The Tri-Valley Beer Trail is known for its outstanding plethora of craft beers, but many of the stops on the trail have great food to pair with their estimable beer menus. Here, we’ve picked out a few of our favorite bites to refuel your engine while sampling the mighty brews of the Tri-Valley.
Beer-battered Fried Shrimp – First Street Alehouse
Why not have a little beer with your beer? The First Street Alehouse breads its shrimp in a Red Hook ESB beer batter, a brew whose “Extra Special Bitter” quality counteracts the greasiness you sometimes find in fried shrimp. Don’t overlook the rest of the menu; order some of the savory burgers, chicken sandwiches or salads.
Beer-batter Platter – Main St. Brewery
You can slide some solid food into your Beer Trail liquid diet with the giant beer-batter sampler plate at Main St. Brewery. You get your choice of beer-battered fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks and more with ingredients so tasty that you might even forget about the beer in them.
Rednexican Nachos – Sauced BBQ & Spirits
The name “Rednexican Nachos” is so politically incorrect as to make it the perfect pit-stop dish during your drinking journey. Order a plate with your choice of pulled pork or brisket covering a big plate of chips, poblano queso, corn, jalapenos and a sensational cilantro garnish, one of the many clever BBQ items to pig out on at Sauced BBQ & Spirits.
Habanero Chocolate Brownie – Artistic Table
Bet you’ve never seen “habanero” and “chocolate brownie” used in the same sentence, let alone in the same culinary dish. But Artistic Table, a high-end artisan deli with a knockout beer and wine list, also serves this tasty dessert that’s a perfect mix of spicy and sweet.
Pou-tots – Growler Pub
We may have hit peak “gourmet tater tot” with the Growler Pub’s inventive pile of tater tots called pou-tots. Based on the Canadian dish poutine, pou-tots feature tater tots slathered in pastrami hash, caramelized onions, beef gravy and cheese curds. Drooling yet?
Kobe-style Beef Sliders – Handles Gastropub
With cattle farmed in the Japanese Kobe beef tradition, these mini-burgers are served with cheddar cheese, a house sauce, lettuce and pickles on miniature brioche buns. Get ready to slide these straight into your stomach.
Crab Melt – The Hop Yard Ale House
The Hop Yard serves all kinds of gourmet bar fare, but in the running for standout dish is the crabby variation on the old-fashioned tuna melt. The crab melt features homemade snow crab salad with melted Monterey Jack cheese and your choice of sourdough or wheat bread. The Hop Yard is always a special place for beer nerds to visit, as the Pleasanton location is built on a property that was once the largest hops farm in the world.
Tap into the growing collection of 16 stops along the Tri-Valley Beer Trail and plan your trip today!
by Joe Kukura