Last month during Sydney Craft Beer Week, Two Birds Brewing partnered up with The Oaks in Neutral Bay and their head chef Danny Russo to create an epic four course meal – accompanied by no less than five Two Birds brews – on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
The sold out event – held in the venue’s newly renovated garden pavilion – was one of the more luxurious of the Craft Beer Week calendar. It wasn’t just about the beer, it was about an experience; the finest beers matched with the finest meals on a menu that puts any Sunday Roast to shame.
We began with a beautiful Golden Ale to whet our appetites. The Two Birds brew this one with ale, wheat and Vienna malts, though it’s a lighter Golden than you may experience elsewhere. I dare say it even borders on a Summer Ale, with Australian Summer Hops and New Zealand Motueka hops coming together to add excellent fruity flavours.
Our meal kicked off with Danny Russo’s famous cheese and truffle toastie, pictured above – a simple but elegantly gluttonous meal that I could still taste well into the evening. It was accompanied by a Bantam IPA, a smooth IPA with less alcohol – albeit full flavoured.
Next up was an entree of a beef tartare with smoked beetroot and potato chips, accompanied by a Sunset Ale. A stand out meal, with the tartare perfectly prepared and the Sunset Ale a beer that was hard to say no to a second helping of.
The taco beer is not just one of Two Bird’s most unique brews – but it’s one of the most unique brews out there full stop. Bringing the spices and flavours of a taco, thanks in part to the addition of flaked corn, the Taco beer is an enjoyable drink – and almost a meal on itself.
The taco beer was accompanied by Russo’s “Sunday Roast”: a stunning smoked braised lamb shoulder with winter vegetables and homemade jus. Every bit as good as your Mum would make, only probably better (don’t tell Mum). The lamb fell right off the bone and melted in your mouth, with the jus as good as you’ll find anywhere.
But the “most creative dish award” of the day had to go to Russo’s dessert – which was essentially in two parts. First, you had a chocolate mousse and bacon burger served on a soft brioche bun. The caramelized bacon worked impressively well with the mousse – it’s not a dessert you’d ever come up with yourself, but it’s one that I’d love to have again. In fact I’m pretty sure I helped myself to seconds on the day. This was accompanied with a “stout spider”, with our final beer – the Belgian Stout – enjoying a dollop of toffee ice cream. Of the two, I definitely preferred the former, but its unique flavours worked together surprisingly well all the same.
What the afternoon ultimately showed off was not only the versatility of one of Australia’s growing brewing companies, but also how versatile beer can be during a meal. Though beer does sit heavier than wine – by the time we were finished you could have rolled me out of the venue – its many styles can perfectly accompany one dish better than another. Who would have though that stout and toffee ice cream would be such a welcome match?
A huge thanks to The Oaks and Two Birds for having us and to Chef Russo for an incredible meal.
Photos by the author.
