To operate a brewpub is usually more expensive and requires more manpower than a tiny taproom does.
That being said, though, brewpubs are hardly a thing of the past. In most cases, brewpubs have led the craft beer movement—first as the pioneers and now as flavor gurus. Chefs at brewpubs are infusing beer into their recipes, offering beer and food pairing menus, and hosting some of the country’s best beer dinners. In this Brewpub Nation blog post series, I interview chefs about their respective brewpubs.
First up in the series is Jack Henniger, the executive chef at BridgePort Brewing in Portland, Oregon, a brewpub that’s often called the country’s original brewpub and undoubtedly Portland’s first beer and food mecca. Oregon native Henniger attended the New England Culinary Institute in Essex, Vermont, cooked at the Museum of Fine Arts, and opened an Italian and Southwest restaurant in Boston, among many other restaurant gigs. One too many New England winters later, Henniger made his way back to Oregon in 2006 and has been at BridgePort since.
Craft Beer & Brewing: Tell us about the philosophy behind the food menu at BridgePort.
Jack Henniger: [We cook] almost 100 percent of our menu items from scratch using as many local products as I can find. This is quite a task for a restaurant of our size and volume.
CB&B: Are seasonal ingredients a big priority?
JH: Huge priority! How could you not take advantage of all the wonderful local produce, meats, honeys, etc. available here in the Northwest? It also helps my culinary team stay passionate and creative.
CB&B: Talk to us about cooking with beer.
JH: Beer is fun to cook with, but can be challenging. Hops can get bitter, especially when cooked. Learning how those flavors work together is the fun part. I don’t just put beer into food because I work in a brewery. I want it to make sense and taste great. Am I going to use the hops to bring out the flavors in a spicy chili or barbecue sauce, or am I going to use a beer’s malt profile to sweeten things up? Every beer tells a story; I just have to learn how to listen.
CB&B: What about pairing food with beer?
JH: Pairing food with beer is so incredible because brewing beer is so similar to cooking—the layering of flavors. You get an opportunity to compliment what the brewer was trying to represent in the pint glass.
Here are some BridgePort Brewing pairings:
Stumptown Tart Belgian-style ale + house-smoked wild Alaskan sockeye salmon melt
served on rye with herbed cream cheese, melted dill Havarti cheese, tomato, cucumber, onion
The tart crispness and fruit-forwardness of this beer (brewed with raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries) bring out the sweet and nutty flavors of this sandwich without overpowering them.
Kingpin double red ale + the BridgePort burger
house sauce, chopped iceberg, diced white onion, pickles, crispy onions, and melted Tillamook cheese
This well-balanced red ale provides malt backbone and hop forwardness that play off the sharpness of the cheese on this classic burger. Kingpin is triple-hopped with local, rarely grown Liberty hops.
Hop Harvest double fresh-hopped pilsner + grilled smoked bratwurst plate
bacon-braised red cabbage, spaetzle with cheddar and chives, sweet hot pepper relish, spicy mustard
The BridgePort Hop Harvest has a smooth pilsner base loaded with dry hopped aroma and flavor, a Northwest spin on a traditional European flavor. This beer is light enough in body and hoppy enough in flavor to take on the complex and spicy flavors in this dish.
Check out BridgePort details, the complete menu, and more food and beer pairings.