I was reading Gourmet’s restaurant issue on the bus into work this morning. The theme of the issue is value: getting the most bang for your buck when you dine out. Which got me thinking about pairing dinners. If you love wine and food, pairing dinners are one of the best ways to experience a restaurant. Someone has already done the work for you, and will place you outside your comfort zone—away from that corner of the wine list you know well, away from the endive, roquefort, and walnut salad you order everywhere—so you experience both food and libation you wouldn’t otherwise have tried.

Same thing with beer pairing dinners, which have the added bonus of being rather cheap. (A four course meal for $50? Plus beer? That’s cheap.) And even if you’re not a habitual beer drinker, you can’t help but have fun exploring the different brews and the way the punch up the flavors in certain foods. Here are two upcoming beer dinners to get you started. If you’re not ready to make a night of it, you can always just head to Quinn’s, where beer and food pairing is treated with a joyful and contagious seriousness.

On Saturday, October 10th Volunteer Park Café will host a pairing dinner with California-based Stone Brewing Company. The price is $65 per person before tax and tip and the dinner starts at 7pm. Reservations recommended.

Here’s the menu:

Seared Sea Scallop
Citrus coriander salad
Stone Cali-Belgique IPA

Estrella Family Creamery Cheese Plate
Seasonal goodies
Stone Ruination IPA

House Made Head Cheese
Featuring Tails & Trotters swine
Stone 13th Anniversary Ale

Braised Oxtail
Heirloom potato puree and huckleberry sauce
Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale

Salted Caramel Tart
Single origin Madagascar dark chocolate
Stone Imperial Russian Stout

On Monday, October 12th, Smith will host local brewery Schooner Exact for a pairing dinner that begins at 6pm. The cost is a mere $50 per person. Again, call to reserve.

Menu below.

Pumpkin and Parsnip Soup
Schooner Exact 3 grid IPA

Kombucha Squash Cauliflower and Green Bean Salad
Schooner Exact Regrade IPA

Pork and Lamb Sausage
Fresh Shell Bean Ragout with Braised Cabbage
Ratatouille
Schooner Exact Smith #1

Huckleberries and Yogurt Sorbetto

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Get the lowdown on local brews here.