Eddie’s Roadhouse | 18 Main St, Warwick, NY
Who doesn’t love a unique multiple course dinner paired with craft beers? The folks at Eddie’s Roadhouse host one special beer dinner a month, each featuring a different craft brewery. It is a ticketed event that often sells out and is repeated a second night due to high demand. This particular beer dinner featured a favorite brewery of mine – Founders (Grand Rapids, Michigan); little did I know what rare brew surprises would lay in store!
We began the night with the refreshingly hoppy Nitro Pale Ale to accompany a cheese dip and homemade chips. The chips were crisp and not greasy and were perfect for dipping in the tangy, vegetable chunked cheese dip.
Cheese dip with house made chips
The first surprise brew of the evening was their sweet, boozy Curmudgeon old ale from 2013. This is one of my favorites and it paired perfectly with a Michigan/White Hot. The sweet dog was topped with a house made sweet mango honey mustard that finished with a mustard kick. Next to the dog was a scoop of grilled potato salad with creamy, tangy mustard and topped with smoky bacon and chive.
Michigan/White Hot with grilled potato salad
Playful was the key word of the next course. Mango Magnifico Con Colore, the imperial fruit beer aged with habaneros, was served with a three berry spinach salad. The spicy, fruity and complex beer was cooled by goat cheese and played off the tang of the berries and the amazingly fruity and thick blackberry balsamic vinaigrette.
Three berry spinach salad
The next course was another small plate: a mixed slider of brisket, chuck and short rib meat with melted Brie and bacon onion jam served with onion rings and house made sriracha ketchup. The beer for this course was the Devil Dancer, a limited series triple IPA featuring 10 different hops. This beer kicks off slightly sweet on the palate then finishes with a bit of bitterness from the hops. The fat of the juicy slider helped to cut the high 12% abv.
Brisket, chuck and short rib slider
The main course was the most ambitious one: a grilled ribeye topped with Morbier cheese with edible ash in a wine reduction accompanied by rich cauliflower mashed potatoes and green beans. The Smoked Porter paired well with the strong aroma and flavor of the cheese and the smokiness of the grilled meat.
Grilled ribeye
A small trio of decadent desserts was then served to us along side a 2013 Backwoods Bastard (aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels, perhaps my favorite Founders offering!). The Nutella cheesecake was rich with a slightly sweet caramel topping. The mini cannoli was piped fresh with a hint of cinnamon and caramel in the cream and was perfect. The bourbon chocolate cupcake was by far my favorite, topped with a bourbon ganache and candied bacon.
Bourbon chocolate cupcake, mini cannoli and Nutella cheesecake
With the combination of rarities from Founders and the innovative cuisine of the kitchen, Eddie’s Roadhouse proves that it is not afraid to create an experience above the norm for its patrons and fans.