Last night @crobaricus, @ziggityzig and I went out to The Carleton for another of their Craft Draught Showdowns. This time featuring Gahan House and Church Brewing

The Menu

Ceviche

Atlantic salmon, pickled daikon, coconut milk, lime juice, dehydrated kimchi

• Gahan House: Beach Chair Lager
• Church Brewing: Saltwater Joys

Roasted Carrots

Miso glaze, sesame seeds, fermented turnips, citrus gremolata, crème fraiche

• Gahan House: Island Red
• Church Brewing: Congregation

Polenta

Creamy polenta, roasted wild mushroom, spinach, pine nuts

• Gahan House: Vic Park
• Church Brewing: Eight Bells

Pappardelle

Charcoal pasta, pork ragú, pecorino.

• Gahan House: Hali Common
• Church Brewing: Mayflower White

Peanut Butter Bombe

Peanut butter mousse, rum, strawberry fluid gel.

• Gahan House: Raspberry Sour
• Church Brewing: Til’ Death Do Us Tart

Last night @crobaricus and I went out to The Carleton for another of their Craft Draught Showdowns. This time featuring New Scotland Brewing and Spindrift Brewing Co.

The Menu

Stracciatella

• New Scotland: Beachcomber
• Spindrift: Killick
  
  

Kousa

• New Scotland: Alderney Dry
• Spindrift: Aufschaven
  
  

Barley Risotto

• New Scotland: Coat of Arms
• Spindrift: Sundaze Sssion
  
  

Braised Chuck Roast

• New Scotland: Kilted
• Spindrift: Coastal
  
  

Dulce de Leche Tart

• New Scotland: Lowlander
• Spindrift: Abyss
  
  

For the second time since March I went to a fancy dinner, and like the last time it was back to The Carleton for another of their Craft Draught Showdowns. This time featuring Big Spruce and Upstreet

The Menu

Salmon Gravlax

Big Spruce: Inhaled Affirmative
Upstreet: Lime Light Lo-Cal Lager

Fennel Salad

Big Spruce: Tag! You’re It!
Upstreet: Go Devil – IPA

Green Risotto

Big Spruce: Tripel
Upstreet: De Novo V – Farmhouse Saison

Prochetta

Big Spruce: She’s Maibock
Upstreet: Do Gooder IPA

Apple Pie Cheesecake Moose

Big Spruce: Snowmageddon
Upstreet: ‘Million Acres’ Barrel Aged Cherry Saison

For the first time since the beginning of March I went out to dinner last night. One of my favourite restaurants in Halifax, The Carleton, started hosting Craft Draught Showdowns last year. They let their Chef go wild creating a five course meal and have two local breweries compete bringing five beers to pair with each course. It is a fun time with friends and really interesting to hear from the different brew masters about their process of brewing the beers and how they choose the pairings.
Unfortunately COVID wiped out a lot of these events over the last few months, but it was great to see how they put together the event as safely as possible. There were only 1/3 of the normal number of tables, all the staff wore masks at all times, and many patrons were also masked anytime they were up from their tables. The Chef talked about how they designed the menu to source as many of the ingredients from local farms and vendors as a way to help out the community.
In a lot of ways it was super strange being back out in public, but overall it was a lot of fun.

Beet Carpaccio

Brightwood: Backyards
Propeller: ESB

Scallop Crudo

Brightwood: Mojito Crushable
Propeller: Lotus

Canestri au Chardonnay

Brightwood: Minutes
Propeller: Spooky

Chicken Piccata

Brightwood: BMAC
Propeller: DDH IPA

Lemon Posset

Brightwood: Made Me Blush
Propeller: Dark Berry