The Beer Circle » Beer Pairing, Stoudt's Brewing Co. » Stoudt’s Beer Tasting
Stoudt’s Beer Tasting
Last Sunday, I had the privilege to attend a beer pairing event hosted at Checkers Bistro in Lancaster, PA. Not only did it feature Stoudt’s Brewing Company beers paired with top-notch food, but it included a table of Stoudt’s representatives. This included the founders/owners: Ed and Carol Stoudt. After getting seated, Ed and Carol gave a short introduction about the brewery. They attended a Brewer’s Conference on Portland, Oregon and were excited in what was going on with craft beer on the west coast. With a love of German-style beer, they returned to the East Coast and hired Karl Strauss to help mentor them and their first head brewer. A fun fact I learned is because Ed already owned a restaurant license, Pennsylvania state laws at the time would not allow him to also get a brewery license. So, with a shuffling of assets, Carol was actually the initial owner of the brewery. For more details on the history of Stoudt’s, I recommend you read about it here.
Since pictures speak louder than words, I took photos of each course below. I was definitely impressed that nearly all of the courses also included the paired beer into the dish. My favorite had to be the dessert: Caramelized Peach Tarte Tatin with Fat Dog Balsamic Reduction and Black Pepper Ice Cream, paired with Fat Dog Stout. I may be a bit biased (I’m friends with the pastry chef) but the Fat Dog Stout did nothing but enrich the rich a very unique combination of balsamic and stout beer. Who would’ve thought that works in a dessert?
I want to thank both Checkers Bistro and Stoudt’s Brewing Company for working together to make this event happen. The food was fantastic and the beer tasted great. The event costed only $65, and at the end I was given a pint glass, a bottle opener and a coaster. I walked away with a renewed appreciation for the quality Stoudt’s puts into their beer. Cheers!
1st Course: Bacon and Tomato Confit paired with Pils
1st Course (contd.): Cream of Roasted Corn Soup paired with Pils
2nd Course: Jumbo Shrimp marinated in Double IPA served with Indian yogurt sauce, paired with Double IPA
3rd Course: Slow roasted pork belly and Scarlet Lady-poached lobster with Duchess Potatoes, paired with Scarlet Lady
4th Course: Caramelized Peach Tarte Tatin with Fat Dog Balsamic Reduction and Black Pepper Ice Cream, paired with Fat Dog Stout
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Written by Kenton Martin
Kenton is a Southeast PA native who began diversifying his beer tastes alongside many of The Beer Circle writers at Zeno’s beerfests in State College, PA. He continues to live in the area and is an avid follower of the local microbreweries – going so far as to try his hand at brewing himself. Initial results have been very successful. Find Kenton Martin on Google Plus
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