So, as a way to help build some hype around Toronto Beer Week (September 20-26th), and also just because they’re so damn cool, Adam and the Monk’s table hosted a dinner for media folks to celebrate St. Arnold, patron saint of brewers and hop-pickers. We were granted the upstairs dinning room, where we mingled and schmoozed and drank nice beer. Most of the talk was around Toronto Beer Week, and the passports were just in, so we all got the first look at them. Needless to say, they look great; with a crazy exciting list of participants. The dinner was a three-course meal, paired with Belgian Ales. I did my usual routine, which is to find a table by myself, and see who sits down. In this case, as the meal started it looked like I was going to fly solo. After his introduction, Bill “The White Knight” White came over and asked if the seat opposite me was available. Turns out my system still works. So not only did I get to eat a fantastic meal paired with killer beers, but I got to sit with one of the leading experts on beer in Toronto, and share thoughts and notes, and generally enjoy some great beer talk.
So what did we eat and drink? It went a little something like this:
Round One, Cream of Belgian Endive soup with a smoked mussel with Gouden Carolus Hopsinjoor.
The beer is 8%, and well-hopped, using Golding, Spalt, Hallertau, and Saaz hops, and brewed with Pils and Wheat malts. It is cloudy and golden in colour, with a big fluffy head that lingers and laces the glass well. The aroma is immediately nice noble hops, with a warm alcohol estery note, and a touch of sweet grains. The taste is heaps of hops, with a clear alcohol presence and a hint of sweetness, all of which gets cleared out by the hops at the finish. As the beer warmed a bit of a citrus flavour started to come through as well. The beer is really carbonated, with a medium body that is balanced well by the carbonation. The beer is surprisingly dry. It’s a nice slow sipping beer, but is still very drinkable for an 8% brew. The pairing was interesting, as the soup was much sweeter then I expected. It’s sweet creaminess gave an interesting juxtaposition to the dry bitterness of the beer, which lead to an interesting pairing.
Round Two, Rabbit braised in Geueze with bacon/carrot mashed potato and Struisse Pannepot
This beer is a mighty 10%, and is called (translated) “Fisherman Ale”. It’s brewed in Oostvleteren Belgium, which you might recognize better by it’s English name, Westvleteren. This is not one of the Trappist ales brewed by the abbey in Westvleteren, but still, it comes from a hugely strong brewing area, and lives up to it’s pedigree. It is dark brown and opaque, with about an inch of head that dissipates to a bit of film and a fat ring pretty quickly. The aroma is all malts, dark caramelly malts, and a bit of yeast. It is crazy malty tasting with a nice alcohol warmth. There is less yeast to the taste then the aroma initially, but it pops up strong as the beer warms. With it’s medium body and low carbonation, the beer feels like velvet on your tongue, but is definitely a beer you want to take your time with. It worked perfectly with the rich rabbit stew, with the beer able to keep up with sweet rich rabbit.
Round Three, Strawberry Cheesecake covered in Belgian chocolate and Gouden Carolus Noel
The Christmas beer (which tasted just fine in August), poured opaque brown with hints of red around the edges of the glass. The aroma was burnt sugar and licorice, with a bit of astringent alcohol. It is super sweet tasting, again with caramel and burnt sugar, spices (mainly licorice), and rich boozy alcohol. It is heavy and low carbonated, nearly to the point of being syrupy, but not in a bad way. A perfect dessert beer, that is complicated and shows differing characteristics as it warms. While both the cake and the beer were fairly rich and thick, the spiciness and alcohol really cut through the creaminess of the cake. Epic.
So, at this point, we were all feeling happy, healthy, and well fed. The usual chatter ensued, and once again, the talk was mostly of some of the events for Toronto Beer Week. As the crowd thinned a bit, I was aproached by Troy (greatcanadianpubs.blogspot.com), and asked if I wanted to drink a bit more beer. Just as rule, if I can still hear and talk and love, the answer is likey “yes”. We walked over to where Adam Grant (landlord of the Monk’s Table) was pulling some tables together, and helped get set-up. It turned out Adam had a couple of bottles of Gouden Carolus Easter beer, from two different vintages (I’ve forgotten the years, and had given up on note-taking at that point). So I sat down with a who’s-who of Toronto beer and got ready to drink some crazy beer. Both beers were interesting, though I definitely preferred the older stock. It was interesting to see how a year’s ageing had really smoothed out the flavours and brought out some of the deeper complexities. After a while in this huddle, Adam announced that the our server had been at work for like, 11 hours or something, and asked if we would mind heading downstairs so she could go home. We (who were left) headed downstairs, where I took a table with Mike (http://ayearofbeer.wordpress.com/), and a non-beer blogger and her boyfriend. Adam came over to chill for a bit, but at this point I really don’t remember what we discussed. I know I had a pint of Hacker-Pschorr Dunkel-Weisse, and it was excellent. I also know Adam told me he had intended to buy Nevada’s in the Beach (about a 10 minute walk from my house), but something had gone wrong, and instead we got a St. Louis Wings joint. But that’s about the extent of my memories. I know I got home, because I’m here now, so it couldn’t have been too disastrous.
All told, it was an excellent evening, and a great chance for me to (finally) visit the Monk’s Table. Adam and crew threw a great party, the Toronto Beer Week folks showed just how awesome a time we’re going to have, and the beers and food were just stellar. Thanks to everybody. I can’t wait for September 20th!
