To what do we attribute the constantly increasing popularity of Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant’s recurring beer pairing dinners? Could it be the fine-tuned lineup of award-winning, local craft beers rounding out each event? Or, maybe the beer-savvy ticket-holders at each affair, adding personal flavor to each tasting sip-after-sip?
As a hot ticket along Bridge Street, the always-packed, always-unforgettable multi-course feast is simply where anyone would want to be on a Tuesday night. But, with each orchestration more first-rate than the last, and as more satisfied “Lord have mercy!” squeals begin to surface around the dining room earlier—and earlier—within the evening, we’d like to pin the blame on Tim Andrews.
Tim, the head chef of Iron Hill’s Phoenixville location, is shaping up to be a local god of beer-pairing gourmands. Gracefully planning each course with house brewers Tim Stumpf and Matt Gundrum, he repeatedly executes dishes that beautifully complement the signature beers— each lineup alway a unique food and drink experience for those attending each event.
At the recent Beer vs. Beer Brewmaster’s Dinner, which unfolded early November, a new culinary challenge was introduced. Allagash Brewing Co., of Portland, Maine, pitted five of their Belgian-styled heavy hitters against those of Iron Hill’s brewing, in the context of a food-pairing battle-royale. Per each course, Tim crafted a dish that would have to fare well with not one — but two — beers.
Joining in for the two-fold beer collaboration dinner was Suzanne Woods, Allagash’s Mid-Atlantic sales rep and savvy Philly-based beer lass. Together, Suzanne, Chef Tim and Brewer Matt introduced attendees to each new beer hitting tabletops, educating folks on the behind-the-scenes conceptualizations of the particular dishes and specific beers, and so much more.
Beer Battle: Iron Hill Brewery vs. Allagash Brewing Co.
Match One: Iron Hill’s Honey Saison vs. Allagash’s White
Bold is beautiful in this chef’s creative eyes, which means what he serves up first is sure to be anything but casual — and, we adore him for that. Arriving on the beer battlefield with a bang, he debuted an autumn terrine touting three levels of terrific flavors — an original, introductory dish that has gourmet-ified the way we view the world of gelatinous molds. Sandwiching a butternut squash puree between a goat cheese base, and a mashed pear and chestnut cap, this gellin’ Neapolitan whet our appetites for a particularly stimulating and innovative evening.
The course was dressed with a buckwheat honey, which complemented Iron Hill’s medium-bodied, zesty saison. Allagash’s White is a fantastic way to introduce any drinker to what the experimental, Belgian-inspired brewery does best. The hearty, fruity wheat works well with anything sweet, thus proving to be a successful pairing.
Crowd-pleasing Winner: Honey Saison
Match Two: Iron Hill’s Smokin’ Blonde vs. Allagash’s Fluxus
I’ve attended several of Chef Tim’s beer dinners, and not one dish has been easily comparable to another. As quite the culinary visionary, beer dinners allow him to roll up his sleeves and get crafty. You don’t typically spot rare-seared hamachi flying out of this Bridge Street kitchen, but again, that’s the beauty of their special-event dinners.
The yellowtailed, sushi-grade fish arrived vibrant, sprinkled with blazing-orange smoked roe and poised aside a deep plum puree. The icing on the cake was a generous serving of tempura-fried fennel, cushioned between the two filets of fresh fish.
The subtle, sweet smoke-laced finish of Iron Hill’s blonde ale harmonized well with the pops of the roe on the dish, while the yeast- and spice-driven Fluxus with a sharp pepper finish proved to be a fresh contrasting accessory to the course.
Victorious Champ: Fluxus
Match Three: Iron Hill’s Oktoberfest vs. Allagash’s Tripel
Every minute detail on the chef’s plates has a purpose; a part to play in the overall intention of the course. So, for round three, the puzzle pieces played out like this: a heavenly porcini-dusted Day Boat Scallop came so purposefully poised over cross strokes of fig jus and butternut squash puree, and crowned with incredible bits of fried Serrano ham. The colossal scallop arrived sublimely seared, allowing each well-done component of the dish to mingle together for many profound bites.
The third beer battle was challenge, being that an Oktoberfest beer went head-to-head with a Tripel. The tallied result for round three came down to personal preference of the taster, for me being the Tripel. The golden strong ale packs a fruity punch with passion fruit and honey, with a dangerously-drinkable finish (we are talking a 9% ABV beer here, folks). However, Iron Hill’s traditional fest — with light spice and strong toasty malts — stood tall amongst the various levels of the sweet and savory entree.
Tag-team Tie: equal votes for both beers
Match Four: Iron Hill’s Abbey Dubbel vs. Allagash’s Dubbel
It’s time to take a moment of silence for Tim’s country-fried duck confit. No delectable, little crunchy duck scraps for Fido this evening, as not one plate in the room was left uncleaned. Coming out of the corner with some serious juicy flavor, and packing a crispy, salty haymaker, this dish was the champ of the entire dinner (sorry, brewers!). To up the ante on the pure serving of life-changing Southern comfort food, the dish was finished with buttermilk biscuits, braised mustard greens and a foie gras gravy. This dish redefines “no-holds-barred.”
I always find comparing same styles of beer from different breweries fascinating, and that remained the case when taste-testing Iron Hill’s Abbey Dubbel aside Allagash’s Dubbel. Fortunately for us both contenders brought something very different to the game, with Iron Hill pushing dark fruits and candied sugars, while Allagash touted their familiar Belgian funk—albeit delicately, this time—among a complex ménage à trois of coffee, clove, and candy orange.
Same Style Titleholder: IH’s Abbey Dubbel
Match Five: Iron Hill’s Pumpkin Ale vs. Allagash’s FOUR
There is a clear division between beer drinkers who crave pumpkin ales, and those who steer clear of the spicy seasonal releases. The difference in opinions was alive and well at our dinner table as I, a fan, sipped my way through the evening beside Nina Cazille, one of Town Dish’s photographers who is not partial to the pumpkin. However, if a course is paired properly, a chef might just be able to toy with predetermined preferences, and Chef Tim did just that with his marriage of sweet potato cake with Iron Hill’s Pumpkin Ale. The pairing, which also included house-made pepita brittle and pumpkin pie coulis, was able to down-play the spiciness of the ale, articulating the beer’s squash notes and allowing the gourd to take center stage.
The eccentric Allagash wasn’t about to follow with another round of same-style combat, and instead finished off the night with a strut of their notable FOUR: a well-balanced Quad crafted with four unique malts, four sugars, four hop varieties, and fermented—oh yeah, four times. Smooth and fruity, the boozy burnt-orange beauty was a perfect, triumphant finale to the night, offering up contrasting waffs of black pepper spice to the dessert course, while complementing with touches of sweet caramelized sugars.
Seasonal Top Dog: Pumpkin Ale
Best of the Best — The Verdict
With the guests’ tallies in, only one brewery could be crowned the beer king — Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant shaped up to be the event’s ultimate beer warrior. Thanks to Allagash for bringing their A-game to contend over five fierce rounds — you can expect to see me snagging a hefty share of Fluxus on my next weekend beer run.
Catch the local Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant team when they orchestrate another unforgettable beer dinner on Dec. 4, at their five-course Holiday at the Hill Beer Dinner. Iron Hill of Phoenixville is found at 130 E. Bridge Street, or online at ironhillbrewery.com/phoenixville.
Photographs credited to Nina Lea Photography.
