Restaurants and breweries have long since worked together but over the past couple years they have found a way to maximize the perfect marriage of each industry… beer dinners.

Looking in your local newspaper odds are you will find a host of options for beer dinners occurring in your town on a weekly basis. These are a great event options for intimate gatherings and work particularly well with VIPs.

Typically beer dinners consist of 30-75 people and last just a couple of hours. They usually take place in the private dining room of a fine dining restaurant or a restaurant that offers quality craft beverages.  A brewery representative may work with the chef to pair the perfect match of cuisine a beer. Many breweries are now brewing beers to complement fine food at the table. Goose Island Beer Company out of Chicago creates a line of Belgian style ales that are brewed specifically for food.

You can design the event to be as elaborate as a five course plated meal. Or, if your budget does not allow that keep it simple with a beer and cheese pairing. These two are natural partners as they are two of the oldest manufactured foods and are both produced by fermentation.

Don’t worry about beer only appealing to men as nowadays the gender stereotype that women prefer wine is shifting.  If you are hosting a group with varied tastes you could always create a beer and wine showdown. Ask the chef to pair a dish with both a specific wine and beer. Then, ask your guests to rate the pairing and vote for their favorite. Any way you design it your guests are sure to enjoy an event with great food and beverages in a relaxed setting. Cheers!