Dustin at AOTT

One of the country’s hottest breweries is pairing up with one of Seattle’s hottest restaurants to bring you a night of amazing food and drinks on March 31. Art of the Table (AOTT) chef Dustin Ronspies will create a menu to pair with a variety of Russian River Brewing’s beers, and Click Wholesale Distributing’s beer guru, Matt Younts, will be on hand for discussion as well.

I’ve only had the pleasure of attending one beer dinner at AOTT, but it easily qualified as a great culinary experience. You can call 206-282-0942 for reservations. I’d call quickly, as demand could be high for this one. The dinner will kick off with a reception at 6:30pm.

The food menu is in the works, but here is the beer lineup that will be included:

Damnation – In the great beer producing country of Belgium, some brewers have made it a tradition to give their beers an unusual name. Sometimes the name is curious, now and then it is diabolical and other times it is just plain silly. Damnation is our brewmaster’s interpretation of a Belgian style Strong Golden Ale. It has extraordinary aromas of banana and pear with mouth filling flavors of sweet malt and earthy hops. The lingering finish is dry and slightly bitter but very, very smooth.

Temptation – “Aged in French oak wine barrels for twelve months with distinct characteristics of fruit and subtle oak” sounds more like a description of wine than beer. However, Temptation is indeed beer. Temptation is a Blonde Ale aged in French oak chardonnay barrels with Brettanomyces. Flavors of wine and oak absorb into the brew throughout its aging. Temptation is re-fermented in the bottle to create its carbonation–a process commonly used to make fine champagne and sparkling wine. Spent yeast forms a thin layer of sediment to remain in the bottle.

Pliny the Elder – PtE is probably the most popular IPA in the country right now. Local Seattle shops can’t keep it in stock for more than a few days before thirsty hopheads clean it off the shelves. It’s an 8% ABV hop monster, and it will be interesting to see how Dustin pairs this one.

Supplication – Brown Ale aged in French oak Pinot Noir barrels with three strains of Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus and sour cherries .

Consecration – Consecration is a dark Belgian style ale aged in American oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. Not only do we use Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, & Pediococcus, we also add currants to beer while it is aging in the barrels.

There will also be some special surprises for dessert!