Some of our friends get together semi-regularly and host dinner parties. This particular event was a beer themed one where most every dish had beer as an ingredient – think Iron Chef meets residential kitchen and grocery store ingredients. Our contribution was an iceberg salad with beer influenced blue cheese dressing and beer bread. The beer bread recipe sounded weak to me, so I embellished with Stone Brewery Arrogant Bastard Ale. Mistake. Unfortunately, it made the bread bitter for most folks, so next time a Harp or Newcastle Ale would likely be a better choice. I did add Italian seasoning to the top of the loaf before baking, which enhanced the overall flavor.

This photo montage only includes some of the dishes from our dinner. To kick things off right, we started with Deus Brut des Flandres, a Belgian Strong Ale by Brouwerij Bosteels. The lamb was marinated in Three Philosophers beer for two days. Yummy.

- posted by fork at home