Brooklyn Brewery's Garrett Oliver Swaggers Into Dallas

by Steven Doyle

Garrett Oliver is the author of the much acclaimed The Brewmaster’s Table and The Oxford Companion to Beer. He is also the brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery, makers of such fine brews as the Brooklyn Weisse, Greenmarket Wheat, Cuvee La Boite and the Sorachi Ace, all of which we sampled at the recent Pairdiné beer dinner hosted by Lark on the Park and emceed by the affluent orator and pr4viously mentioned brew-god Garrett Oliver.

Throughout the dinner Oliver spiced the room with tales of beer history and mirth about the humble beginnings of Brooklyn’ finest brew.

Lark was the perfect backdrop for the dinner, and with the many in attendance made much more sense than its sister restaurant the Meddlesome Moth. The acoustics were amazing, and the room was designed for just such occasions. At the beginning of the dinner Oliver said his chats between courses would get briefer as the crowd filled up on more beer, but it made this Texan proud that the guests were not there just for the fine dinner, beer, but more importantly the conversation with Oliver. Dallas is definitely a maturing craft beer city.

Uni, crostini and mizuno paired with Brooklyn Weisse

Moule Frites, beer, garlic, shallots, fries and aioli paired with Sorachi Ace

The most interesting beer of the evening was definitely the intriguing Cuvee La Boite that is made with spices procured from the spicer to the stars, Lior Lev Sercarz of New York. Many of America’s best chefs get their spices including Daniel Boulud and Eric Ripert. Add to this list one Garrett Oliver who has conjured up a fine Belgian-inspired beer in the Grand Cru style, subtly infused with Lior’s unique blend of Mish Mish (lemon, saffron, crystalized honey), fresh kaffir lime leaves, and rare Espelette peppers from the French Pyré-nées. Oliver explained you had to know someone who knew someone in order to grow your own Espelette. This was a rich and lovely brew that actually made the evening more perfect.

As the evening came to a close Oliver made way to the private dining room where a jumbo line of beer drinking fans waited patiently to speak with the brewmaster. He was clever, giving and charming all at once. We want to give a hearty thank you to Captain Keith Schlabs for his continued great works on the Dallas beer scene, and for making this evening a success.

Seared Duck Breast, duck confit eggroll, cavolo nero and plum compote paired with Cuvee La Boite