When President Obama recently paid off his World Cup bet with UK PM David Cameron, he presented Cameron with Goose Island’s 312 Urban Wheat Ale, from his adopted hometown Chicago. Did you know that we can sample some Goose Island brews right here in Capitol Hill? About a month ago, we noticed that Madison Market expanded their already varied beer selection. In addition to the refrigerated section, you can now find shelves stocked with beer over by the wines. In this newish beer section, we spotted Goose Island’s fabled Matilda ($3.29 per 12 oz, 7% ABV). We were disappointed by Matilda, finding it a touch too bitter as a standalone beer.
However, two weeks ago, we attended a Goose Island Tasting at Sole Repair. Goose Island Brewmaster Greg Hall was on hand to introduce his Belgian ales to Seattle. Hall explained that he believes that his IPAs can vie with the best. But, he wisely decided to start distributing Goose Island’s Belgian ales, because of the hefty competition here in the Northwest for IPA visibility. Another reason that Hall cited for introducing the Belgian ales only to the Northwest is that they are trying to showcase the pairing potential of food and beer. To implement this strategy, Goose Island teamed up with Scott Staples of Quinn’s to pair food and beer.
Here were the food and beer pairings:
Sofie(6.5% ABV)
Prosciutto crostini, shaved parmesan, arugula, saba
Endive, pears, gorgonzola & candied orange
Hamachi crudo, cucumber, lemon
Matilda(7% ABV)
Smoked salmon, corn blini, creme fraiche & chives
Grissini with fruit mostarda, wrapped in prosciutto ham
Carmelized onion tarts with bacon & stilton
Tomme Crayeuse cheese tastings
Pere Jacques(8% ABV)
Mini grilled lamb chops, rosemary & dijon
Moroccan spiced shrimp skewers
Foie gras mousse, cherry mostarda
I only sampled the vegetarian/fish options. My favorite pairings were the endive with the Sofie. The bitterness of the endive appetizer really brought out the fruit and herbal notes in the Sofie. I also enjoyed the Smoked Salmon appetizer with the Matilda. This pairing played down Matilda’s spicy yeast flavors and emphasized the fruit notes. The Pere Jacques acted as dessert and lived up to that role. As Goose Island touts on its website, Pere Jacques is “the perfect alternative to a glass of vintage port”.
For those of you wanting to sample Matilda with food, Quinn’s now has it on tap. As well, they sell the Sofie in 22 oz bottles.
