Residents of San Diego are no stranger to a beautiful day. It’s easy for us to forget that at this moment people around the U.S. are layering and buttoning up for the frigid days ahead, while we brace ourselves for the onslaught of slightly brisker air than we’d care for. However, there’s something about wandering into the embrace of the Beer Garden, San Diego Beer Week’s (SDBW) swan song at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, that makes a bright November afternoon all the more exquisite.
After a 10 day frenzy of tap takeovers and Keep the Glass affairs, this event not only serves as SDBW’s closing ceremonies, but a counterpoint to the prior week’s debauchery. It’s a chance to truly luxuriate in the local brew scene with artfully crafted pairings of food and beer. It’s basically like a day spa for beer snobs, but with a lot less Enya and sandalwood candles.
The “garden” is actually semicircle of serving stations that are held on the 0.2% of sod that Torrey Pines has not allocated to golfing purposes. It allows the event to serve up haute cuisine and breathtaking panoramic ocean views in equal measure. It’s the kind of combination that makes you quietly pity everyone that isn’t presently you.
This year’s event inspired 11 chefs from restaurants as varied as Burlap and the Carnitas Snack Shack to perform their culinary magic. Each two or three bite course was paired with two different beers, demonstrating a clear understanding of the minimum food to beer ratio to excite a SDBW crowd.
It’s safe to say the Beer Garden is slightly more posh than most SDBW events. You needn’t don your monocle to attend, but it wouldn’t hurt. However, there’s a dark underbelly to the affair that must be exposed. While fine quaffs and delicate edibles certainly foster an air of sophistication and civility, the fact remains that finding a level surface upon which to enjoy them could be a cutthroat affair. Table real estate is a shockingly precious commodity, one guarded with all the ferocity of post-apocalyptic motorcycle gangs hoarding fuel. I understand that square footage is a little scant without forcing patrons to weave through a hail of golf balls, but when table inhabitants resort to sending out hunting parties while the remainder secure camp, something needs to be reconsidered.
Luckily it takes more than a little tribal warfare to bring me down; one glance at the menu immediately brightened my mood.
A venison medallion served on a chanterelle ragout with beer dumplings and a cumberland sauce by Chef Gunther Emathinger from Karl Strauss is stunning enough on its own to conjure salivation, but shoulder to shoulder with a Ballast Point Navigator Dopplebock elevates the whole affair to the transcendent. The subtle dark fruit notes in the malty dopplebock beautifully cut the succulence of the sauce while accentuating the venison’s earthier notes.
Most of the other pairings were similarly thoughtful and masterfully executed. Virtually the only criticism I ever heard was that a current course didn’t match the potency of a previous one, which is not to say they weren’t just as greedily consumed. Other standouts included a molasses-chile glazed pork belly from Chef Hanis Cavin from Carnitas Snack Shack with Rock Bottom La Jolla‘s Moonlight Porter as well as a hazelnut, salted caramel & milk chocolate mousse by Tony Martin from Stone World Bistro paired with Coronado‘s Blue Bridge Coffee Stout.
If the revelry at my table was any indicator, the event was a rousing success. One tribemate, Ruby Lynn Carr (a Beer Garden Veteran and fellow high society drunkard), summarized my final impression by commenting “I am thrilled to be enjoying some of the best local craft beers while overlooking the ocean on a gorgeous November day.”
So long, SDBW 2012, and thanks for all the venison medallions served on a chanterelle ragout. Oh, and the beer too.