Four Beers and Forty Bucks

Tuesday evening my buddy Dave and I headed down to Boston's very own Publick House for a dinner consisting of four carefully selected beers and a stellar four course meal, all hosted by Jim Ko[c]h the CEO and founder of Samuel Adams Brewery. Four courses and four beers, all for the price of forty bucks! I know. This may seem pricey to some. Once courses and suds were served however, I found the price of admission to be roughly spot on.

Arriving 45 minutes late we quickly found a seat and were promptly served the Samuel Adams Brown Ale, a beer not yet released but one you'll want to keep an eye out for. It is by far one of the better Sam Adams beers I've tasted. Without delay our servers set before us an appetizer comprised of both carmelized onions and mushrooms, all set into a quaint tart-like crumble. The Brown Ale complemented this teaser perfectly.

Next we were served the Samuel Adams White Ale. Now you have to understand that with each beer served, Jim K[o]ch would stand and briefly interrupt our table conversations in order to give an introductory exposé on the history and composition of the chosen fermented favorite. With the White Ale I was not only impressed to find the beer is aged with a blend of 10 different spices, but that Ko[c]h could correctly rattle off all ten of them while standing three sheets to the wind. If I remember them correctly, orange and lemon zest, tumeric, power plum rose hips, hibiscus, grains of paradise, vanilla, anise and corriander were all included in the craft of this Ale. And I must say that it served beautifully with scallops and the chilled, corn and spinach side dish.

It was also during this portion of the evening that Jim Ko[c]h made his way to our table. A very jolly fellow he was with a great sense of humor. I thought it appropriate to ask what he did before he became a brewer, and with a smile he simply answered, "Drinking." I suppose this was also the part of the night where I could have tried my luck with eBay. When the time came to introduce the next brew on the menu, Mr. Ko[c]h stood and approached the front of the drinking den leaving behind his half-empty pint of White Ale, where it bubbled for the remainder of the evening. Had shipping not been an issue I may well have taken the glass to the world's largest online auction.

The details of the next course with its respective beer pairing aren't entirely necessary. You need only know that we supped glazed venison and sipped Boston Lager. Palate paradise.

Lastly, it was only fitting that we finished the evening with dessert. And if port weren't the finest alcoholic beverage to ever complement a succulent raspberry flan, the Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock would properly fit the bill. Seriously, I've never heard of such a thing as "dessert beer," but this is one fine ale I hope to keep in the cellar for use with special occasions.

Keep an eye out for local beer events in your area with a glance at beeradvocate.com. Should you ever happen upon an event such as this, I can assure you it is well worth the forty bucks.