ready just in time... our guests arrive to passed snacks of creamy chicken liver mousse on pretzel bread (provided by grateful bread co.) with homemade apple jelly and a nice cold bell's, two hearted ale.
getting ready for the first course. ben and our guest cook matt, prepare to fry duck confit (you heard right!). deep fried leg of duck confit.
a tight squeeze in the kitchen this time, we are used to just ben and i, but serving 42 people out of a home kitchen can be a little tricky. a little more planning is involved.
deep fried duck is a rich dish, so we matched it up with a nice bright georgia bean salad. fava beans, green beans, radish, apple and jalapeno with champagne vinaigrette made for a nice balance of fat and acid. the schneider, edel weisse was a wonderful accompaniment to this dish. 
as the sun starts to set, the air cools, the lights pop on and the campfire beans smoke away. i found myself unable to get away from the kitchen as much as i would have liked, so mike gallagher pulls double duty giving our guests some insight into the beer and food pairings... thanks bud!
next course. the bruery makes a fantastic belgian style strong pale ale which i thought needed some mussels. a touch of sherry vinegar, some bacon to mellow the hops, sweet vidalia onions and nice crusty sourdough.
tell us how we're doing kerry... i hope the smile says it all?!
for the entree course we paired campfire beans, crispy braised pork belly from riverview farms and pickled vidalia onions paired with founders, double trouble. a big but well balanced imperial IPA. the smokey beans had bacon, jalapenos and guajillo chili puree giving a nice strong flavor to meld with this fantastic beer.
putting the final touch on the dessert. lemon eclairs with ginger syrup and strawberry shortcake using riverview farms berries. hitachino, ginger was the final beer of the night. a nice light, crisp ginger flavor with a hint of citrus running through the middle.
my biggest concerns put to rest... wonderful lighting and no flies!! thanks scotty!
very special thanks to mike gallagher, katie gallagher and matt christianson of brick store pub for pairing such great beers with our food. and many more special thanks to our family and friends for helping: scott, blair, kara, the ma, natalie and matt.the restaurant business provides little opportunity to get away and hang out with friends and family, so any chance we get is welcomed. in addition we want to thank my brother scott. without your last minute heroics the party would not have been nearly as complete. thanks bro!
rock solid!
