Just two short weeks ago, the Gyppo Ale Mill had the honor of hosting our second beer pairing dinner, Ales 4 Nails 2.0. The sold out event took place November 14th on a drizzly Saturday evening in the Octagon at Beginnings. Guests were treated to both an epicurean, as well as an educational experience. If you think that ALL craft beer is about hoppy IPA’s and that’s just not your thing, then the Pacific Asian selection served for this Beginnings School fundraiser, would have pleasantly surprised you. Chef Harley Charron brought creativity and balance to the five-course dinner he created to pair with the hand picked beers, that all crossed the Pacific Ocean from Japan.
THE FOOD
Of the Five Courses served, guests favorite course by far was Charron’s Kale and Braised Pork Belly Quail Egg Drop Soup. This soup was paired with a delicious Saison from Hitachiano Nest Beers. Food pairing is an art in itself and with Charron’s twenty-five plus years in the food industry, his creativity and aptitude at the task was evident in our guest’s gastronomic experience. Charron found the beer to be spritzy and effervescent with citrusy, acidic notes alongside a tang of lite sourness. These characteristics cut through the very rich flavors of the pork and quail egg in chicken stock, while they also compliment the earthiness of the kale, which is a fine example of umami. Having the savory components amid bitterness, a hint of sour, saltiness and natural sweetness hit all the major taste factors to create a mouthful of deliciousness.
BEER EDUCATION
If the process of beer brewing is a mystery to you, an intermission between course four and five would have been right up your ally. At this time, our host Bob Froelich, gave a detailed explanation of water, hops, barley and yeast as it makes it’s journey to that final golden conclusion of the product we all love and enjoy, beer!
THE PING PONG TOURNAMENT
The event concluded with a very animated Ping Pong tournament. A handful of gentlemen (Where were the ladies?) stuck around to see who was going to win the first place prize of a Miniature Beer Pong table. Although everyone made a valiant attempt, the winner was Thomas Luong with Jerry Savage, a close second place.
VOLUNTEER THANK YOU
But like all good events, we just couldn’t do a write up about the evening without highlighting some of the fabulous folks that participated behind the scenes and were right there besides us. We had food donations from ChopChop, Briceland & Blue Slide Farms. We had over a dozen folks volunteering their time and energy. A huge thanks goes to: Julia Anderson, Wendy Kornburg, Kristina Suavez, Mona Provisor, Alicia Johnston, Sita Ryce, Michelle Palazzo, Kristy Murphy, Tonya Punyo, Brook & Justin Grahm, Luis Santamaria, Patrick Harris, Steve Driscol, Daisey Hodgemen, Eric Bower and Bob Froelich.
COMMUNITY EFFORT
When it was all said in done, the combined effort of our guest buying tickets and the hard working volunteers enable the Gyppo Ale Mill to pass on $5,000 to children of Beginnings School. We would like to give huge round of applause to this awesome group effort by the lovely community of Southern Humboldt. Cheers!