SAVOR: Birch and Barley's Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner

SAVOR Beer Week DC (May 30th - June 3rd) has commenced, and to get it started we attended Birch and Barley's Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner. The event was led by Steve Grossman of Sierra Nevada (also the brother of Ken Grossman, founder of Sierra Nevada) and by Greg Engert, arguably one of the best beer directors around.

Steve and Greg led us through each course, providing a story behind the beer and the reason for the food pairing. Many of the beers were made at Beer Camp. That's right, probably the best camp an adult could ask for. Sierra Nevada began inviting retailers to their camp to see the facilities, test and brew beer. Now you can submit your own video, and only the most creative will be invited to attend beer camp. Beers for the SAVOR event were served in the order below.

Birch and Barley Sierra Nevada Beer Dinner List

Sticke Pilsner (Beer Camp #45)

California Common (Beer Camp #8)

Weizenbock (Beer Camp #37)

Juniper Black Ale (Beer Camp #16)**A TWSF favorite!

Outta Town Brown (Beer Camp #29)

Double IPA (Beer Camp #31)

Bigfoot

Pro-Am Audition Old Ale

Wood Aged Life and Limb

Of course, let's not forget the amazing food by Chef Kyle Bailey and Pastry Chef Tiffany Macisaac. Everything was delicious, but we agree the standouts were the Crudo of Himachi and Seared Jumbo Hake. I don't typically order fish when dining out, but will definitely order whatever fish happens to be on the menu next time we are at Birch and Barley for dinner.

We were really impressed by the beer (duh), amazing cuisine, and gracious hosts. If the rest of the SAVOR events are anything like this one, DC is in for a treat. For a full list of events, check out DCBeer.com.


**Note: You should probably we aware that when attending a beer dinner at Birch and Barley with less than 6 guests, you will be sitting with strangers. Luckily, TWSF was seated with a great group making the evening much less awkward.