The year 2011 was a great year for beers to be produced but at the Strong Ale and Cellar Reserve Fest in El Segundo (hot spot of Rock & Brews) I learned that 2015 is an amazing year to drink those magical beers from 2011.

This write up is a little bit different than most other write ups that we publish here at BierBuzz® in that normally we write about an amazing one day event and the readers need to try and remember to join in on the fun the following year. The Strong Ale and Cellar Reserve Fest is a month long celebration that anyone can go and enjoy throughout February!

The media tasting that we were able to attend included a pairing dinner complete with six courses and six incredible beers guided by Anthony Games, the beverage director of Rock & Brews. These pairings can be picked up throughout the month at the El Segundo location but I’ll include a description of everything just in case you can’t eat all the different pairings that they were offering!

Pairing 1 – Strawberry Fields Salad paired with 2011 Beer Valley Heavy Sugars Braggot (7.0% ABV)

To be completely fair, a braggot is not a true beer, it is a combination of beer and mead (honey wine) and typically includes fruits and spices. The 2011 Beer Valley Heavy Sugars Braggot includes plums, cherry and blueberries and has a slight residual sweetness and an almost delicate flavoring when served as it was, lightly chilled with a touch of carbonation. The Strawberry Fields Salad included baby greens and romaine lettuce with strawberries, avocados, onions, cucumbers, candied walnuts and feta cheese with a lemon pepper vinaigrette. The combination was actually the best of the entire dinner in my opinion. The resonance between the flavors was spectacular with the light fruit notes being accentuated by the strawberries and the dressing of the salad. The alcohol wasn’t overpowering and seemed very subdued but worked well with the carbonation to cleanse the palate after each bite. This was a fantastic pairing that I personally would recommend to anyone who wanted a lighter bite to eat or wasn’t a big beer fan.

Pairing 2 – Five Cheese Mac N’ Cheese with 2011 North Coast Old Stock Ale (11.8% ABV)

A lot of places have a mac n’ cheese that uses some sort of beer in it and Rock & Brews is no different; however, not a lot of places can make an excellent mac n’ cheese. I’ve had a lot of them and the biggest issue that I see normally is that too much cheese is added to make it overpowering. Rock & Brews hit the nail on the head with this Five Cheese Mac N’ Cheese in that it is cheesy but not overly so and while it has very complex flavors from the cheeses used, there is something almost “down home” about it. The pairing of an old ale with the mac n’ cheese was fantastic but using the well-aged 2011 Old Stock was perfect. This beer has a ton of malty and bready notes which complement while contrasting the cheesy notes. The alcoholic burn that I know from fresh bottle of Old Stock Ale was non-existent, it was smooth and almost had some sweetness remaining. This pairing is very good but the overall plate is huge. If you expect to order this with the 2011 North Coast Old Stock Ale I recommend planning on taking a long walk afterwards because it would be a big meal, whatever you do just make sure you save room for the dessert pairing.

Pairing 3 – Margheritaville Pizza with 2011 New Belgian Clutch Dark Sour (9.0% ABV)

As far as the individual items go they are both spectacular. The pizza included roasted tomatoes, garlic butter, mozzarella and parmigiana cheeses topped with torn basil. There was a touch of sweetness in the crust which seemed to brighten all the flavors very well. The New Belgian Clutch Dark Sour was lightly soured without a huge bite to it. The flavors were subdued and included light malt notes with a fruity nose. The combination was a little strange to me personally but others found that the sourness provided an almost balsamic vinaigrette like flavor. Once I was looking for that sort of a combination I could find it but it wasn’t something that I would have found on my own. This pizza was great and the beer was great but they can stay on separate plates in my opinion. Add a nice blonde or kolsch with this pizza or even better a crisp German pilsner, leave the sour for another meal.

