Last week, The Springfield Grille in Boardman had a Flying Dog Beer Taste. I’m not a huge beer drinker, but I really liked most of the beers that were offered.
When we walked in to the private dining area where all the beer dinners are held, we were offered a choice of a free bottle of either Old Scratch Amber Lager or Snake Dog IPA. The Old Scratch Amber Lager was really good and it was a great way for everyone to relax while waiting for the dinner to start. I got to sit with Jenn, who was on the other side of the table this time, and her husband. Jen usually helps serve at the dinners so it was fun to sit with her and hear her take on things. The spark that got the party going were the guys from Ohio Edison. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves and got the whole room laughing along with them!
The first course was a dish of Fried Oyesters and Citrus Mint Aioli. I have eaten oyesters before and liked them and my motto of “everything is good when fried” led me to believe that the two paired together would be good. I was definitely right on that assumption! The oyesters had a light taste, not a heavy, greasy taste and the sauce paired perfectly with the oyesters. This dish was paired with Tire Bite Golden Ale. This was one of my favorite beers of the night. It had a light orange taste to it and had an ABV of 5.1%.
The second course was Crispy Marinated Pork Belly with a side of pureed carrots. The pork was so tender and when biting into the carrots, I wasn’t expecting what I got! At first I thought it was sweet potatoes because of the color, but the carrots had a spicy curry flavor to them that got tastier with each bite! The In Heat Wheat beer pairing was perfect for this dish. It has a clove and banana taste to it and is an American/German beer with an ABV of 4.7%.
Thai Pumpkin Squash and Coconut Curry was our third course of the evening and it was spicy! There were soft chunks of pumpkin, bits of asparagus, and the pumpkin seeds gave the dish a nice nutty flavor that paired well with the spiciness of it. It was a great combination of flavors and paired very nicely with the Doggy Style Pale Ale. The honey flavoring of the beer meshed with the more spicy/nutty flavor of the course. It was a little more hoppy and had an ABV of 5.5%.
The fourth course was just phenomenal; it was a Pan Fried Skirt Steak with Roasted Vegetable Agnolotti Pasta. The steak had a great taste and I could have probably eaten another plate of the vegetables alone! If you thought that was good enough, everything was layered on top of three pieces of spinach ravioli which were just a bonus to this great dish! The Raging Bitch IPA was a surprising favorite of mine for the evening. I don’t usually like a bitter hops type of beer, but the flavors of grapefruit, banana, and cinnamon went well together and I actually liked it a lot. The ABV was 8.3%.
Our last course was a Freshly Baked Chocolate Raspberry Souffle that was light and delicious! This souffle was not overly chocolatey or sweet, but just the right amount of sweet to end the night. The inside was warm and delicious and I enjoyed eating my raspberries with each bite of souffle. The Gonzo Imperial Ale was a very dark beer with an ABV of 9.2%. It tasted like a chocolate coffee with very small hints of blackberry. On first taste, I wasn’t crazy about it, but after a few more sips and drinking it while eating the souffle, it ended up being a nice pairing.
Another great job by the staff at Springfield Grille in Boardman! Make sure you make reservations for our all organic food and wine taste on April 17th. We will be using the freshest ingredients while tasting different organic wines. You won’t want to miss it!
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Flying Dog Beer – Tire Bite Golden Ale, Snake Dog IPA, In Heat Wheat, Doggy Style Classic Pale Ale, Gonzo Imperial Ale
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Tamela’s crafty menus
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Fried Oysters and Citrus Mint Aioli
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Crispy Marinated Pork Belly
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Jenn and Adam
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Thai Pumpkin Squash & Coconut Curry
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Pan Fried Skirt Steak & Roasted Vegetable Agnolotti Pasta
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Fresh Baked Chocolate Raspberry Souffle
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