First Annual Craft Beer and Fine Food Symposium | Jason's Notes and Grainy Photos

Anyone who lurks around the local foodie blogs and websites know that Chef Neal Brown's L'Explorateur is a well regarded contemporary restaurant that has quickly become a favorite of many. So I was excited to attend the Beer and Food Symposium, not only for the beer dinner, but to experience Chef Neal's culinary creations for the first time.
Not wanting to look like a bunch of rubes, we opted not to bring in the big cameras. But thankfully, my training from being a former CIA operative came in handy as I had my little camera phone with me and took many recon photos of the evening. Including this very grainy photo of who I believe to be Ted Miller of Brugge, who collaborated with Chef Neal on the beer pairings.
I could probably sell this photo to the National Enquirer as a photo of Bigfoot. Damned low lighting!

First Course
Frank Boon Geuze from Belgium's Brouwerij Boon. Gueuze is a beer style that mixes old and new lambics, a common practice that is paralleled in the scotch world. The old lambics provide a well aged flavor while the new provides the bubbles and little extra sour flavors. I'm not big into sour flavors, but this Boon Geuze (which how the brewery spells it) has been my favorite lambic to date. A light champagne aroma with fruit notes, it is still sour to taste.
Rabbit Sausage Meatballs (shown missing a meatball) on a slice of pear with "stinky Italian cheese" and Chimay beer fondue. The meatball had more fattiness than I was expecting, which is a good thing; the flavor is in the fat. The fondue wasn't THAT stinky and had a very deep flavor.

The pairing was inspired by a traditional cooking of rabbit in gueze. The beer cuts through the fat of the meat and cheese; the fat of the food cuts through the sourness of the beer; and the pear works with the fruit notes of the beer to pull it all together.

Second Course
Black from Brugge's Terre Haute brewery. It has a very clean smell with notes of chocolate, fig, raisins and plums. There was a bit of sweetness to the fruit.

It was paired with a trio of oysters, which I don't have a photo of. Because I ate the photo after I ate the oysters. I love oysters. I was excited about this course. I wanted more. So I ate the photo as well. And it was delicious.

But imagine: a small raw oyster on a half shell with a bit of shallots on top sitting on top of a bed of sea salt. To the right of it is a deep fried oyster in a tempura batter with a dab of black caviar on top. And to the right of that a cup of black oyster stew with carrots, celery, and onions in a velvety soup with a dash of Black.

Oysters, mussels, and dark beers are a traditional combinations. Ted explained that they were brought together by the use of oyster shells in the process of buffer the pH of the water in preparation for brewing. Ted is a regular Bill Nye of the brewing arts. The saltiness of the oysters cut through the roastiness of the Black, giving way to the beer's dried fruitiness, which paired well with the oysters.

Third Course
Krusovice Imperial Czech Lager from the Kralovsky Pivovar Krusovice (or the Royal Brewery of Krusovice...which is why "Imperial" is in the name). Classified as a Czech Pilsner at Beer Advocate, this is what Budweiser and other domestic mass produced American beers should taste like. A very light beer, it has some light fruity notes, making is like a watery lambic without the sour notes. This could be a regular summer beer for me.
Chef Neal prepared a loup de mere, which was pan fried with the skin side down. For presentation purposes, the fish was sliced, serving the crispy skin on top of, but separate from, the moist meat, which caused Chris to ask if he was actually eating two different fishes. But serving them apart like this emphasized the different ways of preparing the fish. They sat on top of asparagus and a beautiful buttery sauce. The fish was topped with a crab salad that could stand to be served on it's own on a crusty roll. It was topped with a piece of popcorn.

This was an interesting pairing, in that half of the geeks said the malt of the beer came out more with the fish dish and the other half felt the fruit flavors came popping out of the beer. I sided with the latter, making them right. We discussed what other beers would go well with this dish. Many were suggested: lambics, IPA's, German wheats. I suggested a dark beer, like the Brugge Black, which pairs well with the saltiness of the fish and crab. Ted and Broad Ripple Brewpub's Kevin agreed with me; smart move on their part.

I'm such a cocky bastard...

