They started with a porter and added roasted Tamarillos that were smoked with wood from New Zealand trees. Half of the fruit that was included in the recipe was roasted and the other half was fresh. The beer was debuted at Beervana, a large beer event in New Zealand that included some social events that I would love to see on a smaller scale locally.
The first event was the "Mash-in" where New Zealand brewers gathered and sampled each others recipes. I think it would be great to get all the local home brewers together just to sample what others were producing. This event would not have to be large, but we would have to find a restaurant or meeting room that would allow us to bring your own keg (BYOK).
The second event was the Beer vs Wine dinner. This involved a six course meal and each dish was paired with a wine and a beer. Once diners try both the beer and wine, they would fill out a scorecard. Results are tabulated and announced at the end of the dinner. Again this is a great idea and we could easily pit a brewery against a winery; Say Knoxville's Calhouns Brewery vs Knoxville's Blue Slip Winery?
Would you attend this event? Let us know what you think in the comments..