Happy Birthday Boy~!

Back in the middle of December Boy turned added another ring to his tree trunk. We usually take each out for birthdays but I wanted to do something a little bit more special, something a bit more tailored to what he loves.

To put it simply, the Boy loves beer.

Hmmm, at first I thought about getting him a case of Westvleteren Trappist ale which is not available in the states but I decided against that when the mailing seemed a bit dodgy. What if it never showed up? (Which has happened to Boy before with international purchases). So instead I got him a case of delicious domestic beer. Now this is not just any domestic beer, but Stone Brewery's 10th Anniversary IPA. Only a limited batch was released and lucky me, I picked up the last full case of these at Beverage Warehouse.

But the real gift was a dinner - a five-course beer and food pairing dinner plus the addition of a special pre-dinner nibbly. Here's the menu:

Pre-dinner: Zonin Prosecco & Iberico Bellota Lomo
I got the lomo from the first batch of em (after FDA approval) that was sent over to the U.S. back last summer. It is seriously stupendous. I love pork. Especially the cured kind.

Marshmallow-Stuffed Sweet Potato Croquettes with Cranberry Chutney
*Kiuchi Brewery Hitachino Nest White Ale*




Croque Madame with Southern Peppered Bacon, White Truffle Oil & Quail Egg
*Ommegang Witte*



Roquefort & Roasted Garlic on Charcoal Cracker
*Moylan's Old Blarney Barleywine Style Ale*



Skirt Steak with Arugula, Harissa & Ricotta Salata
*Alesmith YuleSmith*
Sorry, I forgot to take pics for this one!

Ricotta Fritters with Prosecco Berry Compote
*Girardin 1882 Gueuze Black Label*



Overall the dinner went really well and Boy proclaimed "This is the best meal I've ever had!" Of course we know what really won him over is the overflowing of all sorts of delicious beers. And the croque madame.