We have had several of Great Divide brews before, but out of this dinner's selection, only Claymore Scotch Ale was a familiar one. The rest were new discoveries for us.
As a side note, TAG remodeled the room where the previous events took place, and TAG Underground is now looking really good. And while it is also less dark there now, the lights have very strong yellow tint, so all my photos will be overly-yellowish, couldn't removed it with my basic graphics software. Sorry!
Course 1
We started with a Belgian-style ale - Hades Ale.
This is the official description of the beer:
"Hades is a Belgian-Style golden ale brewed with a rare Belgian yeast strain that gives a complex spicy flavor and aroma. Noticeable hops and medium malt character make it very well balanced, crisp ale."
A receiver of two awards: Silver Medal, European Beer Star, Nuremberg, 2008 and Top 25 Beers, Best of BeerAdvocate.com, 2007, this is a very good beer, but very heavy on alcohol (and that is true for all the other Great Divide beers we have had so far, with this dinner and elsewhere as well) - 7.8% is no joke! And this is only our first beer of the dinner too, a bit scary. This is a pleasant beer and it is very drinkable, so I can see how one can get inadvertently very drunk on this one. It has very definite Belgian-style flavor with some maltiness, barely any bitterness and just a bit of spice that I still can't quite name.
It was paired with quick-cured (about 20 hrs of curing according to chef) salmon which was served looking like it is a plate of salmon sashimi with wasabi on the side topped with some Asian greens.
But appearances are deceptive. Green on the plate is pea puree. Salmon had a very interesting sweet flavor from curing, with greens, crushed hazelnuts and pea puree together, the dish had very earthy flavor. And it was excellent with the beer.
Interesting thing about Great Divide beers is that on the label there are actually suggested food pairings - a very uncommon thing to see on a beer. For this beer the suggested pairings were fresh mussels, crusty bread, and artisan cheese. I think this dish from TAG is certainly an unexpected pairing, but it works very well.
Course 2
Second beer was Claymore Scotch Ale. We have enjoyed it before - it is very smooth, malty, and just like the label says "wee heavy".
"Named for a medieval Scottish sword, Claymore Scotch Ale is our tribute to the legendary "Wee Heavy" beers of Scotland. This malty, deep-ruby beauty features lots of caramel sweetness, a reserved hop profile, and a subtle warming character. Unlike its namesake, this beer only requires one hand, but it'll still make you fell like nobility." as per the label.
At 7.7% alcohol by volume and very smooth, this beer, just like the previous one, is to be consumed with care. It is certainly enjoyable to drink this beer - pleasantly malty and filling, this can be a meal on its own. It is heavy and I can't imagine drinking it on a hot summer day, but on a cold winter day this is a wonderful choice.
With the second course we finally get to taste the other feature of this event - lamb from the M.T.H. farm. And there is no better way to introduce this lamb than by serving it first raw - lamb tartare.
This lamb was absolutely out of this world delicious! Served with blackberry mustard (awesome! this was a big discovery for me at the previous brewery dinner) and bacon shiitake, this went very well with the beer. Bacon shiitake was genius! Chef explained that sliced shiitake is drenched in bacon fat and then baked until mushroom slices become dry and crisp. It looks like a mushroom, but when you bite into it, it is as if you are eating bacon. Altogether, this was a wonderful course, comparable to first dinner's course of venison tartare with Gorgonzola truffle sauce and a 64-degree egg. Mmm...
Course 3
As dinner progressed, beers were not getting any lighter. Next up - Belgian Style Yeti.
"Belgian Style Yeti is a delicious new blend of brewing traditions - all the malt-driven roastiness of our Yeti Imperial Stout with characteristic spice and fruit notes imparted by our special Belgian yeast strain. Belgian Style Yeti is a one-of-a-kind beer as mysterious as the mythical creature himself. Impossible? See for yourself; you'll be a believer, too."
Again, heavy on alcohol at 9.5% (I foresee hangover the next morning) but expected of an Imperial Stout, this is a wonderful beer. It is malty with roast notes as well as a bit of fruit. We both loved this beer. As was explained by one of the representatives from the brewery, there is actually a whole line-up of different Yetis - oak-aged, espresso oak-aged, chocolate oak-aged. I am curious to try them all.
As per beer label, suggested pairings was this beer range from meaty courses to desserts! "Beef Flamande (Belgian beef stew), Bleau d'Auberge (French blue cheese), garlic mashed potatoes, vanilla cheesecake, chocolate mouse." And I definitely see how this beer can be a good drink with something sweet. But once again, TAG's pairing is completely different, original and just a taste of heaven!
