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The Beggars Banquet

Tuesday, April 24, 2012
6:00pm until 9:00pm
Russell House Tavern
14 JFK St., Cambridge, MA 02138

Featuring High & Mighty's Beast of Bourbon Blend and Rolling Stones inspired dishes by Uber-Chef Michael Scelfo of Russell House Tavern

Yes, It is happening again, kids. We're taking two of our beers and making a blend that may or may not change your life. Trust us.


Two-Headed Beast (The Beast) and Don Cornelius (The Bourbon) will be paired up with some Stones tunes, and not just the ones everyone knows, we are talking serious B-side gems here and some incredible bites from Chef Scelfo and the RHT staff. We love some wordplay and Chef worked overtime with naming these incredible bites for the night.
And of course, a menu preview:

Salt of the Earthfrom Beggar's Banquet
smoked yellow foot mushrooms, fava puree, & ricotta salata toasts

Country Honkfrom Let it Bleed
confit pigs tails, anson mills grits, sweet pea gravy

Loving Cupfrom Exile on Main Street
beef heart dumplings, ginger broth, thai basil & toasted peanuts

Dancing with Mr D from Goat's Head Soup
guajillo braised goat's head tacos, tapatio crema, cotija cheese & cilant



What Is Don Cornelius all about?
Plainly put, its a beer with soul.

Why the Soul Train inspiration?
Shoot. Why not? Soul Train represented a magical era of funk freedom and expression. The music, the clothing, and the style were all killer. Besides, were pretty groovy dudes over here.

How did you develop the recipe/beer?
The three bald men of High & Mighty Beer Co. were having a company meeting at Amherst Coffee, a local shop here in western MA that turns into a whisky bar at night. We were enjoying a few bottles of our XPA, and were also sharing a generous pour of Buffalo Trace bourbon, while taking in the intense coffee aromas that make AmCo so intoxicating. The three worked perfectly together a liquid metaphor for the groovy dudes at the table, a mnage trois where everyone feels fulfilled.

The recipe was written up on a bar napkin then and there, Spinal Tap-style, and the beer was brewed just a few days later. Mukunda from Amherst Coffee hooked us up with twenty pounds of his fantastic French roast coffee, and Jackson at Eastern Standard managed to score us some empty Buffalo Trace barrels in which to age the beer, and a few weeks later, Don Cornelius was in the house.

How would you describe how it smells/tastes/looks like?
Its a deep, garnet red, and its sexy. Its dry, with gentle coffee flavors and aromas and a little kick of bourbon/oak in the finish. Like everything we do at High & Mighty, its subtle the coffee and bourbon flavors arent intended to overwhelm the beer. If we might paraphrase noted beer drinker, Will Shakespeare, the beer is the thing.

What kind of food would you pair it with?
We wouldn't, really. But, if you insisted, we'd say Spam. Raw.

Favorite Soul Train moment?
That's tough to say. How about every damn time it came on?

What would you most like people to know when drinking this beer?
That it was conceived, named, and brewed, back in October months before Don C left the stage and that we're not trying to exploit his untimely exit. This is a celebration of an icon.

Anything else you'd like to add?
We would like to thank Riley and the Other Side Cafe staff for hosting our magical funk show this upcoming Tuesday; Girls Pint Out; LexMcDermott for her custom Don C. painting, which will be on display the night of the party; Joe Faria for his video editing and compilation of the sweetest thirty minutes of Soul Train anyone has ever seen; We Are Not Martha for the cupcakes made from this beer; and Jackson at Eastern Standard, because he's the man.