I'm going to start by saying that this event was beyond epic and I would probably give it 10 stars if I could.
We got here early because we had VIP passes and we were immediately given a complimentary "sampling" glass for the beers we would be trying. As much as I liked the private VIP area, once the main floor opened up, I didn't go back to the VIP section. There is honestly so much going on that if you don't get VIP, you won't notice.
After an hour of VIP mingling, we headed downstairs for the pairings. Everything was set up on tables all around two large rooms, the food and beer pairing was listed on each table and no one table had a super long line so it was easy to jump from table to table sampling goodies. I sampled what seemed like a little bit of everything: cheese, quail, pork skins, fancy candy, fancy meats, duck confit, oysters, short rib and much more. There was so much food that I could barely keep up with it all.
My pick of the night for my favorite dish (besides the oysters and the cheese because duh) was the smoked steelhead trout, cream cheese, black brioche and Meyer lemon from Square Root. It was paired with Praire Standard, a Saison from Oklahoma. Everything about this pairing was perfect and I couldn't get enough of that trout. I have to get to Square Root one of these days!
Throughout the party, there was a nice band playing that kept things lively and all of the vendors were happy to tell you about what they were sampling and how it paired with their beer offering. It was a really perfect event and worth every penny. Think of it this way: you are at a party where it's basically all you can eat and drink for 3 hours and it's really good food and beer. You can't beat that.
They are going to be doing another Nuit Belge next year and I plan to attend. If you missed this year's event, you should really plan on checking it out next year. I am sure that next year's Nuit Belge will be even better! read more