EBBC14 – Friday Dinner at the Guinness Storehouse in St. James’s Gate

The European Beer Bloggers Conference convenes in Dublin, Ireland June 27-28, 2014.  In addition to honing their beer writing skills and learning how to communicate the wonderful world of beer, the bloggers descending upon Dublin also get to taste the selections from this country’s big brewing history.  On Friday, June 27, EBBC14 sponsor, Guinness and Smithwick’s, are hosting a highly experiential dining experience at the Guinness Storehouse in St. James’s Gate, a 20 minute walk from the conference hub.

This dinner, which begins at 18:30 pm, aims to showcase the art of food and beer pairings; much like it’s counterpart in the world of wine, food and beer go hand in hand and the aromatic, body, and taste profile differences found in every beer translate into unique food pairings. The casual yet “highly experiential” evening on the 5th Floor of the Guinness Storehouse begs interaction between the bloggers and the key brewers, liquid developers, quality managers, and company tasting experts who will be on hand for the entire evening.  Bloggers are encouraged to ask questions and get the conversation rolling about the history of beer in Ireland, the theories behind food and beer pairings, and the beers being served on Friday night – all of the team at Smithwick’s and Guinness are as excited about beer as the bloggers themselves and anticipate an energetic, engaging evening.

There will be several “tasting areas” on the 5th floor of the Guinness Storehouse on Friday night where several Guinness, Smithwick’s and other beer variants will be perfectly matched with the menu for the evening.  The Connoisseur team and resident chefs will guide bloggers through the food and beer choices which include:

• Foreign Extra Stout marinated steak burgers – served with various toppings in black blaas

• BBQ Smithwicks slow cooked pork ribs – served with homemade slaw and roasted mini corn cobs

• Smithwicks Pale Ale fish & chips

• Carlingford Oysters served 3 ways with GUINNESS Extra Stout

• Farmhouse Irish cheeses with GUINNESS Extra Stout

• Guinness chocolate mousse with Draught Guinness

Innovation has always been core to both the Guinness and Smithwick’s story and that tradition continues today. Bloggers will also have the chance to taste some new brews which have just come from the Innovation Centre at the St. James’s Gate Pilot Plant – some of these beers have not been released to the public and the team looks forward to sharing them with the bloggers, first!