For the first time in the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival’s history, beer made it onto the lineup for the Masterclass sessions when eight Aussie brewed craft beers lined up alongside three homegrown and one imported cider for a lesson in food matching. The Beer and Cider House Rules brought together Grand Ridge brewery owner Eric Walters, Beer Diva Kirrily Waldhorn and Andrew Blake of Blake’s Feast to answer questions from Epicure wine writer Ralph Kyte-Powell and the audience as they were guided through 12 courses.
Somewhat bizarre timing saw it kick off at 10am on a Sunday, but that was soon forgotten once the likes of Andrew’s Kentucky Fried Quail – using one more secret ingredient than the Colonel – appeared with some choice beers. The Crafty Pint was there for the experience – and to grab a few moments with some of those involved which you can view below. And, according to the orgainsers, craft beer is on the Festival lineup to stay – expect to see it feature much more prominently in 2012.
CraftyPint - Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. The Beer and Cider House Rules from Alister Robbie on Vimeo.
For those interested in the full menu, perhaps looking for a little inspiration for your kitchen, we enjoyed:
Seared sea scallop, orange oil and coriander microherbs
Grand Ridge Natural Blonde (Wheat beer)
Kentucky fried quail, smoked paprika aioli
Red Hill Bohemian Pilsner
Peppered lamb fillet crostini, truffled mushroom pate
Bridge Road Chevalier Saison
Miso cured salmon with a tiny salad of pink grapefruit, kipflers, baby beets and olive
3 Ravens 55
Sticky pork belly
Mountain Goat Hightail Ale
Gorgonzola tart
Grand Ridge Hatlifter Stout
Sticky date and chocolate pudding
Grand Ridge Moonshine
Gougieres filled with taleggio and jamon
Mad Abbot Tripel
Goat camembert and quince jam on toasted brioche
Kelly Brothers Sparkling Cider
Grilled chorizo with sauteed apple
Napoleone & Co Apple Cider
Lamb Korma
Small Acres Cyder Norfolk Still
Bread and Butter Pudding
Rekorderlig Premium Pear Cider
We should point out, these were all sample sizes…
