A Beer Dinner for a Cause

Friday, April 13th saw a very worthy cause get supported by some very worthy folks.

Palmetto Brewing Company hosted a beer dinner benefitting the Police Unity Tour, a charity started in 1997 raising awareness for police officers who died in the line of duty. The "Tour" itself is actually a 230-mile bike ride, and a large chunk of the money they raise goes towards the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial and Museum. It's a pure and clear cause, one which deserves all of our support.

Seeing a chunk of the local beer community rallying behind it was therefore all the more satisfying. While Palmetto played host at the brewery, the Charleston Beer Exchange crew co-organized the festivities along with Citrus To Go, a relatively new food biz on East Bay that focuses on catering. While we weren't on the 7-mile bike ride that kicked off around 5:30 p.m., we were lucky enough to be included in the night that followed.

As beer events go, this one gets VERY high marks in the attitude department. Between the crowd and the hosts, it could not have been more laid back and comfortable. The courses came buffet style, as beer flowed to patrons on demand. No assigned seating, no rigid timing, no muss, no fuss. The camraderie of the folks in attendance, all of whom were gathered for a higher calling than beer and food (damned high callings, to be sure), was palpable. Tunes from the Charles David Band, represented as a bluesy guitar/vocal duo, fit the mood just right.

The lineup from Citrus To-Go was as follows, along with (loosely) suggested pairings:

• Shrimp tartlet w/ leek Purée vs. Charleston Lager
• Duck confit on polenta cake vs. Amber
• Pork butt braised in Ginger Slap vs. Ginger Slap
• Beef Negamaki with Espresso Porter vs. Espresso Porter

After munching on the finger-friendly courses, the evening culminated in an auction hosted by Palmetto's Chris Winn and CBX's Scott Shor. The pair found buyers for an all-inclusive, private beer tasting from CBX, an all-inclusive, private brewery tour at Palmetto, and a snazzy new bike. Killer purchases which went 100% towards the charity aside, I think we may have seen the birth of beer's Martin & Lewis. Take it on the road, boys.

The night was, in a word, a blast. Hopefully Palmetto will host more events in their space, which proved a perfect venue for an intimate event like this, and hopefully the Police Unity Tour gets more support, both within and outside of the beer community. Cheers!