Shane reviews the Louis Le Français/Starlight Dist./NABC beer dinner on March 1.

Last week I bumped into Shane Campbell, a regular participant in the Louisville Restaurants Forum, at Bank Street Brewhouse over tasty pints of cask-conditioned Community Dark.

During the course of a long conversation, he mentioned that he'd penned a lengthy recap of the Louis Le Français/Starlight Dist./NABC beer dinner back on March 1, but thought it too long for posting at the forum. I offered to publish it at my NAC blog, and did so this weekend.

The story is in two parts, and you'll want to pay close attention to the pivotal role of pork belly in the narrative.

A Grand Pairing, Part One.

A Grand Pairing, Part Two.

"From Cassel to New Albany," at LouisvilleBeer.com

My latest column is up at LouisvilleBeer.com ... remember that these appear twice monthly, and thanks for reading.

From Cassel to New Albany

Three of us were struggling up a fairly steep incline, our creaking rental bicycles squeaking and straining over ascending cobblestones. As a proponent of the manly cycling virtues, I found it impossible to admit that I lacked both gears and legs, and kept churning forward, but at some point I glanced backward and saw that my pal Tim Eads had given up the ghost...

Menu for the Louis Le Français beer dinner on Thursday, March 1.

Advance notice: Beer dinner and Alsatian choucroute garnie at the Frenchman's.

This information is subject to change, but the probable date for the first-ever beer dinner at Louis Le Français (133 East Market Street in downtown New Albany) is Thursday, March 1 at 7:00 p.m.

I joined Tim Eads of Starlight Distribution LLC this morning for a chat with the Frenchman himself. Tim will be featuring a few Bieres de Garde ales from the Shelton portfolio, to which I'll add a couple of appropriate NABC beers. Apart from three or four other courses, the Frenchman revealed the beer dinner's projected pièce de résistance: Alsatian choucroute garnie.

The last time I had this dish was in Strasbourg, with Trois Monts ale handy to accompany. It is an understatement to say that I'm excited about this beer dinner, and we're not even close to the pairings yet. Put this on your calendars, and I'll be back soon with pricing and further information.

Meat of the Matter, by Beth Kracklauer at Saveur (photo credit to Saveur)

The first time I visited Alsace, the half-timbered houses and the window boxes filled with geraniums looked to me like something out of a Grimm fairy tale. In one of the cozy winstubs, or taverns, unique to this northeastern corner of France, I was introduced to authentic Alsatian choucroute garnie, a heaping platter of wine-braised sauerkraut (choucroute in French), "garnished" with Hansel and Gretel–worthy portions of cured pork and sausages.