For sixteen years Town Hall Brewery has been a Twin Cities beer destination. After winning fifteen GABF awards and opening an additional two locations—Town Hall has a lot to be proud of. Last month they celebrated their sixteenth year which included multiple beer releases throughout their anniversary week and they also held their annual anniversary dinner.

The hors d'oeuvres consisted of beef dolmades and meatball Timballo and were served with their Dortmunder Lager. The meatballs inside this pie like dish were quite tasty and had a great texture but the pasta was quite dry.

The second pairing was a very nice salad consisting of kale, prosciutto, feta cheese, shaved brussel sprouts with a squeeze of lemon juice. This was paired with the palate cleansing Mango Mama, a variation of Masala Mama IPA with mangoes. This was an excellent pairing because of the high salt content of the feta and the prosciutto.

Next came the main course which was a succulent portion of filet mignon wrapped in bacon and served on the rare side. Then it was topped with a lovely rosemary portebello mushroom cap, foie gras and nice pan gravy and served with a twice baked potato. This dish was paired with Anniversary Ale which was similar to a certain hoppy Holiday Ale from Sierra Nevada.

For dessert was a red wine poached pear with honey, cinnamon, star anise, and vanilla. Le Grand Whiner their special Grand Cru which was aged for 18 months in red wine barrels was paired with this and was definitely the highlight of the event. There was a very special quality to this one most likely from the tannins in the wood barrel in which it was aged.

Finally there was an unannounced dish which was some sort of a chocolate truffle. Velvety and rich this melted in the mouth and would please any chocolate lover. This was paired with 3 Hour Tour which is a fantastic Coconut Milk Stout and is a customer favorite. This was the perfect conclusion to a wonderful dinner.

Happy Birthday Town Hall Brewery!

Cheers!