The next beer dinner at the Stein on Nov. 26 is going to be a little different, both in presentation and attitude. Owners Chip and Kristina came up with the idea of a “Civil War Beer Dinner,” in which two breweries — Hop Valley of Eugene and Flat Tail of Corvallis — plumb their stable of beers to bring the best pairing for a predetermined menu. This is the opposite of what we’ve done for the last three, and places the challenge to pair well on the brewers’ shoulders rather than our kitchen (not that they can’t rise to a challenge– preparing all the awesome food for these dinners during normal service is no small task!).

The brewers met up here a couple weeks ago, were presented with samples of the food for the dinner, and deliberated among themselves about what to bring. Watching their process (and participating in my head) was intriguing and pretty funny. Here are some quotes, which I can’t attribute because that might give away one of the pairings:

“I want something with solid bitterness to cut that heat and sweetness, but with malt backbone to make it flavorful.”

“Oh boy!”

“We may have to make a rocky mountain oyster stout for this one . . . wrap a firkin in bacon.”

“This screams Brett B.”

Here is the menu, which is tasty on its own (who doesn’t like fancified tailgate snacks?), but will undoubtedly experience added value when paired with beer:

1st Quarter: Stuffed Mushrooms with Parmesan,
Cream Cheese, Garlic, Walnuts

2nd Quarter: Salmon Cakes with Lemon Buttercream and Asparagus

3rd Quarter: Pork Ribs with house BBQ sauce, Pork & Beans

4th Quarter: Flank Steak Sliders on a Challah roll
with Fontina, Arugula, and Garlic-Roasted Tomatoes, Cracked Pepper & Lemon Aioli, Pepper & Red Cabbage Slaw

Overtime: White & Dark Chocolate Brownie
topped with Bacon Ice Cream

We’ll have tickets available early next week– check our Facebook page!