Ritz Carlton Buckhead Beer and Cheese Pairing Intro

I had a great opportunity to visit the Lobby Lounge at the Ritz in Buckhead last week. I was invited to come try out their new beer and cheese pairing menu that they are going to rolling out to the public. I had a great time, got to try a few new beers and meet some great people. So one to the event....

I got there a bit early (maybe 4:30ish?) due to not really knowing how long my commute from my real job would take. Walked around the Ritz a bit to kill some time and was really impressed with the place, much nicer than the Ritz in Beaver Creek Colorado that I grabbed a beer at last month, alas that is another story for another time. Anyway, I got to meet Sandra Ryder (who invited me in the first place), Carlos Casals (Restaurant Chef at the Ritz) and Robert Evans (Dining Room Sommelier). I had a great time chatting with them about my thoughts on beer and getting to here their thoughts on the new menu.

Beers they have picked out for the menu are all brewed by Rogue (a great start for any craft beer menu) and they are each paired with a cheese from Rogue Creamery (no relation to the brewery). There were also a jams and jellies from a local producer by the name Fairywood Thicket. The presentation was spot on and I could not wait to try what they had picked out.

First Beer was the Morimoto Soba Ale. A very light ale. Extremely smooth all over. Faint malt sweetness, Pilsner like but with out the crispness. A perfect beer to pair with sushi or fish. Flavor dulled out a bit as the beer warms up but had a nice distinct nuttiness when first poured. Good head retention with nice lacing as it thinned out. Very light straw coloring. Wouldn't mind trying this beer brewed with some Lager yeast. The cheese that it was paired with was the Morimoto Soba Ale Cheddar. A pretty strong cheese that I thought overpowered the beer. You could taste the nuttiness added by the beer but the fact that it was cheddar just made it a bit too strong for the beer. That aside a nice start to the tasting, I'll give the beer 3 pints out of 5. Again the perfect lighter beer for sushi and much more delicate food.

Second beer was the Hazelnut Brown Nectar. I new I was in for a treat the minute that this beer was poured. Deep reddish brown color with an off-white head. A slight roasted nut hint on the smell. The first taste was amazing. I already love amaretto so I was looking forward to seeing just how much this beer tasted like hazelnuts. Wow. Big sweet malty start but that dulls quickly as a very odd sensation moves down the side of your mouth and tongue. Hazelnut all over the place. Not overpowering but just right. Leads to a nice spicy hop finish that sneaks in after you have already swallowed your sip. A very cool brew. Paired perfectly with the Smokey Blue Cheese. These two were meant for each other. Beer cuts the bite of the blue perfectly and the cheese cuts the heat and spiciness of the beer. This pairing was nailed, best of the night. Loved it. Loved the beer, loved the cheese. I'll give the beer 4 pints out of 5.

Last beer was already a favorite of mine, the Chocolate Stout. Hope you like chocolate and coffee with this beer. Funny that I like this beer and a lot of other stouts because I really don't care for coffee, eh? Anyway, this is a very dark beer, no light making it through this one. Espresso like aroma. Big time roasted malt flavor. Extremely well balanced and very smooth, no off flavors hiding under the coffee and chocolate notes. A good slightly bitter finish. Hides its alcohol very well. Nice nice smooth and very drinkable stout. Good anytime for me, but some non-stout lovers would like this one with their desert as the chocolate notes and bitterness will stand up to a lot of sweet deserts. This was paired with a Chocolate Stout Cheddar. Pretty interesting cheese in its own right. creamy like any good cheddar but with some sneaky bitterness and a really cool chocolate aftertaste. Paired great with the beer, both very well balanced. Robert did ask me if I thought that this beer would go well with anything else, I suggested a small piece of dark chocolate would be a perfect pairing with both cheese and the Stout. An old fav on the beer side gets 3.4 pints out of 5.

The jellys and jams they served afterward are a whole other story. Wow. Pecan Jelly, Pepper Jelly, Apple/Rosemerry Jelly! Just wow. Going to have to hunt these down a buy me some. I thought a great combo was the Smoked Blue and the Rosemerry Jelly, pair those with a nice American Pale Ale and you have a knock out.

Anyway, I feel very honored that I was invited to this event. Kind of coll to be there alongside a writer for the AJC, one from a wine and food magazine and one from Atlanta Magazine (I think...). It was a very nice event and I think that the Ritz has a very nice pairing menu for those looking to think outside the box a bit and try a new craft beer instead of a wine. If you want a nice place to take a date that likes beer or just a great place to grab a few afterwork drinks give the Ritz a shoot!

I plan on having a few more new beer reviews up this weekend along with a few trips I am planning in my head! As always, Happy Drinking!