Archive for the ‘Cooking with Beer’ Category

Spike Buckowski, Brewmaster at Terrapin Beer Company in Athens, Ga., is coming to Asheville as a guest during American Craft Beer Week. Chef Adam Bannasch of Zambra has created another fantastic 6-course beer pairing menu for the evening of Thursday, May 20. Won’t you join us?

Terrapin Beer Co. Beer Dinner
Thursday, May 20—6:30 p.m. Welcome
Six Paired Courses
$60/pp (incl. tax + grat)

Please call Zambra for reservations. 828-232-1060

Welcome Course—Terrapin Rye Pale [Pale ale with rye malt / 5.5% abv]
Spiced nuts, cheeses, housemade pretzels with honey mustard

Course 1—Sun Ray Wheat [German-style hefeweizen / 5.3% abv]
Scallop sausage with fennel, pineapple sauerkraut, crispy capers and honey toast

Course 2— Monks Revenge [Belgian-style IPA / 9.8% abv]
Local bibb salad with three graces farm feta, strawberries, bacon, croutons, buttermilk

Course 3—Hopsecutioner IPA [American-style IPA / 7.2% abv]
Soba noodles wtih poached shrimp, panang curry, cashews, pickled vegetables

Course 4—Cap’t Krunkles [Black IPA / 8.0% abv]
Venison loin confit, purple potato gratin, crispy serrano, grapefruit, pine

Course 5—Dark Side [Belgian-style Stout / 8.5% abv]
Date-stuffed beignets w/ espresso ganache, honey creme fraiche, rose petals

Had a great time last night at 12 Bones! If you joined us, we thank you. If you didn’t, we’ll see you at the next one!

Please join us for our first beer dinner of 2010 at 12 Bones Smokehouse!

Wednesday, April 21, 6:30 pm
Cost: $60/pp, including tax + gratuity

Sponsors: 12 Bones Smokehouse & Bruisin’ Ales
Location: 12 Bones Smokehouse River Arts District

Please call 12 Bones to hold reservations with credit card.
828-606-7880 (catering line)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~M E N U~~~~~~~~~~~~~

12 Bones Smokehouse & Bruisin Ales Spring Beer Dinner
Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Smoked Skate Wing with citrus salad of Clementines and Meyers lemons
Plank Bavarian Hefeweizen / Germany / Hefeweizen / 5.2% abv

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/5943/36171

Duck Confit Taquito with fig, goat cheese and lavender dipping sauce
Traquair Jacobite / England / Scotch Ale with coriandor / 8.0% abv

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24/652

Lamb Sausage with sage and apricots and a parmesan, baby artichoke risotto
Dogfish Head Aprihop / Delaware / American IPA with apricots / 7.0% abv

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10099/3951

Borracho Beef Short Ribs with fennel au gratin and plantain purée
Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout / California / Imperial Stout / 8.1% abv

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/610/1658

Honey Lager Gelato  with cornbread biscuits and roasted brazil nuts
Bier du Miel / Belgium / Saison with honey / 8.0% abv

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/637/1715

The grand opening of Asheville’s newest and brewest, The Lexington Avenue Brewery (The LAB), is now open for business! The bar and restaurant opened with a little announcement yesterday afternoon and was welcomed by a fully packed house of beer fans. We were lucky enough to get a sneak-peak on Wednesday evening with some friends and had a beer sampler, though we missed the kitchen by a bit. The menu looks fantastic and we can’t wait to eat there. It’s nothing fancy, per se, but what is offered is a great mix of gourmet flavors with pub-style food. The grilled four-cheese sandwich and other offerings such as the bratwurst are sure to be a big hit with the beer set. I mean, who doesn’t love sausage and beer (except for you veggie-types)?

General Manager Joe Culpepper and Brewer Ben Pierson have truly opened a classy place. Honestly, this is a whole new direction for Asheville. The place is so big and so impressive—with a simple, rustic, yet contemporary interior—we had to just walk around a bit. Lots of low-lit lighting effects—including the very metropolitan entry lights—an outdoor seating area with massive doors that will open in warm weather, an awesome and very large curved wooden bar. Best part? The beer tanks. Towering behind glass with another bar that wraps around them, they have their own little light show for ambiance, changing from red to blue to green to purple. The LAB is not only a feast for the tastebuds, but also the eyes.

Starting line-up? Marzën, Pilsner, Witbier, Pale, IPA, Chocolate Stout. I had a hard time distinguishing between the Pale and IPA, other than color, but I’ve also been sick, so surely that has something to with it. The Pilsner was crisp and clean, very fresh; how a pilsner should be. Marzën, a little sweeter than some, but I like that taste in a Marzën as it’s not a preferred style of mine. The Chocolate Stout was delicious, tasting almost of dry, dark chocolate cocoa nibs. And I love the Wit, which has a dose of chamomile tea in it. Again, with some off-tasting tastebuds, I had to ask what that flavor was underlying the citrus, but it was clear once I read the description. The Witbier in particular is going to be a huge hit in summertime. Just a prediction.

So where is it? The LAB is at 39 N. Lexington Avenue, just a block or two from Bruisin’ Ales.

Support them by becoming a fan of the LAB’s Facebook Page.

The long-awaited opening of the Lexington Avenue Brewery (a.k.a. The LAB) is happening tomorrow. In a short little blip on Twitter yesterday via @NineMile, it was announced that their first day will be New Year’s Eve. Perfect! There’s still not much information on their website besides the mention of regional brewer Ben Pierson being in charge of brewing, but we can refer back to the BlogAsheville story from June that has more details, such as the beer line-up. The LAB is all part of the bigger Echo Mountain Studios empire. The entire complex—and it is complex—is Echo Mountain’s recording studios, The LAB for eats & drinks, a sound-proofed performance space called the Rock Room behind the LAB, and the newly-opened Sweet Peas Hostel on Rankin Avenue. More info on that from the MountainXPress.

[UPDATE: Ribbon cutting was today, but they will NOT be open for New Years Eve.]