The PR firm representing Charcut, a soon to be opening roast house in Calgary, recently emailed to let us know that Charcut will have on their staff a beer cellar steward.  I’d never heard of a beer cellar steward before, but I think the idea is pretty cool.  It is my opinion that beer pairs with food just as well or better than wine.  I’ve been to a few establishments employing sommeliers with epic wine cellars, so why not do the same with beer?  If I’m in Calgary (flames suck) anytime after January, I’ll surely pay a visit to Charcut to see how they are getting on.

Erik got us introduced to Charcut’s steward Kirk Bodnar, author of Beers ‘n Such, who I’ve found to be a really cool guy from our conversations so far.  Kurt was kind enough to share with us a few of his favorite beers and food pairings:

I have to say that Fall/Winter is probably my favourite time in terms of seasonals – there’s something about having a nice full bodied Doppelbock or Barley Wine in the warm indoors when it’s cold outside!  Then again, you really can’t beat drinking a refreshing Kölsch in a Biergarten in the summer in Cologne (I recently moved back to Canada from Germany).  But anyway – here’s what I have been drinking over the last few weeks:

Ayinger – Celebrator Doppelbock.  A classic!  A winter must for me!
Unibroue – Maudite – again, nothing new, but great – especially with cured meats/charcuterie.
Dieu de Ciel – Route des epices – spicy – almost Christmas-like to me.
Les Trois Mousquetaires – Doppelbock – probably my favourite doppelbock currently.
(I’m really liking Quebec beers right now…)

I’m still drinking a fair amount of Hefeweizen as well – although they are summery, I never really get tired of them.  Tree’s Hefeweizen is still tasting great, and I also like Kaltenberg’s König Ludwig Weissbier.

As far as interesting pairings, I recently paired some Dupont Saison with a warm roasted wild mushroom and spinach salad – very nice!  The earthiness of the Saison paired perfectly with the similar elements in the mushrooms.  Also, to stick with my current Quebec beer infatuation, I put together a Les Trois Mousquetaires Noire (Black Lager) with a tiramisu – it was a perfect!  The beer has considerable coffee and chocolate notes, which go perfectly with the tiramisu.  I even had some oreo ice cream with the Noire, and it worked too (though not as well, but decently).

All the best to Kirk and Charcut on their new endeavor!  I hope their passion for beer and food pairings educate and delight their patrons.

Cheers,

Chris