Ninkasi Brewing Beer Pairing & Dinner At HOB Las Vegas Feb 25, 2015

This is a guest post written by Chris Rauschnot, @24K on Twitter, of @24KMedia.

A tasty four-course meal inaugural beer and food-pairing event from Crossroads Restaurant with beer provided by Ninkasi Brewing, from Eugene, Oregon, on February 25, 2015. Tables were setup on the dance floor area and all of the booths were reserved for the tasting, it was a popular event.

Ninkasi Brewing Beer Dinner at HOB
Ninkasi Brewing Beer Pairing And Dinner At HOB Las Vegas

The Crossroads Restaurant is attached at the base of the House of Blues, near the Mandalay Place shopping area, so it’s easy to find.

Crossroads Restaurant at HOB Las Vegas
Crossroads Restaurant at HOB Las Vegas


Ninkasi Brewing Beer Tasting & Dinner At HOB Las Vegas

I took a seat near the front and grabbed a Ninkasi branded goblet to start the tasting. The first beer served was the Lux Helles-style lager. This was my favorite lighter beer of the bunch. The munich-style lager has a clean noble hop aroma with a touch of grassy hops, leading to a sweet and toasty malt flavor.

Ninkasi Brewing Beer Tasting
Ninkasi Brewing Lux Helles-style Lager

It did not have that classic IPA hoppy finish, but more of a balanced taste. The small appetizer paired with the Lux beer consisted of seared scallop covered in an apple cider glaze, papaya, frisse and jalapeno all served on an Asian styled soup spoon. The tart of the appetizer went nicely with the balanced tasting beer.

Ninkasi Beer and Small Appetizer
Seared Scallop

Our first course was a nice preview to the rest of the dishes served that night. It consisted of house hot-smoked salmon in a creamy chowder with leeks, celery, potatoes and dill. The Ninkasi brew paired with this dish was their Total Domination IPA. This IPA has a citrusy and floral hop aroma with a touch of grassy hops, leading to a sweet and toasty malt flavor.

Ninkasi Beer and Chowder
Ninkasi Total Domination IPA and Chowder

The salmon immediately reminded me of being back in the Pacific Northwest. I liked the chef’s take on a classic New England chowder for the left coast.

The second course was a ragu of wild mushrooms over creamy cheese grits mixed with fresh herbs, parmesan cheese and truffle oil. It was paired with the Oatis oatmeal stout. This beer had a bit more alcohol than the others as the dish was more earthy tasting.

Ninkasi Brewing Beer With Grits and Mushrooms
Ninkasi Stout With Grits And Wild Mushrooms

This oatmeal stout has a roasted malt up front, smooth rich oats throughout, a touch of chocolate and a dry finish. A stout that has any hint of chocolate goes on my must try again list.

Grits this cheesy were so tasty that they beat anything that I have had in the deep south. I wish that Crossroads served a second helping. I would order it for dinner on a future visit.

The hanger steak with melted shallots and drunken aioli plus pommes frites was our third course. It was paired with Ninkasi Dawn of the Red. The beer had notes of tropical fruit such as mango, papaya, pineapple and a stone fruit that burst out with bitterness upfront, finishing smooth with semi-sweet malt. The hanger steak was easy enough to cut with a butter knife as it was marinated in the Dawn of the Red for hours. The pommes frites and hanger steak both went well with the drunken aioli sauce.

Ninkasi Brewing Beer With Hanger Steak
Ninkasi Dawn Of The Red And Hanger Steak

Last but not least, we enjoyed the Sleigh’r Waffle Sundae, our fourth paired course. The vanilla bean ice cream was scooped on top of a small chocolate waffle. It was covered in berries, pecans and drizzled with spiked chocolate sauce. The candied bacon strip placed on top was a nice addition.

Deemed “Bad Santa,” by Ninkasi Brewing, the brew is a stronger version of their winter season sleigh’r. It had an elevated alcohol percentage and a deep toasted malt flavor that finished dry. The toasted flavor in the beer went nicely with the smoky sweet bacon. The bacon was candied via a layer of brown sugar.

Ninkasi Beer and Waffle With Candied Bacon
Ninkasi Sleigh’r With A Chocolate Waffle A La Mode And Candied Bacon

Tasty bacon seems to be the it topping right now. Adding it to the dessert was the right call by the Crossroads Restaurant Exec Chef, Charles Miller.

The House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, is looking to hold future beer and liquor pairing events. The first event was a home run and pairings spot on. Check their website and Mandalay Bay’s to make sure you can get tickets to the next one. Photo credit: Chris Rauschnot

Disclaimer: I was invited to cover the event. Entry was provided to me. I was not compensated for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Follow VegasBill on Twitter

Bill Cody is an entertainment, technology and luxury travel reporter in Las Vegas. He reports on celebrities, events, tech, food, Las Vegas and luxury travel.

Comments are closed.