It took a while but Brisbane is really starting to see real signs of craft beer taking a hold in its restaurants and bars. From small bars such as The Scratch and The Hideway through to larger pubs such as The Fox, more traditionally known for $2 steaks and jugs of Hahn SuperDry, good beer is starting to creep into their fridges, if not dominate their offering.

To the great delight of those who enjoy good beer, the Queensland Performing Arts Complex has been offering a better selection of beers at its theatre bars and restaurants than most such venues, with beers from Stone & Wood and Mountain Goat amongst those offered to patrons recently. When these sorts of venues traditionally look to rebates and global brands to decide their beer list, for a major venue to showcase great beer it’s a big win.

Now, QPAC’s Lyrebird Restaurant is holding a Beer vs Wine dinner that will see Australian Brews News editor Matt Kirkegaard selecting a flight of beers to go up again a selection of wines chosen by QPAC wine curator Tony Harper.

Make no mistake, this will be a knock down, drag ’em out battle over five rounds that will see blood (or at the very least, red wine) spilt to prove to the theatre crowd that beer belongs on the white table cloth every bit as much as wine.

Many beer/wine dinners are held in a pro-beer setting with beer converts making up a large part of the audience. This dinner will be held in a highly regarded ‘non beer’ arena with an audience that will most likely be sceptical and Matt professes to be more than a little nervous at the prospect.

“It is a little daunting pitting my skills against such a highly regarded wine expert such as Tony Harper, to say nothing of marshalling the forces of brewing and throwing them against the citadel of grape juice, but it will be a great night with the emphasis on fun,” Matt said.

“The dinner is going to feature fantastic food, superb beer and wine and plenty of theatre as Tony and I battle it out to prove that our respective drink is superior.”

Date: 17 April 2012
Where: Lyrebird Restaurant, QPAC
Cost: $120, includes five spectacular courses with beer and wine.

Book here

Menu

(Designed by QPAC Executive Chef Anthony Fullerton and Lyrebird Chef Jamie Pearce.)

Canapés
Micro herb salad with almond vinaigrette & blue cheese
Fois Gras ice cream, beetroot snow and maple syrup

1st Course
Seafood basket, edible sand and samphire

2nd Course
Crispy skin pork belly, prawn toast and coriander puree

3rd Course
Venison tenderloin with beetroot and cocoa, peanut & vanilla crumble

4th Course
Chocolate marquee, chocolate soil and salted caramel