Course Four
Ankle Biter Barleywine from Broad Ripple Brewpub. Tasting this, I though of Rice Krispies, not because of the cereal, but because of the ton of the sugar I would throw on it before eating it. The barleywine has a sweet, fruitty, and floral aroma. It tasted of caramel and butterscotch and was so, so smooth. My favorite stand alone beer of the night.
It was paired with leg of lamb, covered in curried, cooked rare, served of a bed of lentils and a tomato sauce. This dish brought out the carnivore in me. I love curry. I love meat. And I loved the tomato sauce served with this. After discussing the protocol of manners in a fine dining establishment, everyone agreed that since this is a beer dinner, and beer is the drink of the common man, it was more than appropriate to pick up the lamb bone and gnaw the remaining tidbits of meaty goodness of it.

This was a bold and challenging pairing, which Ted gave all the credit to Neal on this one. Most think IPA or other strong spiced beers to go with curry. But instead of complimenting, they fight for your attention. In this pairing, the beer brings out the complexity of the food's spices and the food deepens the caramel flavor of the beer. Neal added to the marriage of beer and food by using currants in his dish to further compliment the beer. By far, this pairing was the most successful of the night in spite of the degree of difficulty.

Course Five
Tripel de Ripple from Brugge. At this point, we are all having a great time and are a bit silly. All we could say about this beer "This shit is Bananas! B! A! N! A! N! A! S!". Apologies if the song is now stuck in your head.
Banana Pot Creme. Banana Creme covered with chocolate, topped with whip cream and a graham cracker. I'm thinking Boston Cream Pie deconstructed.

This is a pretty easy pairing, though oddly enough, the dessert cut the banana flavor of the beer and brought out the other fruit and spices of this wonderfully intoxicating Tripel.

At first, the $65 may seem like much. But I'm telling you, it was a BARGAIN! This is, by far, the finest complete meal that I have ever had, with each course bettering the one that came before it. Chef Neal and Ted are brilliant yet approachable guys who are happy to talk about their thoughts and answer questions.

Over the course of the evening, I felt as if I were a judge on Bravo's Top Chef. Every course was beautifully presented. Descriptions were given by our hosts. And we carefully dissected and discussed what we were consuming. If all of Neal's dishes are like these, then it is no wonder that L'Explorateur is frequently discussed by the local foodies.

Immediately, I asked if we really had to wait a whole year for this experience to happen again. For all of you who didn't attend, you missed out on a great experience. And while I'm certain that next year they will try to be better than this year, they have a tough task ahead of them, as this was spectacular.

First Annual Craft Beer and Fine Food Symposium | Gina's Notes

No words could properly express just how great I thought the dinner was provided by Chef Neal at L'ex. The food along with the beer chosen by Ted was in spectacular combinations. To say the least, I was blown away.

Each course outdid the one before, which was impressive considering the first course of rabbit sausage meatballs and stinky fondue was already better than just about anything else I've ever tried. I've already found myself daydreaming of the velvety oyster stew and Shannon wasn't the only gal that Wednesday night wanting to gnaw on the bone of the curry lamb. By the time dessert arrived, there weren't many conversational exchanges, just oohs and mmm's.

I am so happy and so grateful that Chef Neal and Ted took this opportunity to this food/beer pairing menu. It was amazing and I really can't wait to do it again.

First Annual Craft Beer and Fine Food Symposium | Jim's Notes

I am far from a gourmand. In fact, I'm not much of a carnivore. This is not to say that I never eat or even dislike meat. Rather, I find that as I grow older, my stomach simply doesn't take to meat all that well. I'm a once a day meat eater at most, and some days, I don't eat any meat at all. Add to this the fact that I became lactose intolerant upon turning 40 and, well . . . you have all the gory details of my digestive tract.

