A brewery must have a philosophy. For Pennsylvania’s Victory Brewing Company, that approach incorporates big, bold flavors in a more European tradition. “We always felt there was a lot of ground left uncovered in European brewing,” said Bill Covaleski, Victory co-founder and co-master brewer, along with fellow founder and master brewer Ron Barchet. “There were some really solid traditions, really solid methods, some of which were unfortunately being dumb down to be pretty lame beer, that were reaching the shores of America.”
| If you go |
| Victory Beer Dinner |
| Where: Birch & Barley |
| When: 7 p.m. Monday. |
| Info: Five-courses, nine beers, $76; Victory casks available upstairs at ChurchKey starting at 4 p.m. birchandbarley.com |
On Monday, Birch & Barley presents a five-course beer dinner featuring nine Victory brews. Also, at ChurchKey located upstairs from the restaurant, four different Victory selections will be offered on cask, and three on draft.
A beer dinner featuring the selections of Victory Brewing Company at Birch & Barley was a long time coming.
“Victory is kind of one of those breweries that’s been on the list in my head since we opened,” said Greg Engert, beer director at Birch & Barley and ChurchKey. Engert is also the mastermind behind the extensive beer selections at the two Rustico restaurants in Alexandria and Ballston. He and Covaleski have been friends for a number of years. “They’ve been one of the best local, Mid-Atlantic breweries,” Engert said.
Covaleski and Barchet founded Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, Pa., (30 miles outside Philadelphia) in 1996. The brewery now offers 12 year-round beers, eight seasonal selections and a number of specialty beers.
From the beginning, big hops and flavors were a focus of the beer-making experience. Popular Victory selections include Prima Pils, HopDevil and Golden Monkey.
On hand at the dinner on Monday will be a special Victory Triple that the brewery made in limited numbers for the recent Craft Brewers Conference that took place in San Francisco at the end of March.
“We’re very happy to share some with our friends at ChurchKey and Birch & Barley for this event,” Covaleski said.
Pairing the beers with food was a collaborative effort between Engert and Birch & Barley chef Kyle Bailey. One of the highlights of the five-course meal will be the fourth course featuring a trio of cheeses contrasting with intense beers: HopDevil, Hop Wallop and Yakima Glory.
“We’re always interested in the ways the beers will play with the food,” Engert said.
While brewing great beer is the business Covaleski is in, he gets a kick out of talented chefs pairing his concoctions to create a multicourse meal.
“The cool thing is watching an intelligent, creative mind of a chef approach our flavors and make them work with their foods,” Covaleski said. “I love to sit back and watch the situation unfold.”
