Deagan's Beer Dinner- North Coast Brewing Co.

Last night's Deagan's beer dinner with North Coast Brewing Co. is worth writing about right away. This is the second beer dinner that I have attended there, and they seriously are putting on some of the best events like this that I've attended. The price is reasonable at $50 (tax and tip included, so no hidden fees), and you receive five sizable sample pours of some great beers, and five small plates created just for the event. I always enjoy my meals at Deagan's Kitchen & Bar, but the food at these events is even better and the chef's talents really shine.

We started out with a Rock Shrimp, Heirloom Tomato and Corn Salsa served with Crispy Blue Corn Chips and Key Lime Creme Fraiche.

It was light and summery feeling, and I could easily eat a bowl of this. The corn wasn't quite as sweet as great Ohio corn can get, but everything else had nice flavor. It paired well with North Coast's Scrimshaw Pilsner.

Our second course was a Kobe Beef Tri-tip en Croute with Maytag Blue Cheese Fondue and Blackbird Baking Co. Seeded Epi Crouton.

The combination of everything worked so well together, and I seriously wiped my finger on my plate at the end to lick up a little more of the fondue. I'm a sucker for good cheese fondue. It was paired with a hoppy Ruedrich's Red Seal American Amber Ale, the signature beer of North Coast. This iconic beer got its name from the founder experiencing a seal sighting at sunset (say that five time fast), and the seal appeared to be glowing red as the sun set behind it. The brewery representative had all kinds of great stories about their beers.

Next came my favorite dish of the night. A Grilled Local Chicken Lettuce Wrap with Pickled Baby Cucumbers, Spicy Thai Peanut Butter and Micro Cilantro was paired with a Le Merle Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale.

We braved this course and picked it up like a true lettuce wrap should be eaten. The traditional Thai flavors were well balanced with the acidity of the pickled cucumbers and cilantro. Immediately, we demanded that Deagan add this dish to his menu. It would be a perfect fit, and an unusual option, for their Taco Tuesdays. Please, please let me have this again!

Course four was a knockout as well. We enjoyed a Baked Brie with Candied Amarena Cherries and Red Ruffled Mustard Greens. This was paired with an Old Stock Ale Cellar Reserve 2009 from North Coast.

It was my least favorite beer of the night, but easily my second favorite dish. The tart cherries just put the brie in puff pastry over the top. Joe G. stated that he could eat this every day.

Sadly, it was time for our last course of the night. We were served a Chocolate Espresso Torte with Pineapple Mint and Fresno Chile Espuma.

The flourless torte by itself was rich and delicious, but then I got into the espuma and the dish got even better. The chili heat was prominent, and blended well with the chocolate. Trying the pineapple mint leaves was fun too. This course concluded with my favorite beer of the night. We enjoyed a Barrel Aged Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. Look at me enjoying so many stouts now! This rare beer is the chef's favorite beer, and I can see why. Bottles are hard to come by, so keep your eye out.

Sharing this with you this morning was almost as fun as enjoying it first-hand last night. Almost. I hope that this convinces you to join us at Deagan's next beer dinner. They always post them on their Facebook page and tweet out the event details. "R" and I decided that these are right up there with the L'Albatros cheese dinners, we want to attend every single one.