Saturday’s Doubleheader: Cutting-Edge Beer, Cutting-Edge Food

Beer dinners, cask nights, tap takeovers and even branded festivals with great live music have quickly become familiar events in the greater Northern Virginia area. However, this weekend brings an event with a uniquely out-of-the-ordinary twist on top-shelf suds and culinary pairing philosophies.

This Saturday’s Food Truck Beer Dinner at Das Bullpen Biergarten near Nationals Park is the brainchild of Brad Phillips, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s D.C. and Northern Virginia brand manager. But the truck doesn’t just stop there. Phillips invited Dogfish Head Brewery on board and together they paired up with the fine Food Truck folks from the Bullpen to host a new-fangled beer pairing experiment.

"The idea for the event came from my fascination with juxtapositions,” said Phillips. “That you can eat wonderful gourmet food, which is prepared on a truck sometimes referred to as a ‘roach coach,’ is the first part of the equation.”

This three-hour, seven-course, nine-beer, white-tablecloth event will begin at 6 p.m. with over 100 guests expected to attend.

Hurricane Irene postponed the previously planned soirée back in those frenzied, nail-biting moments of August, but according to organizers, the rescheduled event has gained an even greater buzz.

Partially responsible for all the excitement is the fact that the two breweries will be popping a keg of one of their collaborative creations, Life & Limb, which at 10.2 % alcohol-by-volume delivers more than just promises. The strong, dark ale is naturally carbonated using birch syrup from Alaska. It combines Sierra Nevada’s estate-grown barley with pure maple syrup from Dogfish Head owner Sam Calagione’s family farm in Massachusetts. At first sip, it explodes on the palate with rich, sweet, roasty flavors, then goes down dangerously easy.

This is the second part of the equation, states Phillips. “To wash down the gastro-truck fare with a collaboration beer from a classic West Coast brewery [Sierra Nevada], which produces beers that mostly only contain four main ingredients, and an up-and-coming East Coast brewery [Dogfish Head], which rarely produces beers that only contain the four main ingredients.”

This is the only keg of Limb & Life in the D.C. area. Other rarities to be served at the dinner include Sierra Nevada Estate Harvest Ale and Foam, a pilsner that Sierra Nevada first brewed for concerts of the band Phish. Other selections will include Sierra Nevada Jack & Ken's Ale, DogFish Head Black & Red, and DogFish Head 2010 Olde School Barleywine.

The evening will feature a medley of dishes prepared by chefs from seven D.C. food trucks, including: CapMac, Porcmobile, Stix, Hula Girl, Doug the Food Dude, Eat Wonky and Sweet Ladies Bakery.

Hawaii native Mikala Brennan, owner and chef at the Hula Girl Food Truck, is excited to be pairing her course with Limb & Life. Her contribution is a dish not normally found on her food truck menu: Kona Coffee Teriyaki Glazed Quail with Macadamia Nut Fried Rice and Asian Greens. “The coffee glaze will pair nicely with the back end roastiness of Sierra’s Limb and Life,” she added.

She continued, “This sit down seven-course beer dinner is a first for us here at the Bullpen and the whole idea is so cutting edge that I don’t know if we have outpaced even the West Coast on the concept. In any case, it is a great opportunity for us Food Truck chefs to elevate our craft and step away from the every day operation of things to prepare some exciting course pairings for these delicious beers.”

“All of the proceeds from event will be donated to The Living Classrooms Foundation, which provides urban youth with meaningful environmental education experiences,” said Josh Fruchtman, Dogfish Head D.C. Metro regional sales manager and co-host of the event. “We thought that they were a good match because their environmental education programs are conducted in live learning settings and provide hands-on education to thousands of disadvantaged youth in the greater Washington, D.C. area.”

Living Classrooms mirrors the environmental messages that both Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head want to send to young people. “Their education programs teach these students to be better prepared to exercise environmental stewardship, which continues to be one of the flagship missions of our brewery,” said Phillips.

“There is plenty of free parking at Das Bullpen but we strongly encourage everyone to take Metro,” Phillips noted. Tickets are almost sold out and will set you back $75 tax deductible Benjamin’s. Das Bullpen Biergarten (map) is located at 25 M St., SE Washington, D.C. 20003.

COMING UP:

10/1                 Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head Food Truck Benefit Dinner, D.C.

                        (Das Bullpen - right outside Nationals Ballpark)

10/2                 World Fare: A Street Food Festival, Arlington, Va.

                        By Women Chefs & Restaurateurs at Willow Restaurant

10/8                 Rustico begins week of Oktobeerfest beers, Arlington, Va.

10/8                 Capitol City Oktoberfest, Shirlington, Va.

10/8-10            Taste of D.C., D.C.

10/10               Fire Works Pizza, Southern Tier Beer Dinner, Arlington, Va.

10/12               Washington Ballet's Jeté Society Beer and Ballet Mixer, D.C.

10/13               Rock Bottom Brewery, Pumpkin Tapping, Arlington, Va.

10/15               Rustico Oktobeerfest Block Party, Alexandria, Va.

10/15               Mid-Atlantic Craft Brew Fest, at Franklin Square, D.C.

10/15               Taste of Georgetown, D.C.

10/20               RíRá Pint Club Gathering, Arlington, Va.

10/22               Northern Virginia Beer Festival, Centerville, Va.

                        (Bull Run Regional Park)