July 24th, 2013
stone brewing company
Stone Brewing Company Dinner @ Portsmouth Sheraton Harborside
On Monday Evening June 17, I had the opportunity to attend the Stone Brewing Company Beer dinner at the Portsmouth Sheraton Harborside. Greg Koch (@StoneGreg) CEO and Co-Founder of Stone Brewing Company was present for the dinner having just brewed a beer at Smuttynose Brewing Company with Dave Yarrington the head brewer of Smuttynose. Based in Escondido, California, Stone was founded in 1996 by Koch and Steve Wagner.
The five course meal was easily some of the best food I have ever eaten and the pairings were spot on. My favorite courses were the Poutine with local cheddar cheese curd paired with Stone IPA, Stone Smoked Porter Braised Short rib paired with Stone Smoked Porter, and the dessert was a Chocolate Brioche Bread Pudding with Raspberries and Lindt Chocolate Sauce paired with Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale. My least favorite part of the nite was when dessert was served because I knew that there was no more amazing food and beer pairings following the bread pudding.
Stone Beer Dinner at Sheraton Portsmouth
Between the courses Greg spoke a little about the history of Stone and the beers as well as provided us with some anecdotes. He spent some time discussing his feelings on collaborations. Collaborations at Stone, typically involving three breweries, do not follow the traditional style norms and the releases don’t stay on the shelves long. Greg’s view on fellow craft brewers is one of respect in that they are all “Co-Conspirators” in the quest for good beer.
Clusters Last Stand brewed that day at Smuttynose features the Cluster hop which was once one of the most widely grown and used hops in the US but it had fallenfrom grace in the recent past due to the many options available today. The beer is a tribute to the early American IPAs and will be hitting store shelves in the next few weeks. I also can’t wait to get back to the Portsmouth Sheraton Harboside, with the amazing service and great food it’s a place not to miss.
-Ryan