As a consequence, I approached the First Annual Craft Beer and Fine Food Symposium at L'explorateur with some trepidation. Fortunately, the experience surpassed my expectations a thousandfold. Chef Neal Brown's down-to-earth hospitality, along with his ingenious culinary creations and Ted Miller's assistance with beer selection, set my stomach and mind at ease. In fact, Neal's five-course meal and Ted's beer choices were so mind-blowingly delicious that it was difficult for me to pick a favorite course. After a bit of deliberation, I decided on the pairing of Broad Ripple Brewpub's Ankle Biter Barleywine with the curried leg of lamb, which was served on a bed of cassis and cassia lentils. Kevin Matalucci, the brewer of the barleywine and an attendee at the dinner, has created the mellowest, most palate-pleasing barleywine I have ever sampled. The caramel notes of the barleywine mingled perfectly with the spicy bite of the curried lamb, which was wonderfully buttery and tender.

Thanks again to Neal and Ted for putting together this groundbreaking Indianapolis event. Thanks also to those HBG readers who came out to enjoy the dinner with us. The next symposium won't come soon enough for me!

First Annual Craft Beer and Fine Food Symposium | Mike's Notes

Eighteen (I think) people showed up for Chef Neal Brown's First Annual Craft Beer and Fine Food Symposium at L'Explorateur last evening - not the most overwhelming support, but a crowd that Neal was quite happy with.

Despite our concerns with the sophistication of the menu, there was no issues once we started eating. A relaxed yet excited audience was treated to an amazing all around dining experience - one that left us all wondering when we could do it again.

Fortunately for us, Neal seemed to be thrilled with the reception - and he announced that this was just the first time for what could become a regular event. For those of you who didn't make it - you really missed out.

Looking back through a menu filled with highlights, it's hard to pick out my favorites. Here are a couple.

Czech Pilsner paired with Loup De Mere, Hot Buttered Popcorn, and King Crab Salad - I didn't bring a notebook, so I couldn't tell you which Czech Pilsner we had. A fruity nose with some definite malty elements was evident immediately, but the malt backbone was really drawn out by the buttery elements of the fish and crab.

Brugge Triple de Ripple paired with Banana Pot Crème - I don't think it's possible that I'll ever have a better dessert. The combination of the chocolaty banana Pot Crème when served with Brugge's Bananaey (new word) Triple de Ripple was so amazing that the best word to describe the combination is four letters long, starts with "F", and ends in an exclamation point.

I'd like to thank Neal and menu assistant Ted Miller again for the amazing experience.

Indiana Craft Beer & Food Symposium Menu and Details

The conversation that led to the symposium has now led to the menu.

L’explorateur
Welcomes you to the First Annual
Craft Beer and Fine Food Symposium

Frank Boon Gueuze
Stinky Fondue | Rabbit Sausage Meatballs
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Brugge Black
Chilled Oyster | Oyster Tempura | Black Oyster Stew with Pearls
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Czech Pilsner
Loup De Mere | Hot Buttered Popcorn | King Crab Salad
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Broad Ripple Brew Pub Ankle Biter Barleywine
Curried Leg of Lamb | Cassis and Cassia Lentils |
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Brugge Triple de Ripple
Banana Pot Crème


Chef Neal Brown explains:

A few things of note, this is not your ordinary beer dinner. But as many of you know, we aren't known for ordinary. Because of the context of the discussions on Hoosier Beer Geek about beer being a part of the fine dining experience, I really felt strongly about making this a very progressive, fine dining affair. Thats not to say "stuffy" or "pretentious", but an example of where fine dining is across the globe.

We are at about half capacity for the dinner and I am sure that once Ted sends it out to his list, Braingirl posts it on her Blog, and it goes live on Hoosier Beer Geek it will sell out. We are capping the event at 30 but will have a little flexibility there.

Thanks for your patience. We are really looking forward to this dinner, I have done some snooping around online and have found nothing as unusual as these pairings, so it will be a very unique, thought provoking and delicious experience.

All six of us here at Hoosier Beer Geek plan on attending, so we hope to see you there. Don't worry, we're as intimidated by that menu as you might be. But we were that way with beer once, too.

Reservations can be made at L'Explorateur through this link or by calling (317) 726 6906. Cost is $65 per person (plus tax and tip). Come on out and support those who support expanding the palate - and better beer.

Guest Post: Roger A. Baylor, The Potable Curmudgeon - A thread: Can a great restaurant serve mass-market beer?

