Once in a while, I like to blog on subjects other than work (which I love). I also like to talk about our recent growth and wonderful employees, but did you know that food is one of my passions as well? 

October 10th was a memorable and fun evening that is worth sharing with you. My favorite restaurant in Louisville, KY is Varanese. Owner John Varanese and Manager David Allen run a wonderful establishment. Everyday dining is the best and when they have a special occasion, it is memorable.

Flavors of Fall: Samuel Adams Beer Dinner at Varanese

Varanese recently had a Beer Dinner featuring several Samuel Adams fall beer flavors. We loved hearing from the very knowledgeable and interesting Andrew McHale from The Boston Beer Company who was there to tell us about the different fall beers that are currently available to consumers. We also got to learn some of the fascinating history of The Boston Beer Company. 

To begin, we were served 6 ounces of Samuel Adams Black Lager for the reception before dinner. It is a very dark beer with a hint of cocoa. It was very refreshing and able to stand alone with no food to accompany it. 

The first course was then served. We enjoyed an order of absolutely wonderful honey fried chicken wings with confit cipollini onions and honey rye mustard aioli that was served over braised mustard greens. The beer pairing was Honey Rye Pale Ale. This pairing was perfect and it was only going to get better as the night went on.

The second course was a roasted root vegetable salad with pumpkin, golden beets, heirloom carrots, and acorn squash tossed in a grilled green onion vinaigrette and topped with crumbled goat cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds. This was totally awesome. The beer pairing was 20 Pounds of Pumpkin. You guessed it, the name is derived from the fact that each barrel of this brew has 20 pounds of pumpkin in the barrel.

The third course was the coup de grace, which was a dish of slow-cooked beef brisket with beer braised brats and herb roasted red skin potatoes and grilled red cabbage. The beer pairing for this course was Octoberfest. Perfect!

What's a meal if it doesn't have four courses? We were nearly full after the first three dishes, but made room for the dessert course. The dessert was roasted apple ebelskiver (Danish pancakes) served with maple-bacon ice cream topped with powdered sugar.  Our beer pairing for this course was Maple Red. I had never tasted a beer with a hint of maple before. It was delicious and I was stuffed. Every person at our table took home a leftover box with some of the leftovers from their plates that they just did not have room for.

The beer dinners at Varanese are always memorable and a fun way to spend an evening. If you have never been before, please plan to attend the next one. My wife and I have not missed one for several years. We will even change existing plans so that we do not miss a beer dinner. Please call me if you would like to hear more information on these events. Better yet, why not plan to go with us to the next one? Arrive hungry and thirsty and plan to leave with leftovers to enjoy the next day. Give me a call.

Don Robinson