by Jaci Kajfas, Beverage Director

Our sizzling summer season is officially cooling off, though the deck is still open for those true Northwesterners. With the layers of gray and fog come another of Ray’s passions – seasonal events! One of the most popular with our locals is our bi-annual Brewmasters Dinner, scheduled for Sunday, October 27.

Featuring Northwest breweries, the dinner is a 5-6 course meal paired with our local brewmasters selections.  The brewmaster and one of their representatives join us for the event, touring tables to answer questions and share stories about their craft.  These beer selections will be featured in our Café for the duration of the fall season as well.  Pour sizes on the brews are 2-3 ounces depending on alcohol content.

The selection of brewmasters tends to be local,  more specifically Northwest.  This season we’ve reached out beyond Seattle to a few more obscure breweries in hopes to introduce the public to some fresh perspectives.  This year’s brewmaster lineup, along with menu and pairings, is as follows:

1. Butter nut squash soup with fried sage and cayenne pepitas  (Fremont Wheat, Fremont Brewing  – Seattle, WA)
2. White bean bruschetta with black kale and pecorino romano (Backwoods IPA, Backwoods Brewing  – Carson, WA)
3. House-made black pepper spaetzle with Uli’s sausage and stone ground mustard cream  (Rogers Pilsner, Georgetown Brewing – Seattle, WA)
4. Coriander dusted sturgeon, grilled with seared tomato, pickled onion, mustard greens. (Fremont Saison, Fremont Brewing  – Seattle, WA)
5. Beef short rib bourguignon with baby carrot, pearl onion and new potatoes. (Double Mountain IRA, Double Mountain Brewing – Hood River, OR)
6. Chocolate budino, spiced almond ice cream, caramel popcorn   (Pike Harlot’s Harvest Pumpkin Ale – Pike Brewing – Seattle, WA)

Securing those details with crafters that are in the midst of brewing is not the easiest as they have high demands to produce amazing beers as well as a busy October preparing for and attending the Great American Beer festival in Colorado.

The feast is tailored to the beers by our Executive Sous Chef Paul Duncan, who joined us in our tasting panel, and Pastry Chef Lorna Stokes.

The event is scheduled for Sunday October 27^th, and is $45 per person for the 5-6 course meal with beer pairings.  Reservations are highly recommended.  Due to Seattle Restaurant Week and Dine Around Seattle promotions, we will most likely only schedule one brewmasters event this season, so don’t miss it!