Odin’s Gift + Aged Lardo on Pumpernickel

With a motto of “great beer designed with great food in mind,” the offerings from this Seattle brewery had an extra-good chance of making this list. We weren’t as enamored with the dark Belgian strong pairing (with a shortbread biscuit) as we were by the way this Nordic amber ale treated the aged lardo.

Smooth and hoppy up front, fruity and crisp at the finish, the beer was as perfect a complement to the lardo as you could have asked for. The lardo itself was probably the best bite of the entire evening, silky cured fat on top of an ultralight pumpernickel crisp.

All of the food, by the way, was designed by Brewers Association culinary consultant culinary consultant Adam Dulye, a San Francisco chef, along with a group of other cooks and Cicerones. Many of the breweries shipped sample bottles in advance of the event and all provide flavor profile descriptions so that the chefs could do their thing. It worked to create another delicious evening at Savor.