Lamb tongue pastrami (chef said it was his first time making a pastrami) was served with root vegetables and roasted sable fish covered with a crust of cheese and herbs on a squash puree. I find myself a bit speechless when it comes to this course, I do not want to do disservice to this dish because I am having hard time coming up with proper words to describe it. Everything was beyond good. Fish was perfectly cooked, and the crust was just something else - it was crispy, not overly cheesy and the flavors of rosemary and thyme were great. Pastrami was absolutely heavenly - it had perfect balance of saltiness, smokiness and seasonings which did not overshadow the taste of the meat.
This was the best course so far. We want seconds!
Course 4
Next beer is Smoked Baltic Porter. The name itself, the fact that it is smoked, has both me and Shyam excited.
"Smoked Baltic Porter is the sultry sister of a storied style. Brewed with traditional German malts and hops, this dark lager gets its special twist from a hefty addition of Bamberg smoked malt. This smoldering, medium-bodied lager is sure to please. Smoked Baltic Porter is smooth, smoky and dark...mysterious enough yet?"
Some time ago, we had a pleasure of drinking German Rauchbier (Rauch = smoke) Aecht Schlenkerla. It was very very smoky and smooth and filling to the point where it was almost meaty, like jerky. It was great! It is very hard to find this beer in a liquor store and we haven't had any luck here in Colorado yet.
Smoked Baltic Porter reminded us of Aecht Schlenkerla, it is kind of like a little and less intense sister of that beer. Smokiness is very pleasant, this is a very smooth beer, but not as heavy as the previous ones, and with only 6.2% alcohol, this is a very drinkable beer.
Although suggested pairings are Grilled veal bratwurst, barbecue shrimp, Morbier French cow's milk cheese, pasta with crispy browned leeks, pear tart, lamb cassoulet is not a big stretch and can easily be added onto the label.
There are several kinds of beans in this cassoulet along with lamb tenderloin, lamb sausage and also various delicious bits of lamb lurking among the beans. Baguette was very tasty and crispy and the herb and snail butter was a nice touch. Beer and food combined into one delicious smoky, smooth, meaty course.
Course 5
And for the grand finale, we have Old Ruffian - a Barley Wine - a very strong ale, that is certainly closer to wine (at 10.2%) in alcohol than beer.
"Old Ruffian is a hefty, hop-forward Barley Wine-Style Ale. Seemingly mellow at the start with subtle fruit aromas and complex caramel sweetness, it quickly becomes aggressive with its bold hop flavors and huge hop bitterness. Ultimately, the big body, succulent sweetness and massive hop character come together to work wonders on your palate. 90 IBUs." After reading this description, expectations are high.
Furthermore, this beer has three awards: Bronze Medal, Great American Beer Festival in 2009, Gold Medal, Great American Beer Festival in 2006 and Bronze Medal, Great American Beer Festival in 2005.
It was a wonderful beer. The hoppiest of all that we drank today, it is balanced by maltiness and sweetness as well as a bit of prune like fruitiness. It is heavy both on flavor and alcohol, so it is fitting to consume it in small quantity like a desert wine.
Suggested pairings state grilled pork tenderloin, Stilton blue cheese served with walnuts and dried figs, caramel cheesecake, and TAG did a great job of incorporating this suggestions and yet still having an original dessert.
It was a cheesecake of gorzonzola cheese and crust made of barley grains and malt from the brewery (genius!). Cheesecake was served with raspberry gastrique that was made with Great Divide's Raspberry ale. Fresh raspberries and crumbs of blue cheese complete the dish.
Old Ruffian beer and the dessert was a perfect finish to this dinner - they complemented each other well, not overly sweet, just perfect.
Last thoughts
We came with high expectations and we left amazed. We knew that Great Divide beers will be heavy and high on alcohol, but we were ready. The new beers we discovered are fantastic. Food was absolutely delectable and the whole dinner was pleasant from start to end. We enjoyed interacting with the brewery representatives (Bryan and Tannea), farm founders (Debbie and her husband) and other guests. I am looking forward to getting some Colorado lamb from M.T.H. and coming to Great Divide brewery for a tour and to fill a few growlers to take home.
Scorecard so far:
| Beer | Food |
| 1. Great Divide | 1. March dinner |
| 2. Tommyknocker | 2. January dinner |
| 3. Left Hand | 3. February dinner |
When it comes to beers, for me Great Divide and Tommyknocker are actually tied - they are different enough and both were so good, I am having hard time picking one over the other. Shyam also likes both as the top contenders, but gives Great Divide the top place because they have the guts to make so many heavy yet drinkable beers.
Although next brewery dinner is not officially announced yet, we know so far that it will feature Avery brewery. Very exciting! Can't wait to see the menu and beer selections.
Cheers!
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