The Potable Curmudgeon, a blog written by New Albanian Brewing Company headman Roger A. Baylor, is a frequent read for the Knights of the Beer Roundtable. We became smitten with Roger's beers last year at the Phoenix Theatre's Brew-Ha-Ha and the Indiana Microbrewers Festival. We particularly love NABC's signature hop bomb, Hoptimus Imperial IPA, and the NABC Thunderfoot Cherry Imperial Stout, and have plans to visit Roger's establishment in the future to sample a wider variety of his beers.

Roger recently generated some lively discussion among the Louisville area's dining community when he sprang the following question on them: "Can a great restaurant serve mass-market beer?" We at Hoosier Beer Geek think this is a question worth asking the Indianapolis dining community as well, especially since some of us have gone to a number of Indy's finer restaurants only to be let down by an uninspiring beer menu.

With Roger's permission, we bring you his blog posting on this subject, hoping that it will generate some discussion here. Our thanks go to Roger for allowing us to rehash the subject at HBG.

* * * * *

There's been an interesting thread going at the Louisville Restaurants Forum: Can a great restaurant serve mass-market beer?

Here is one question asked, followed by the answer I provided. It isn't tremendously grammatical, but I was in a hurry.

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Can you give me some examples of what would be high quality beers that should be served at a high quality restaurant?

I've thought about this a lot at various times, and the answer tends to change based on recent experiences.

The fundamental thing is to offer a variety of styles, not just a variety of labels/brands. Knowing the difference between styles and labels is the first jumping off point for me.

So ... in no particular order of preference …

Lagers (bottom fermented; clean character)

A true Pilsner with hop character, i.e., Pilsner Urquell; fewer micros attempt this, but if we could get Victory's Prima Pils ...

Dark lager with balls, like Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel. Amber and malty Oktoberfests fit here, too, but probably should be seasonal.

Doppelbock: Rich, sweet, malty, meant for meat. You haven’t lived until you’ve enjoyed Bavarian-style pork knuckle with Doppelbock.

Ales (top fermented; far wider potential flavor spectrum)

Belgian-style Wit (white/wheat), and Blue Moon does not count. Hoegaarden remains serviceable. Citrusy; hint of sourness.

German style wheat: Schneider or Weihenstphaner, although I suppose Franziskaner is acceptable even if the character is too mild for me. Cloves, apples and bananas.

Belgian Trappist (Chimay red or blue, et al) ... dark, bottle conditioned, vinous, complex malt.

Assorted Belgians and French Bieres de Garde. Among the former, sour reds (Rodenbach), eclectic Wallonians (La Chouffe, McChouffe) and wondrous Saisons (Dupont the finsets example); the French beers are criminally underrated and simply wonderful with many dishes. Ask Chef Clancy if you don’t believe me. American examples of both Belgian and French styles include Ommegang Hennepin, Jolly Pumpkin’s line and Two Brothers Domaine Dupage (sic).

Imperial Stout. Thick, black, intense, oily, viscous. Many good microbrewed versions. Functions much like Port with assertive cheeses, and modifies sweet desserts.

American-style hop bombs, double IPA, etc. Bitterness for contrast, and can also be quaffed sans food.

Local microbrews. To me, preferably on draft, and maybe rotating. Louisville is blessed with excellent small breweries (and there’s Alltech, and many more in Indiana, as Shawn noted).

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Think in terms of style and the possibilities are endless. I didn’t mention everyday dry Stout of the Guinness mold, which remains beautiful with shellfish, and I’m assuming that there always will be a few yellow Eurolagers around for the plain fearful; as I wrote previously, you simply don’t need Budweiser if you have Stella or Spaten.

The point remains that a very good 15-20 beer list can be constructed from what is available locally, and it will cover most of the contingencies. Seasonals can make up the difference.

Earlier someone brought up Maido as an example of a great beer list, and I agree 100%. Using conventional wisdom, you’re washing down diverse sushi and voluminous wasabi with weak golden lager, but chase them with Stone’s hoppy Ruination Ale and it’s a religious experience, indeed.