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When thinking about what to pair with Blue Paddle, I really felt like it could go with almost anything.  So I tried to think where BP lands in the beer spectrum.  It's light in color, but has an aggressive bitterness & body that is very refreshing.   To stand up to this I thought a thick gravy would be perfect.  As a vegetarian brewer, I naturally went with a nutritional yeast gravy.   Nutritional yeast is basically brewing yeast that is washed of its bitterness & killed (because live yeast is more of a nutrient sponge than a nutrient donor), then dried.  It is commonly found at your local co-op bulk section.  

Sticking with the vegetarian theme, I though seitan would be a perfect protein source for this food pairing.  Like beer, seitan is made from grains.  The flour of wheat is made into a dough & then the starch is washed away, leaving behind the high protein seitan.  One of my favorite quick fixes is marinating seitan with soy sauce & sesame seeds then browning them up for a savory snack.   This also happens to make a great meal with some veggies & rice, smothered with gravy & of course, a Blue Paddle Pilsener.

For the seitan:

• 1 package of Seitan (or 8-12oz homade)
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 soy sauce
• 1 tbls fresh cracked black pepper
• Olive oil
• Sesame oil

For the gravy:

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup margarine or oil
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tbls soy sauce
• corn starch

For the rice:

• 1 1/2 cup Basmati Rice
• Large bunch Cauliflower, chopped

For the chef (and the seitan):

• 6 pack Blue Paddle

Preparation

For the gravy:

• Over medium heat, lightly toast the flour until it starts to smell. Whiskconstantly.
• Add the nutritional yeast, soy sauce &margarine. Cook until it bubbles. Whiskconstantly.
• Add the broth & continue towhisk until it thickens.
• Add corn starch (or more flour) if needed to thicken to desired consistency.
• Season with salt & pepper to taste.

For the rice:

• Bring 3 cups of water to a boil.
• Add rice, cover& simmer on low for 15 mins
• Add cauliflowertotop of rice 5 mins before end.

For the seitan:

• By hand, rip seitan into bit size chunks, place in a bowl & add soy sauce, 2 tbls balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup Blue Paddle & drizzle with sesame oil. The remainder of Blue Paddle bottle should be poured into a glass & enjoyed for the duration of the preparation, refill as needed.
• Mix themarinade so it coats all the seitan chunks, let sit for 15 mins or overnight in the refrigerator. Mix again before using.
• Drain the marinade, leaving the seitan in the bowl.
• Coat the seitan with the sesame seeds.
• In a medium hot skillet, add 2 tbls olive oil & 2 tbls sesame oil.
• Add seitan to the skillet & stirringoccasionally,sauté until lightly browned. Do not over-cook.
• Drizzle seitan with more sesame oil to taste, if needed.
• Season with salt & fresh ground pepper to taste.
• Serve seitan over rice &cauliflower. Cover with gravy & pop another Blue Paddle.

 The high oil content of the yellowfin, poached medium rare in olive oil infused with rosemary, makes this fish dish very meaty. The crisp hops in the pilsner stand up great to the rosemary, cleansing the palate with every bite, while not overpowering the delicate fish. Sweet malts complement the natural sugars in the beets and the earthiness in the mushrooms. The orange butter smooths the hops while perfectly complementing the beets, rosemary and mushrooms.

The pilsener style is clean, allowing for a wide variety of choices. So I choose Gruyere and a little-known sheep's milk cheese called Garrotxa. They are perfect in allowing the light crispness of the brew to come through while cutting the nuttiness of the cheeses.