—
Consectetur Adipis
40min
4
12-inch (30 cm) cedar plank, soaked in cold water for at least 1 hour
Spray bottle of water
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 + 1 bottles Alexander Keith’s Red Amber Ale (12 oz/341 mL each)
1 cup (250 mL) ground chicken
½ lb (250 g) cooked lobster meat, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp (45 mL) panko (Japanese-style) bread crumbs
1 tbsp (15 mL) mayonnaise
1 green onion, chopped
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 asparagus spears, blanched
2 tbsp (30 mL) Bone Dust™ BBQ Seasoning
8 thick slices bacon
Tasting Notes: Alexander Keith’s Red Amber Ale is exactly that. The colours range from burnt orange to dark amber to mahogany. The foam is slightly off-white. The nose is caramel and toffee, with touches of butterscotch and some definite smoky, roasted-grain notes. The body is sweet — caramel and darker breads (almost like pumpernickel). The finish is quite mild. There is some bitterness, but it leaves your mouth fairly quickly.
The Professor’s Pairing Notes: There’s lot to talk about in this one. The beer is so too powerful that it drowns out the chicken, but the dark bread of the body is a good match with the panko bread crumbs. The sweet, rich lobster is complemented nicely with the caramel body of the beer. Last, but not least, the savoury bacon flavours work well with the slight bitterness at the end.