Everyday around 4pm the vents in my office building fill up with the smell of hickory wood and the scent of barbecue and chops being prepared; the culprit is JGilbert’s next door and the scent often leads me into a frantic state of carnivore rage which can only be satisfied with beer and smoked meat. Luckily, last night they had both available in an open format tasting. So a few friends of mine and I headed all of 40′ across the road to sample items not typically on the menu.
First let’s talk about the beer. Port City provided 5 of their best sellers (sorry no Derecho special brew this time). The pre-dinner tasting was the Revival Stout, which includes the use of oysters in the brewing process. Before you ask, no it didn’t taste or smell fishy.
“The oysters provide a silky texture” Bill Butcher explained “and there is a lasting taste at the end that reminds you of the being near the water.”
I can honestly say I have never had a beer with that texture, however subtle. The great story behind the Revival Stout is also the support it provides to cleaning up our Chesapeake Bay as a portion of the sales goes towards preservation and clean up efforts.
The Wheat Ale was presented next which was well accepted by our table. A very light flavor that went well before diving into the assortment of smoked wings and chili waiting for us. The Czech Pilsner was next on tap, and while I don’t traditionally enjoy high hop beers, the slightly sweeter variety that was used stayed within my comfort zone. I wouldn’t say it was my favorite, but for being a Pilsner I found it to be very good, especially accompanied with the Bourbon smoked wings from JGilbert’s.
The tasting was rounded out with an IPA which had an herbal richness to it and completed with the extremely tough to find Porter, which like a good coffee after dinner, was the perfect ending taste for the night.
The beer was only part of the unique event atmosphere, as JGilbert’s made sure to provide some atypical treats of their own. We mentioned the wings above, but just as amazing was the tenderloin Texas style chili, a one time creation to honor a long time employee of the restaurant who passed away this year. I consider myself a chili connoisseur, every fall I make 3 or 4 batches of the hottest southwest chili you will ever get your hands on, and I can honestly say this was the best texas style I’ve ever had. It was a very good consistency, the tenderloin was like butter, and the heat was the right amount to enjoy the corn and tomato flavors. The meal was completed with one part demonstration and one part tasting of the pulled pork sliders Carolina style.
If you missed out this week on the tasting room, don’t worry, we were assured by the JGilbert’s manager that this would be a monthly event with different drink and food pairings every 3rd Tuesday of the month. Coming up next month will be a more friendly event for the ladies out there, a Skinny Girl tasting room (culinary options to be announced). We are sure it will be just as successful as last night.