Step aside wine

Some would argue beer is not as classy of a beverage as wine or spirits. I believe this is due to the American idea that there are three beers and only three beers. Namely Anheuser Busch, Miller, and Coors, or BMC as the homebrew community refer to them.

Either way, I am here to pronounce beer as equal to other adult beverages. I believe this should be the mission statement of this blog. “To further the craft beer renaissance America so dearly needs.”

As my first battle in this war for all that is malted goodness I bring you a food that cannot be paired with any other alcoholic beverage as well as beer…….

Introducing the oyster.  From oyster stout, to oyster cheese these golden nuggets of flavor in the sea cannot be better matched to any other drink than beer.

I invite the naysayers to try this experiment.

Oyster Po-boy and Porter:

4 French baguettes

1 pint fresh oysters

1/3 cup corn meal

1/3 cup flour

1 box panko bread crumbs

3 eggs

Vegetable oil

Lettuce, chopped

Tomato, sliced

Red onion, sliced

Pickle, sliced

Pickled banana pepper, sliced

My Creole Aioli

¼ cup red onion, minced

¼ cup bell pepper, minced

1 can (14.5 oz. diced tomatoes)

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp. prepared horseradish

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. Zataran’s Cajun seasoning

Mix eggs and oysters in a bowl and let sit.

Mix corn meal and flour together in a Ziploc bag. Dredge oysters.

Roll Oysters through egg and toss in panko; Fry oysters in oil. Drain on a paper towel.

Make the aioli.

Sauté onions and peppers. Add to blender along with other ingredients. Puree.

Slather sauce on split baguettes. Add oysters and top with lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles and banana peppers. Serve sandwich with fries and a good porter.

As you can see the porter compliments the oysters tremendously. I would argue that good beer pairs better with any food anytime…. I’m sure you wine guys will disagree.  Try this before you bother telling me why.