Typically, when one thinks of Mellow Mushroom, they think of giant, freshly-made, gourmet pizzas. Little did I know, Mellow Mushroom has an extensive beer selection with two dozen specialty beers on tap and a hundred more in bottles. I have been trying to hone my beer-tasting palate, so I jumped on the opportunity to go to a four-course beer fusion dinner last Wednesday.
I met my friend Boomer, who helped promote the event, for Happy Hour at the downtown Mellow Mushroom. One of the perks of this restaurant is their beer club, in which members of said club are encouraged to drink every single beer they serve. (Not all at once – you will die.) After accomplishing this feat, members are rewarded with an engraved mug, their name on a plaque, and discounted beers – 20 oz. beers for the price of a 16oz. It may take me 6 years to complete this mission, but I figured I might as well start. Choosing from such a huge list is not easy – I can barely decide when I have 2 options.
Lucky for me, I didn’t have to choose the beers during dinner. Each course, prepared by Chef Mark Yoder, was accompanied with a different beer that was infused in the dish.
Course 1
Beer: La Chouffe Petite-Belgian light wheat
Dish: Crostini with goat cheese topped with marcona almonds, dates and a honey-beer reduction
This was, by far, my favorite course. Not only did I love the beer, but goat cheese + honey? Yesssssss. Perfect appetizer.
Course 2
Beer: St. Peters English Ale
Dish: Lasagna-with béchamel and sautéed mushroom filling. Mushrooms were deglazed with beer.
I am scared of mushrooms. Really scared. But I did try one tiny one and it was full of flavor. This was my first time trying béchamel sauce too.
Course 3
Beer: Highland Clawhammer-marzen style oktobefest
Dish: Beer-braised short rib, lentils, a potato cake, and collard greens. Greens were cooked down with beer and balsamic vin.
I am a huge sucker for lentils so I dug right in. The potato cake was essentially a Spanish tortilla, which is one of my favorite things to make (and eat!).
Course 4
Beer: Framboise Lambic
Dish: Pumpkin bread pudding-with Framboise and cinnamon whipped cream. 
Yay for fall flavors. I was in love with the very fresh cinnamon whipped cream. Please admire all the beer glasses around my dish. Beer Heaven.
After all that food, Boomer declared that he had a food baby. He so obviously has not read this post where I describe my hatred for that term. Cringe. He’s cute enough to be forgiven. 
For more information on Mellow Mushroom of Charleston, visit their
What’s your favorite beer?
What’s your favorite beer-infused food?