Having been to several beer dinners at the Swann Lounge in the Four Seasons Hotel, we were looking forward to this dinner. We expected it to be another highlight during our Beer Week adventure and we were looking forward to a change of pace to a more civilized evening.
Although a pioneer in the craft beer world, we have not been seeing the more interesting beers from Sam Adams around town. I must admit that I do not seek out Sam Adams in bars. The only ones usually available are the lager and ale which somehow typically sit next to the Miller or Amstel Lite taps.
We were handed each a Boston Lager in its own Sam Adams glass from the specifically set up bar in the Swann as soon as the sommelier spotted us walking in. The glass is supposedly the result of several years of scientific research and taste testing which would highlight the aroma and taste of its beer with its special shape and production. I couldn’t decide if the glass actually did improve the enjoyment of the Lager but the cold liquid with its low 4.9% ABV was a refreshing treat after walking in from a hot sticky summer evening outside.
The French fries were fresh off the fryer and came with a lemon something dipping sauce. There were skinny, crisp, delicious, and was an excellent accompaniment with the Lager. I never found out nor figured out what the dipping sauce was. It was very nicely prepared but somehow I found it to be an odd paring with the fries.
We loved the idea of serving bar snacks at the beginning of this beer dinner. It was such a refreshing idea instead of the more traditional amusé bouche or the stomach filling bread basket.
Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat
Tuna, avocado, crispy onion, and lime vinaigrette sounded like an odd combination, somehow, this oddness did come together very well on the plate. The tuna was quite good. Although I did not find the meat particularly tasty, the flavor was complimented very well by the outstanding lime vinaigrette drizzled on the plate. I could never imagine avocado being on the same plate with a tuna tartare but this combination of flavor and texture was indeed interesting and delightful. I found myself breaking up the crispy thin tempura-like battered fried onion strips into the tuna and avocado which added another interesting dimension to this dish.
The 5.4% seasonal Coastal Wheat beer was brewed with lemon. It was delightful, light, and the citrus flavor worked very well with our seafood dish.
Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier
There are crab cakes, and there are crab cakes! There are crab cakes full of fillings, and there are crab cakes with big chucks of meaty intense flavor meat with practically no fillers. Our crab cakes were prime examples of the later instead of the former. They were moist, flavorful, nicely packed and cooked perfectly with a slight crisp on both ends. With the in-season sweet corn and the chili rémoulade sauce, this dish was a winner.
For the record, the chef made a special crab cake sans wheat or dairy just for the Tourist Tree. It was just as well made and as tasty. We appreciated the restaurant’s effort.
A Blackberry Storm or a Blackberry Wit?
Samuel Adams New World Tripel “Barrel Series”
Grilled lettuce may sound strange to a lot of people. If done right, it is a delightful way to prepare such vegetables. The Romaine wedge was lightly grilled. It was still crispy, sweet, refreshing, and joined by the smoky salty crispy bacon, the deep flavor of the mimolette, and the sweet sourness of the balsamic vinegar.
This sweet sourness of the dressing was a good compliment to the “bourbon’ish” sweetness in the New World Tripel. This 10% bottle conditioned barrel aged beer is light in color but deep in flavor. The more serious characteristics of this beer were a good harmony to the whimsical approach of preparing this salad/veggie dish.
Samuel Adams Black Lager
I do not think much of flatiron steak, but I didn’t know it could be that tender. I was a bit disappointed when I saw this less–expensive cut of meat on the menu. However, my disappointment soon turned into a pleasant surprise after I took a few bits of this meat. It was tender. It was flavorful. It was juicy. It was well prepared. It was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, not all of Tourist Tree’s pieces were as uniformly tender. We also liked the “Tomato-Potato” with small pieces of potato and tomato in a tomato sauce. It was comfort-food’ish delicious.
The Black Lager was dark with strong herbal and coco flavor. It reminded me of a porter but it is not. The Black Lager is brewed in the style of a Schwarzbier. Although dark in color and flavor, this easy drinking beer was only 4.9% in ABV and a good match up with the flatiron steak.
Chocolate Beer Cake, Griotte Cherry Sorbet
Samuel Adams American Kriek “Barrel Series”
If there is one thing that we know the pastry kitchen can do very well, it is anything with chocolate. The beer cake was spongy, moist, with just the right dose of chocolate folded into the cake. And of course, cherries always go well with chocolate! A double feature of a sorbet made with Griotte, and a Kriek made with Balaton cherries from Michigan just about did the job. This 7.0% Belgium style has a nice balance of tartness and sweetness. With the flavor of cherry and the acidity, it served as a nice compliment to the chocolate and a nice digestive for the dinner.
Oh yes, just to gild the lily a little, there was melted chocolate in the middle.
Tourist Tree received her usual specially made sorbet of passion fruit, raspberry, and cherry.
We have always been amazed by the quality of meal at the Four Seasons, may it be the Fountain Room, the Swann, or just a catered dinner. With a new chef manning the Swann Lounge, we were happy to see that the food was just as well executed, innovative, and well thought out. At a price of $65.00 per person, we certainly have gotten a great value on this meal, plus more.
I must admit that neither one of us had paid much attention to beers from Sam Adams lately. With the proliferation of specialty beers in our area nowadays, Sam Adams had just slipped through our radars. This was more of a reason we were so glad that we had attended this dinner and were introduced to its more interesting offerings. The ZZ Top look-alike Brewer Bob told us at the dinner that their next Barrel Serious release, named Infinium, will be a champagne style beer that is brewed in calibration with the oldest brewery in Germany, Weihenstephan. Being a champagne style beer, the bottle has to be hand turned just like a champagne periodically, therefore, the packaging is being handled by a winery up in the Finger Lakes region. Looks like Aiiyah and Tourist Tree may have to do a procurement trip to Boston when this Infinium is released sometimes in the fall!
As we were watching a few people from the other table helping themselves to more beer at the bar, our waiter dropped off a gift bag of goodies for each of us, “…you can take everything on the table home too…” he spoke softly as he was walking away. The Tourist Tree and I looked at each other and collectively wondered…. 
“How can we put everything in the small bags?” No task is too hard, Aiiyah is always up for a challenge.
Day Five Beer Tally:
Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat
Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier
Samuel Adams New World Tripel “Barrel Series”
Samuel Adams Black Lager
Samuel Adams American Kriek “Barrel Series”
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