Get your Beer Week on with these food-centric events

Asheville’s Beer Week begins officially today, May 24. The brew-centric events are many (check out the official website here to see them in all their glory).

And although we’re touted as Beer City, Asheville pulls its own weight as a culinary destination as well — but you knew that, right? It’s fitting that many of the events have a culinary focus. Here are a few (check all hyperlinks for contact info and location):

Get your oompah on at the LAB
On Thursday, May 24, the Lexington Avenue Brewery hosts a Bavarian music night from 7 until 10 p.m. with live oompah band and German Music. What’s that have to do with food? Chef Jason Roy, a semi-finalist in the WNC Chefs Challenges, turns out a great menu of pub food with an upscale twist, including old world-style pretzels with white ale mustard and cheese.

Sunny Point’s beer garden
On Monday, May 28, Sunny Point Café hosts a Sierra Nevada beer dinner paired with some of the spring harvest from the restaurant’s own garden. Sierra Nevada’s assistant Brewmaster, Terence Sullivan, will host.

The menu includes beer-pickled garden veggies paired with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Hoptimum-poached wild-caught Alaskan Salmon with ramp butter, warm potato salad, fresh fennel and smoked asparagus wrapped in bacon — paired with (you guessed it) Hoptimum, an imperial IPA. Check the website for the rest of the great-looking menu and more information.

The dinner is $55 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Two seatings are still available — 7 p.m. and the other at 8. Reserve seats by calling 252-0055.

Greg Engert at Moe’s
Moe’s Original Bar-B-Que in Biltmore Village hosts a beer dinner on Monday, May 28, as well. This one features Greg Engert, beer director from the Neighborhood Restaurant Group in D.C., James Beard Nominee and Food & Wine magazine’s Sommelier of the Year. The five-course meal includes Southern-influenced dishes, like heirloom-tomato salad with crowder peas, corn and bacon and a plate of smoked chili- and coffee-rubbed brisket and braised pork, served with cheese grits and collards. Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. Make reservations by calling 505-8282.

Trappist tap pours and tapas
On Tuesday, May 29, from 6 until 10 p.m., Cúrate and Thirsty Monk present the Progressive Beer Dinner. The evening begins with Spanish beer and hors d’oeuvres in the soon-to-be-open top floor of Thirsty Monk (downtown) and finishes at Cúrate (bring your walking shoes!) with four courses of Belgian Trappist ales paired with tapas. Tickets are $95 and include all beers, food, tax, gratuity and a $25 Thirsty Monk gift card. Seating is limited to 32 people. 

Beer Chef!
On Wednesday, May 30, at 6:30 p.m., check out Beer Chef, hosted at Pack’s Tavern’s lofty event space, the Century Room. Belgian and Belgian-style beers will be matched with food from Asheville chefs (served at stations for optimal mingling). Here’s the list of chefs and their respective restaurants, as well as the the beer that each will cook with:

Chef Chaz Edwards | Blue Water Seafood | St. Feullien Saison
Chef Michel Baudouin | Bouchon | Sierra Nevada Ovila Quad
Chef Mauricio Abreu | Chef Mo’s | New Belgium Trippel
Chef Greg Kilpatrick | Homegrown | Omer Belgian Golden
Chef Jason Brian | Jack of The Wood | Sierra Nevada Ovila Dubbel
Chef Jeff Miller | Luella’s BBQ | New Belgium Belgo IPA
Chef James Balchak | Pack’s Tavern | Bacchus Sour Ale
Chef Anthony Cerrato | Strada | Kasteel Rouge

Special Guests include Brian Grossman and Terence Sullivan of Sierra Nevada and Grady Hull of New Belgium. Tickets are $85 per person and can be found here.

A crafty dinner at The Market Place
On Thursday, May 31, from 6 until 9 p.m., The Market Place hosts a four-course dinner with beer pairings to raise funds for the documentary Crafting a Nation. The event will feature one beer from Southern Appalachian Brewery, one from Highland Brewing Company and three complementary beers from breweries in the filmmaker’s home state of Colorado: Upslope Brewing Company, Left Hand Brewing Company and Wynkoop Brewing Company.

There are very few tickets left for this event. Reserve your spot ($50 per ticket) here. http://www.craftinganation.com/product_detail.cfm?PID=12&cid=0&pid=0

More beer and tapas
And starting at 4 p.m. on May 31, Bruisin’ Ales and Zambra mixologists team up to present Beer Cocktails and Tapas. Zambra bartenders will create beer cocktails using brews from Dogfish Head, New Holland and Rogue. This is an á la carte event. Staying for dinner? Reservations are recommended. Call 232-1060 for more info.