As it happens, an ideal opportunity arose, a meal with my parents. They would provide the starter and main courses (with accompanying wines, naturally), and I'd bring dessert(s) and appropriate beer(s) (with some help from the girlfriend).
After tasting the Young's double chocolate stout previously I imagined it would work wonderfully with brownies and ice cream. Disaster struck when I ventured out to buy a couple of bottles however. 'No longer stocked by Morrisons' was the response, boo and indeed hoo! I quicky got in touch with an employee at Young's who informed me it will be picked up by Tesco in August. She did however propose an alternative (Erdinger Dunkel), of which I duly snagged a couple of bottles (thanks Becca), along with a Cain's raisin beer for good measure!
I also picked up some Young's banana bread beer, to go with some banana bread (I know, ground breaking stuff). I didn't say this would ever be refined and classy. I then had the misfortune of having to slave over a hot stove for hours on end.
[Of course I didn't, I left that to the good lady friend while I attempted to play football. A womans place is in the kitchen after all. I made sure she did the laundry and dishes too].
So how did these combinations fare?
Starter
Prawn cocktail with Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
An old classic, especially with fresh prawns from the local fish market. Alongside a fruity well balanced sauv b with lots of tropical notes, a surefire hit.
Main
Special cut Pavé Rump Steak with handmade wedges, onions and mushrooms. Served with a big meaty (no pun intended) Rioja from Spain.
First time I'd had Pavé steak and it was a sensation. Tender like a fillet but with all the flavour of rump. A good red always compliments a nice bit of steak too (that's as far as I'll go as I am not a massive red fan and have limited knowledge on the subject).
Banana Bread + Young's Banana bread beer.
This was a winner from the off. Soft, sweet banana bread with a little butter washed down with banana bread beer? What's not to like? (unless you despise bananas). I have to say the Young's beer packed a good fruity hit but wasn't sugary sweet and cloying like Mongozo beer for example. You could still easily distinguish the malty aftertaste and it had just the right amount of sweetness.
7/10
Intermission
Cain's Raisin Beer.
I thought we'd better drink something a little darker before dessert number 2! This beer confused me a little however. The raisin / prune / fruit cake aromas and taste are all present but they seem almost like an afterthought to mask an otherwise dull beer. Pleasant enough, but nothing to write home about. I'll leave it at that.
5/10
Triple chocolate brownies with local ice cream + Erdinger Dunkel.
Onto dessert number 2. As much as I enjoyed the Erdinger, it wasn't a patch on the double chocolate stout for the purposes of this tasting (as I had feared). Don't get me wrong it's a perfectly palatable beer, but one which is far more malty and biscuity as opposed to the luxurious smooth chocolate which I had hoped for. Curses.
As for the brownies? They were magnificent. Crispy on the outside, soft and gooey in the middle. If I'd had the double chocolate stout I'd have mixed some with the ice cream as it melted for maximum impact. Definately one to revist when I can get my hands on some more. I'm hungry now.
Beer: 6/10
Brownies: 9/10
All in all a fun experiment and one I'd like to improve on at a later date!
Some other beer / pudding combinations I'd like to try? Off the top of my head BrewDog Punk IPA would go well with fresh fruit salad and ice-cream i'd imagine. Or maybe BrewDog Alice Porter with apple pie? There must be some other beers out there other than BrewDog...
Anyone have any other favourite combinations?
UPDATE: I've since found Youngs double chocolate stout in Peckhams! Hurrah!
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