Goose Island recently hosted a beer pairing event at Native Son’s Alehouse in DTSA dedicated to women who love indulging in a bit of decadence & full glass of craft beer. It was dubbed “Sweets & Sours” and the food was made by my friend, the elegant Chef Andrea Machuca. It was a wonderful evening of glittering lights, lovely beers with truly decadent and delicious food.

Chef Andrea is embarking on a new venture called The Culinary Underground where she does beer pairing dinners or tasting events with craft beer and it’s starting to get noticed. She’s previously executed the “Dining with the Brewmaster” Bootleggers Anniversary Beer Dinner which I attended, and now it seems she has caught some attention because Goose Island choose her to host their Sweets and Sours event which was dedicated to a tasting event of sweet and sour beers with cheese and dessert dishes. It was kinda genius.

1st Dish: Cheese Pairing Dish: Wash Rind Epoisses Brie from France – topped with picked cherries soaked in Juliet, Fromage D’Affinois double cream brie topped with Bourbon County blackberry jam, crusty bread, walnut crumble, and marcona almonds. The paired beers was the Juliet and Madame Rose by Goose Island. The Juliet was one of my favorites from the evening. It was funky and slightly sour, with lots of fruit flavors and a dry finish with moderate carbonation. This cheese dish is exactly what I want from a cheese pairing, it was funky, rich, silky, crunchy, sweet and fruity. Both cheeses were delightful but I preferred the brie a bit more, and the nuts were a wonderful textural element on the plate.

2nd Dish: Dessert Pairing Dish: Raspberry creme panna cotta, beet cremeux,  mint, strawberry pearls, dehydrated citrus paired with Lolita. The Lolita  is a Belgian-style ale aged in French oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. Each barrel receives 50+ pounds of fresh raspberries. Spontaneous secondary fermentation in the barrels. Aged 8 months or more. It makes sense they would pair it with the panna cotta, because the dessert was creamy and light and the beer was complex and bold with deep flavors of raspberries and caramel notes. I loved the strawberry pearls because it added a crunch that was needed but didn’t distract from the overall dish.

3rd Dish: Last Dessert Pairing: Bourbon County brownies, white chocolate creameux, raspberry fruit roll-up, almond crumble paired with Bourbon County Coffee. The brownie was fluffy and rich, the Bourbon County was sweet and intensely flavorful. It was a great cap to a generous and decadent evening.

Christina Perozzi Taranouchtchenko of The Beer Chicks was also in attendance to talk about the beer pairings and educate about all things Goose Island. Overall it was really cool to sit at a table with all women, appreciating the food and beer together. Thanks to Goose Island for hosting the event, and thanks to Native Son’s Alehouse for providing the venue. A special thanks to Andrea for making the night one to remember.