I recently had the opportunity to attend a beer dinner hosted by BJ’s Brewhouse and I can truthfully state that I was not, in the least, disappointed with the experience that BJ’s provided.
BJ’s offers the beer dinner about once every quarter, the next one is being planned for either the end of April or the beginning of May, but at the time of writing, they haven’t decided. The dinner is priced at great value, $30 for nine beer tasters and five menu items. Heck yeah!
The whole event took about two and a half hours. We had a specific portion of the restaurant to ourselves and the menu was brought out between beers. Interestingly enough, they even served us beer between beers too. They referred to these in-betweeners as “pallet cleansers” which, as a wino, I am used to being served sparkling water. I was more than happy to learn that alcohol, apparently, can prepare the way for more alcohol too, which is something I rather firmly believed during my time as an undergraduate at the University of Houston.
In addition to the copious amounts of beer that BJ’s served during this event, there’s tapas, trivia, and gifts too. My favorite menu item was definitely the grilled salmon that was topped with a cherry chipotle sauce and served with a side of asparagus, but the salad they served as part of their new menu roll out was pretty kick-butt too. I also walked out with four different pint glasses as a gift BJ’s gave each attending couple. And I had tons of fun getting to know the BJ’s wait staff.
Speaking of which, the staff was extremely knowledgeable. They told us stories about the beer trade between England and India, the accidental invention of the IPA, and how beer is measured in regard to its bitterness. I even put forth my own series of questions based on the presentation. The staff answered appropriately and adequately. Apparently, beer dinners are educational in presentation, but, as I found out, fun in nature.
The experience, however, isn’t solely on the staff. The patrons who showed up to this event helped make the experience too. When playing trivia, for example, the TV would display a question, and all the patrons would begin to shout out, at each other, one of the multiple choice possibilities. Upon guessing correctly, they would erupt into a joyous cheer over their accomplishment. I found this to be a delightful moment of organized insanity that characterized the event.
As the event began to wind down and the salted caramel Pizookies came out, I was really rather reticent about telling my wife that it was nearly time to leave. I had a ton of fun. There are few things in life as good as sitting at a table with a bunch of random strangers while shouting out what we believe to be the answer to “How many ounces of beer are monks allowed to drink daily?” or “How many brewers are on the back of a $2 bill?”
The answer is three, by the way. Apparently, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Samuel Adams were all huge fans of brewing beer at their homes and all appear on the $2 bill.
Events like BJ’s Beer Dinner, in addition to being an educational experience, can be a fun way to branch out and meet new people. I highly recommend keeping on the lookout for future events.
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You can follow Dustin @createdlove on Twitter.
