chocolate Sauce
What would Beerunch be without a coffee porter? Conditioned in a cask and dispensed at cellar temperature without CO2 pressure, this beer is rich and creamy. The churros offer the perfect vehicle to sop up the beer’s roasty flavors, blending seamlessly into the rich Mexican chocolate. The citrus and cayenne in the chocolate sauce add another dimension of flavor and plenty of pep to start your day.

All beer and food photos by Tchell DePaepe – View album

Special thanks to Chefs Jorge Lumbreras & Cristina Perez; Team Public House: Greg Stone, Nathan Carraway, Alison Harper, Alika Hollister, Alea Harper; Team Beerunch: Jim Woods & Matt Coelho; Web Designer Roy Brubaker ( www.roycreative.com); Illustrator Bret Hobbs; Photographers Sheila Garvey (www.foodphotog.com); all food purveyors, and all participating breweries.

And the Volunbeers: Abby Monroe, Natasha Aronson, Shaina Kandel, Bob Lechleiter, Gabriel Schwartz, Julie Bahna, Tony Glaser, Tommy Guerrero, Brooke Guerrero, Reuben Verkamp, Heather Castro, Jameson Jordan, Meg Martin, Chiara Castagnini, Anna Leddy, Joseph Mackowiak, and Joe Nejad.

Messrs. Coelho & Woods
beerunch@mateveza.com
www.beerunch.com