Monk's Holiday Dinners are not to be missed! Even Old Scrooge would be impressed!
This year's gala was Belgian-inspired with lots of Belgian foods and, of course, beers! The only exception to that was our aperitif libation from Nodding Head, Sled Wrecker. This tasty brew from the kettles of Gordon Grubb, still on a cloud after winning medals at the GABF, was full of  taste and holiday cheer! (It reminded me of Grottenbier from Pierre Celis.) It accompanied an excellent squash chestnut soup.
The next beer is one of my annual favorites but was served with one of my least favorite dishes. Dupont's Avec Les Bon Veoux served from the keg was paired with Mussels au Saffron. The saffron infusion was wonderful, making the mussels tasty and I thoroughly enjoyed this spicy and fruity beer with them.
After having the next beer at the September dinner, I was looking forward to this course. St. Feuillien Noel(draft) is a fantastic Christmas beer from this small Belgian brewery. It is sweet and full of fruity flavors. A Winter Warmer Salad was served with it....St. Feuillien marinated rabbit, wilted Belgian endive, beets, spicy sauteed walnuts & roaster grape tomatoes came together to form an outstanding culinary delight.
Next up was Sint Pieters Zinnebir Xmas, slightly dry and tasting like French butter cream, accompanied the smoked partridge & quail with wild mushroom ragout. I felt the beer was totally overwhelmed by the food, but that is fairly normal for anything smoked. Only a rauchbier or a totally innocuous lager can keep up with a smoked dish.
By this time everybody was wondering how they were going to eat the entree! Two beers came with this course to boot! Old favorites Corsendonk Christmas and Petrus Winter Ale met the Wild Boar Loin w/apple glaze and apple/raisin compote served with balsamic glazed brussel sprouts & truffle stoemp. The pairing was out of this world! Corsendonk with its spicy, fruity profile and Petrus with its fruity and tart palate gave you a chance to cover the flavor spectrum with the tender wild boar and the fruity and spicy side dishes.
Not looking forward to any more food, the dessert was a chocolate yule log with vanilla creme filling and accompanied by Kerkom WinterKoninske. This was the first time I've tasted this beer and even through my strained palate, I could taste the sweet fruitiness and feel the warmth of this Belgian delight.
Needless to say, we all waddled out looking forward to the next one.....Pizza Port/Russian River extravaganza on January 24th. Don't miss it!