A beer tasting at a Brewery? Go Figure!

I spent last night at Steelhead Brewery in Irvine attending the Sierra Nevada 4 course beer tasting and food pairing event. There were approximately 30 guests, who were treated to a brief history of Sierra Nevada by one of the original brothers who started the company 29 years ago (while enjoying 4 of their best beers) and awesome food courtesy of Steelhead. Not only was the food and beer incredible, but the collaboration of the two got my creativity flowing.

Being the person I am, I grabbed  Jason (one of the Sierra Nevada Rep’s) and Danny (the manager at Steelhead) and asked them a few questions. We talked about both businesses individually as well as the logical pairing of one Brewery with the restaurant. Danny explained, “This was our fourth Beer Dinner that we have successfully enjoyed over the last 2 years. Previous Beer Dinners featured Sparen Brewery, Firestone Brewery and Stone Brewery. All were very tasty and FULL of fun. We always try to select brewery’s that have flavorful and unique beers so that our Head Chef, Javier Reynoso, can be creative as possible with the menu.” With that in mind, here was the incredible menu from the evening

Course 1: Mixed green salad topped with warm salmon, tossed in a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale infused vinaigrette. Served with a cold bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Course 2: Sierra Nevada ESB (Early Spring Brew) and a hot bowl of chili, with chunks of sirloin beef. The chili sauce was made with the ESB as well.

Course 3: New York steak served with mixed veggies, mashed potatoes and a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale based dipping sauce, and a bottle of the Celebration Ale.

Course 4: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, in the glass. Ice cream topped with chocolate sauce (infused with Bigfoot), candied pears and bread pudding.

Jason gave me a little more detail about Sierra Nevada: “We are more than just what you can read on our about us page, we are a family. The business was started and is still run by the same guys. Yes, they love that the business has grown, but they don’t let it go to their heads. The owners love the opportunity to tell people more about their operations. The brewery now boasts one of the largest fuel cell installations in the United States. It produces at the lowest, 97% of the power used by our operation, and at it’s the peak, our surplus electrical energy will be available to help supply the overloaded California power grid during peak power usage periods. It’s our goal to make sure that we produce great beer, without being an imposition on the environment.”

Finally, When I asked them about why they did this event, they were both quick to answer, “It just made sense”. I have to agree, it certainly did.

There are so many businesses that would go hand in hand, but rarely get the opportunity to meet. This event was not only great for the restaurant, but it gave us all a look into Sierra Nevada by one of the owners, an opportunity rarely given by most breweries. I hadn’t drank Sierra Nevada much prior to the tasting, but after having it paired properly and taught a bit about it – I have found my new favorite beer to buy, the Sierra Nevada ESB.

What type of business could you collaborate with to create promotion for both of you?

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