It was ages ago that a good friend and myself got the idea to set up an elegant “beer versus wine” dinner at a local restaurant here in Richmond. The idea behind it was to play upon the successful dinners of this ilk that have already taken place, hosted by the likes of Garrett Oliver, Sam Calagione, and Greg Koch. So not the most original idea, but something new for the Richmond area to chew on. No pun intended.
Anyway, we’d been painstakingly planning the courses and options for guests, beer and wine selections, and overall theme for the event – all while trying to keep it at a reasonable price. I approached some wine bloggers in the area, seeing if they were up for the challenge, and even got some minimal feedback. Restaurants, too, with one in particular picked out that seemed like a great choice.
The response, “No. We’re going to be doing monthly beer tastings anyway. What’s the point?” Fair enough. But it seems that after a spate of beer dinners happening all over town, so many that I can hardly keep up with them, that one restaurant in the area has decided to run with this idea.
Can Can Brasserie is hosting a beer versus wine dinner on July 9th at 6:30pm. There’ll be three courses, accompanied by a beer and wine sample for each. Tickets are an all-inclusive $65, and your hosts will be Dave McGregor and Bob Talcott. Not sure about all the other details, but if you’re patient and do a little legwork, I’m sure you’ll find out eventually.
With so many of these dinners in abundance, it’s hard to make a call on which one to go to, let alone deciding to drop a pretty penny per ticket in order to attend. And while it may open some palates up to beer, at least when you juxtapose it with wine in a food setting, the inherent pricing (which I understand) is still somewhat exclusionary. Not to mention that half the time everyone finds out about them so late in the game. When I want to spend that kind of money, it better be a damn good date. But if that’s the case, beer won’t be dominating my every thought either.
Maybe I’m just not cut out for this whole “beer nerd” thing after all. Vive la indifférence!
6 comments
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July 2, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Velky Al
Perhaps I am being a philistine here but I sometimes wonder if these beer dinner things try just a little bit too hard? Beer is the working man’s drink, the drink you go down the pub and have a few with mates and generally put the world to rights with, the drink that you have with a BBQ. Leave the noncing about to the wine buffs (and just a quick aside, I love wine), beer is the ultimate democratic drink, by the people for the people, the day it becomes a trendy lifestyle accessory then I will weep buckets.
July 3, 2009 at 7:21 am
purlygrrrl
$65 seems like a lot, especially during these economic times. I don’t buy the idea that we must plead for beer’s audience amongst wine snobs, either. There is a current trend in the UK to try to get beer to seem as “sophisticated” as wine and really what’s the point?
I think a better approach might be to still offer flights of beers at breweries, and if restaurants could start stocking beers and suggest food pairings in the menu that would be a start. Of course in London I can’t even afford to “dine out” in restaurants and most pub food is miserable…all this is based on my dining experience in the US.
July 3, 2009 at 8:58 am
stephenbeaumont
Four courses with a beer and wine served alongside each including tax and tip for $65? That doesn’t sound at all expensive to me. Assuming a $10 tip, that’s about $8 per course and $3 per drink, tax in!
July 6, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Todd
What Stephen said.
My girlfriend and I were at our favorite brewpub Friday and with two beers each, a shared appetizer, and a shared salad, spent $24 each. And it’s not a particularly expensive brewpub. Booze adds a lot to the price, and fancy food kicks it up a bit, too.
July 6, 2009 at 4:11 pm
E.S. Delia
Al – that seems to be the state of affairs these days. My concerns are much deeper than this post has let on: that beer may be becoming a “trendy lifestyle accessory,” as you put it. I think that’s why we’re seeing more of these types of things pop up.
Ally – I’ve seen some restaurants in this area already starting to print pairing ideas on their menus, or train their staff to offer recommendations. I, too, prefer this approach.
Stephen – “expensive” can be relative, especially for a broke guy like myself (buh-zing!). Using Todd’s example (two entrees, split app and salad, and two beers each) I would argue I could do the same at just as nice a restaurant for $100 total. Could I do that three times a month? No. It’s a rare luxury. Add a little more to the bill and call it a beer dinner, and I’d definitely be stretched for funds. Besides, being a vegetarian is tough at some of these things; you don’t always get the best pairing they had in mind when they came up with the menu, so it’s probably better if I go out on my own and match it up with my own meal. With draft beer at a restaurant, more often than not you’ll be able to sample what you’d like before ordering so you know what you’re getting yourself into.
Todd – you both spent $48 total. Not bad for a night out and the items you mentioned. At $65 a piece for a beer dinner (and I’ve seen them at $75 already), that’s starting to get a little too rich for my blood. You could do the exact same thing on your own time and end up dropping $48. Good call.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against pairing beer with food, and I also realize the effect that taxes and retail markup can have on a beer’s price.
What we’re getting at is the root of the beer vs. wine argument again. Does beer always need to have the red carpet rolled out for it? Nope. On the other hand, would it be nice to see beer getting more respect? Sure. But commanding a princely sum doesn’t mean the liquid’s any good. True oenophiles have already figured that one out. Beer is not the wine, but it’s starting to look that way, isn’t it?
August 7, 2009 at 10:04 pm
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