Foodepedia had a pleasure attending Brewers Association beer and food pairing recently, this year it took place in Moi.
Moi is a Soho establishment specialising in Japanese British fusion cuisine. It’s quite a beauty all on its own.
Two floors, a naturally bright airy ground floor with a more intimate downstairs plus state of the art open plan kitchen and high ceilings.
It’s definitely a place to bring a date to if you want to woo her/him, clients or just to treat your family or yourself, because why not?
The reason for the Brewers Association‘s choice of the cuisine is that this year’s concept celebrates East meets West’ flavours and culture, which is music to my ears.
And Moi prepared a special pairing for each of the six beers. As I learned last year beer, makes for a perfect food pairing and we should really have more of such partnering as wine gets a bit repetitive.
But lagers, stouts and IPAs, well now we are talking. But unlike here in the UK, the US brewers really like to push the boundaries and they do it so well.
The proof comes first with Californian Summerfest a lemony palate-opening beer, which is perfect on a summer day. It’s light with floral notes and made by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, who pack it in a cool blue can with a view of the mountains.
This lager is only available April to July. And it (instead of lager) This lager compliments sweet sake lime oyster like they were made for each other.
Once sat down we dive straight into the Japanese flavours – a matcha hazy IPA by Embolden Beer Company in San Diego.
The brewery makes quite a few Asian inspired flavours, the founder tells us, from yuzu, to ube which stands out with its unique purple foam.
I know many have rolled your eyes at the word ‘matcha’ but be bold because not all matchas are made the same. We probably all know by now that there are Japanese and Chinese ones, but to experience a true matcha is has to be Japanese.
Like wine, the region, soil and climate make a huge difference, that’s why this brewery only sources from trusted farmers who also supply the owner’s matcha café.
William Sutjiadi, the co-founder, tells us creating matcha IPA wasn’t easy, the obstacle was of course the matcha powder settling to the bottom, they had to develop a bit of a secret recipe to overcome that.
To accompany the vibrant green IPA, Moi brings out house pickles and steamed fried buns, which are now my preferred version of steamed buns.
Their crisp shell and cloud light centre is wonderful for diving into to dive with the whipped smoked cod’s roe, served alongside.
Then there’s Oregon’s ale is The Sparrow & Crow by ColdFire Brewing, aged in Pinot Noir casks, giving it a beautiful ruby-red colour. It’s both a beauty to look at and sip.
After two years of ageing, it’s remarkably smooth, with a hidden 8.1% ABV, so proceed with caution.
It’s followed by the main course, from a choice of carnivore to pescetarian plates, delicate fillet of miso cured trout and an impressive 36 dry-aged sirloin on bone. Rich, thick fat rim and charred outside.
Accompanied by sides, which should not be ignored either especially, the spring beans with airy light smoked tofu. Dark green crisp beans against a contrasting white whipped tofu cream, make the colours pop.
Before moving onto the sweet course with Ideas of Order, a blend of a 34-month bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Milk Stout and a 16-month bourbon barrel-aged English barleywine.
Somewhat resembling my coffee and dessert habit but elevated, the dark rich chocolate notes make it almost warming while raspberry freshness completes it. Comparing to a raspberry and dark chocolate truffle would not give it justice.
It’s more of a refined French patisserie but without the pastry, a multi-flavoured creation, hours of craft and 20-plus years of experience honed in the finest patisseries along Paris’s cobbled boulevards.
Save the date for the next London Craft Beer Festival next July because it always has many exciting US craft beers.
Aside from the festival, Sierra Nevada can be found in the UK, with Sierra Nevada Summerfest currently available alongside other beers from the brewery at UK shop.
Waitrose is also running an American Ale Month, making it easier to discover a wider selection of American craft beers in the UK including Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA sister brand of Deschutes Black Butte Porter.
Other than that just like the Michelin brothers once created a guide worth travelling for, the five beers (see below) absent from the UK market we tried today are the crafts worth hopping on a plane for.
While you wait for your flights: these are good to be considered too Allagash Brewing Co, Toppling Goliath Brewing Co, Revolution and soon to launch Samuel Adams Boston Lager.
Summerfest, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Midnight in Tokyo Matcha Hazy IPA, Embolden Beer Company
Black Butte Porter, Deschutes Brewery
The Sparrow & The Crow, ColdFire Brewing
Breaking Bud, Knee Deep Brewing Company
Ideas of Order, Virginia Beer Company