Original Pub Tours of Charleston Once again hosts A beer dinner at Chico Feo as part of Charleston Beer Week
By Lorne Chambers | Editor
As the beer scene in Charleston continues to grow, it’s really no surprise that Charleston Beer Week continues to grow. This year there are 48 different events that make up Charleston Beer Week, which runs Sept. 9-16. However, only one of those events will be held on Folly Beach. The Folly Craft Beer Dinner will be held on Sunday, Sept. 10 at Chico Feo.
Organized by Folly locals Daniel and Becca Lesesne, who own Original Pub Tours of Charleston, the event will be a four-coursed dinner with a hand-picked beer pairing for each course. Chico Feo owner Hank Weed’s put together the menu, while Daniel and Becca put together local beers to go with each course.
“When it comes to pairing food with beer, it really is sort of a matter of opinion. But there are some classic flavors that just make sense,” says Daniel. “Like pairing the Pluff Mud Porter from Holy City with dessert makes sense because the roastiness of that beer goes well with the chocolate.”
Holy City Brewing won the gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival a couple years ago for the Pluff Mud Porter. For the fourth and final course it will be paired with smoked cheeses and fine chocolates from local chocolate maker Christophe Artisian Chocolatier.
The preceding four courses are as follows: Course 1: “Meat On a Stick” paired with Freehouse Brewing Battery Brown Ale. Course 2: Cuban Beans and Rice paired with Tradesman Brewing Welder’s Agave. Course 3: Chico’s famous Curry Goat and dumplings paired with COAST Brewing Hopart IPA, which Becca says was the highlight of the event when they held it last year.
According to Weed, hosting the beer dinner at Chico Feo makes sense. “What’s going on with craft beer these days is amazing. Essentially beer is four core ingredients — hops, barley, yeast, and water. These brewers are taking these simple ingredients and making amazing flavors with them, maybe adding a little bit here and there, but essentially using age-old methods and applying a creative twist,” says Weed. “It’s not dissimilar to what we do here with our food. We also use simple ingredients and try to make interesting flavors with them. That’s why it is such a good fit to have a beer dinner here. What we’re doing with our food is mirroring what many of these brewers are doing with their beer — blending tradition and innovation while pushing the limits of flavor.”
The Folly Craft Beer Dinner will be held on Sunday, Sept. 10 at Chico Feo, located at 122 E Ashley Ave. Tickets are $40 and there will only be 40 sold for this event, so you may want to reserve your seat now at www.charlestonbeerweek.com.
