This past Friday evening I was lucky enough to get a ticket to Backpocket Brewing’s BBQ and Beer dinner (thank you Sam and Savannah!), and once again, I left beyond impressed at another one of Iowa’s breweries putting together a terrific beer dinner. If you haven’t been to one, they are always worth it! Let’s take a look at what Backpocket offered:

Smoked cream cheese is definitely trending throughout the BBQ community and was a great start to this dinner. The secret rub is what makes it even better with the added smoke to it. Served with some sliced bell peppers and a house made sourdough roll and paired with Mallow Vibes peach sour, this dinner was off to a great start! The smoked cream cheese is something you need to add to your BBQ repertoire!

It’s no secret my contempt for traditional roasted turkey. I don’t hide it, it’s not something I crave/enjoy/or even look forward to during its most popular of cooking days…give me beef or fried chicken all day…HOWEVER….Mr. Aaron Vargas and his smoked cajun turkey breast has made me a believer in eating more of this bird. The perfect amount of smoke and the added cajun spices intertwining throughout the bird and paired absolutely wonderfully with the jalapeno jelly and cornbread waffle had me aching for more of this dish! Paired with Backpocket’s delicious IPA, Bubba, this may have been my favorite dish and pairing of the evening!

Course #3 and the beer pairing had me wondering how it would go down? I pastry stout paired with some smoked ribs can work? Yes it can….ribs with a ton of black pepper and a vinegar bite with a side of sauce, and then let that smokey bit stick around while you take a sip of Backpocket’s Cookie Junkie beer and the flavors mesh perfectly.

Now, brisket burnt ends sells this in itself and they were delicious…but the show stealer of this dish was the homemade tortilla. A bit thicker, softer, and more flavorful than the store bought kind, simply take a hunk of fork tender brisket, grab a pickled red onion and wrap that combo in the best tortilla I’ve ever had and then sit and smile at its deliciousness. Slingshot was the perfect accompaniment to this dish. The dunkel with a bit of smoke and nuttiness rounded out the dish nicely!

Last course…dessert. Not a big dessert guy, and at this point I would have hammered some more of that turkey and burnt ends, but once again, I found myself cleaning my plate with their smoked berry cobbler. Very tasty, not too sweet, and the homemade whipped cream added nicely to it. Paired with an easy drinking, palate cleansing lager, it was time to sit back, adjust the belt buckle and revel in what was a wonderful meal and experience.

Thank you to Aaron Vargas and the Backpocket staff for an amazing evening. Sam and Savannah Hall for getting me a ticket and letting me experience this evening! Stay tuned for more beer dinners folks and I hope you all, at some point, are able to experience one! Cheers!