n September 27, 2007, El Bizcocho restaurant at Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf Resort & Spa, San Diego, California, hosted the fight of the century in order to answer the question: What pairs better with fine cuisine, beer or wine?

“The idea of a beer versus winepairing competition was brought to us by Stone Brewing Company’s coowner and CEO, Greg Koch,” says Mark Eberwein, food and beverage director at the wine-centric inn. “So in the spirit of fun, we hosted a sixcourse dinner and asked guests to taste selected beers and wines with each course. They wrote down their preferences after each tasting, and the results were tabulated at the end of the night.”

In the beer corner, brewery CEO and all-around beer enthusiast Koch painstakingly chose craft brews to best complement the flavors masterminded by the inn’s Chef de Cuisine Gavin Kaysen. In the wine corner, Barry Wiss, certified sommelier and VP of communications and trade relations at Trinchero Family Estates, selected fine wines from all over the world to pair smoothly with each culinary creation.

The final players in the game—the esteemed judges—consisted of 69 diners who paid $125 for the awesome responsibility of determining a winner.

The challenge began with English Pea Soup, whose sherry, truffles, and morels were paired with the Konings Hoeven-Dubbel, a Dutch beer, as well as the Trinchero Napa Valley Reserve Chardonnay (Vista Montone Vineyard 2005). The second course, Hamachi with Mango, Fennel, and Basil, was washed down with Russian River Damnation golden ale and Napa Cellars Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley 2006). Next, Soft-Shelled Crab with Tomato, Brioche, and Tartar went with Avery Brewing Company’s White Rascal wheat ale and Angove’s Nine Vines Grenache/Shiraz Rosé (Tea Tree Gully, Adelaide Foothills, South Australia 2007). Lamb with Foie Gras, Truffle, and Eggplant followed with Stone’s 07.07.07 Vertical Epic Ale and Angove’s Vineyard Select Shiraz (McLaren Vale, South Australia 2004). Then, Petit Basque with Cherries, Arugula, and Walnuts was matched with Forét Organic Saison farmhouse ale, as well as the Montevina Sierra Sunrise Nebbiolo/Syrah/ Zinfandel Rosé 2005. For the finish, guests were served Panna Cotta with Lavender, Rhubarb, and Strawberry alongside the Stone Imperial Russian Stout 2004 and the Montevina Terra d’Oro Moscato 2005.

The results? They might surprise you. “It was close [by a margin of six votes], but beer took home the victory,” says Eberwein. “It was a shock to some people. In all fairness, beer affects the taste of wine adversely, so it’s hard to get a comprehensive taste when you’re drinking them so close together. Still, the beer fans were triumphant.”

So triumphant, in fact, they are touting their victory with a celebratory DVD. Fans can relive the night, which was filmed complete with tongue-in-cheek pre-fight interviews of Koch, Kaysen, and Wiss, a trash-talking press conference (à la Mike Tyson), and a blow-by-blow description of each course, courtesy of beer-enthusiast website www.thelocalbrew. com. Aside from these multimedia bragging rights, the spoils of the evening included a $500 donation from the loser (Wiss) to the winner’s (Koch’s) favorite charity.

“Win or lose,” adds Eberwein, “it was the most fun I’ve had at an event in probably my whole career.”

Ashley Brown Allen is a frequent contributor to HOTEL F&B.