David Burke's Primehouse celebrates Octoberfest with a week of beer dinners

By: Tracy Evans

A month known for its savory flavors and pleasantly crisp temperatures welcomes a celebration worthy of a stein or two.

David Burke's Primehouse in Chicago, celebrated for setting the bar for beef dry-aged in their own Himalayan salt room, will be hosting a weeklong OctoBEERfest worthy of ritual.

Playing off the German beer celebration, Executive Chef Rick Gresh will host four evenings, from Sunday October 4th through the 7th, where local breweries showcase their beer against a preview of Chef Gresh's fall-inspired menu items.

The evenings begin with a "Beer and Nibbles" reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by a four course dinner, with each dish paired expertly against the showcased brews (yes, even dessert tastes stellar with a stout!) Participating breweries include Two Brother's on Monday, New Holland Brewery on Tuesday and Goose Island on Wednesday.

Chef Gresh himself will host Sunday's beer pairings with the first public debut of his own home brews. On tap are a tantalizingly golden Working Man Champagne, Stoned Wheat (Seedling Farms peach infused wheat beer), and a chocolately Mr. Peabody Porter among others.

Perhaps the most exciting pairing comes with the main course, a 40-day dry aged prime rib, with a carmelized onion gratin sure to bounce impeccably off his caramel 2 Wood Ale (names for its brewing first with birch syrup, then finished with African mahogany).

"Artisinal beer totally has a place on fine menus, as brewers are 'treating' it more like wine in a way with aging in barrels," explains Gresh, the passionate home-brewer. "Brewers are helping to create a community using local ingredients like the Seedling fruit in my stoned wheat, with the chamomile in my IPA that came from my garden."

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