Pairing 4 – Blue Cheese Bacon Burger with 2011 Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine (9.2%)

Pairing 4 and 5 were served together as they were both burgers and the beer pairing worked equally well with both plates. I would stick with the pairings as selected by Anthony Games but either combination would work. Served on a toasted brioche bun the Blue Cheese Bacon Burger included melted Swiss, tomatoes, caramelized onions, garlic aioli, Point Reyes blue cheese and Applewood smoked bacon. This is a classic pub item with a unique twist from the garlic aioli and local blue cheese. The Hog Heaven Barleywine was incredibly smooth and well-matured. The alcohol notes a present but not in the front of the flavors like it was when it was fresh, rather they were muted and only provided a warmth. The alcohol was able to cut through all the heavy flavors from the blue cheese and the bacon but also helped to accentuate the caramelized onions through a resonance from the malt notes. This pairing was really good and I would order this again, it was spot on and provided just the right notes for a well-rounded plate.

Pairing 5 – Brews Burger with 2011 Stone Belgo Anise Imperial Russian Stout (11.0% ABV)

This burger was the best entrée food that was served at this dinner. The beer patty was made with an amber ale, Worcestershire, onions, garlic and spices. It included aged white cheddar cheese, the same garlic aioli and roasted tomatoes. The combination of spices and Worcestershire played off the roasted tomatoes to create a flavor reminiscent of meatballs but juicier. The IRS included malt notes of cocoa and coffee with slight fermentation flavors including light fruits and a touch of yeast. I picked up a touch of smoke to it, not overpowering but subtly present. The combination was very nice with the beer’s roasted aspects highlighting the char on the burger. Pairing 4 and 5 both worked very well but when you have burgers as good as they have at Rock & Brews El Segundo it is hard to pick a bad beer to pair with it. I will say that the beer did help in highlighting flavors in each beer. It’s not often that I’ll order an 11.0% ABV beer with a burger but this combination worked.

Pairing 6 – Purple Rain Drops with 2011 Lagunitas Gnarlywine (10.6% ABV)

To clarify for everyone who has never been to Rock & Brews El Segundo, Purple Rain Drops are French beignets (deep fried donuts) that are filled with chocolate and topped with a raspberry drizzle. They get served with a pile of light whip cream with a mint sprig to try and make you feel like you aren’t eating a deep fried chocolate stuffed donut. Don’t get me wrong, they are amazing beyond words but they are the sort of dessert that you feel very guilty for eating, especially when you eat the last one off the plate. The Purple Rain Drops are very sweet with sugar in every aspect of the dessert but the Lagunitas Gnarlywine were able to accentuate the chocolate and raspberry flavors without coming across as sweet. The aged Gnarlywine was very smooth (some would say dangerously smooth) and with this sweet dessert it added a level of complexity and maltiness that was very nice. This pairing was very good but I’m convinced that anything would have been perfect with the Purple Rain Drops, the dessert was that good.

Overall Impressions

Rock & Brews El Segundo pulled out all the stops for their 4th anniversary and this month long celebration looks to be a crowd pleaser. If you have an affinity for big beers or well-aged beers I recommend heading out to the beach sooner rather than later. These beers are going to be on until they are gone and considering the rarity of some they will be gone very quickly. Try some of the pairings that Anthony Games came up with, you won’t be disappointed, I recommend the Strawberry Fields Salad with the Beer Valley 2011 Heavy Sugars Braggot. That pairing is perfect for a wife or girlfriend who isn’t a big beer drinker either, it’s sure to be something that will be enjoyed.

About Rock & Brews

Rock & Brews is a one-of-a-kind restaurant and entertainment concept designed to engage people of all ages with quality American comfort food and local favorites, a broad selection of international and craft beers, and an energized, family-friendly rock environment. The brand, founded by KISS front men Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, along with restauranteur/hotelier Michael Zislis, and concert industry veterans Dave and Dell Furano, now has several locations in California, Kansas, New Mexico, Hawaii, Florida and Mexico. For more information visit www.rockandbrews.com