Meet Brian Kerr: Sommelier, Food and Beverage Controller of Morton’s The Steakhouse in Portland, OR and author of “Morton’s Beer Primer”. Possessing a keen, recondite knowledge of hops that borders on godlike (move over Dionysus you have some major competition), Morton’s Sommelier and Mixologist, Sara Fasolino, recently caught up with Brian who ponders why sheep make good gardeners, his obsession with Sorcerers and what he’ll be uncorking come Super Bowl.
Sara Fasolino: Super Bowl XLVI is February 5. The second most important question, next to which teams are playing, is what will you be serving?
Brian Kerr: My family and I are heading over to a friend’s home to watch the game on his 52″ TV. I’m bringing all-you-can-eat Buffalo wings, fresh vegetables and a bottomless bowl of Morton’s famous bleu cheese dressing. And no football party is complete without warm pretzels with sea salt and homemade dipping sauces, Dagwood-style club sandwiches, slow-cooked beef, and semi-exotic cheeses. To wash it down, there will be light, low-alcohol beer, including my favorite Session stubbies from Full Sail Brewing, as well as some strong IPA, preferably Sierra Nevada Torpedo. Since my wife and I love drinking mojitos, chances are real good that some muddling and shaking will be going on as well.
Session stubbies
SF: What’s your favorite Morton’s food and wine pairing?
BK: My favorite food and wine pairing right now has got to be the Cajun Ribeye with sautéed Brussels sprouts and a glass of the Sorcerer. The Petit Verdot and Grenache in the Cabernet blend add a lot of complexity to this wine. When met by the full flavors of the prime steak and the bacon (featured in the Brussels sprouts, this wine really struts its stuff.
SF: What are you drinking now?
BK: The market is swamped with holiday beers such as Deschutes Jubelale, Terminal Gravity Festivale, and my favorite, Celebration from Sierra Nevada. Most of the west coast holiday ales are amped-up Alt style or IPA beers with a bigger percentage of caramel malt for body and sweetness; others have more spices tossed in the kettle, and a few even throw in cedar boughs. When I am not drinking beer, I like to unwind with a full-flavored rum like Cruzan single barrel or Zaya. If I’m celebrating, I always pop Veuve Clicquot White Label Demi-Sec.
SF: What’s your favorite wine that’s less than $20 a bottle?
BK: I love the Zinfandels from Amador County, specifically Renwood and Seghesio Zinfandels from Sonoma. The best thing I tasted in 2011 was the Rieslings from Pacific Rim Vintners at the Wallula Vineyard in Washington State. It’s a Biodynamic vineyard and although I don’t know exactly what that means besides having sheep do the weeding and the rain do most of the watering, the wine there above the Columbia River on the windswept slopes was among the very best Rieslings I have ever tasted.
German bratwurst
SF: What’s the most common question about wine/beer/spirits that you get from your guests?
BK: People want to know what to eat with what they are drinking, or what to drink with what they are eating. I have many food pairings for my favorite beer styles including dry Irish ale with a hearty classic stew and a grainy Kölsch with German bratwurst served with warm red cabbage and mustard seed. For shellfish, I would suggest pan-fried oysters, which are also an aphrodisiac, and fries with homemade mayo served with Imperial pale ale. For dessert, it doesn’t get any more decadent than a coffee-infused stout served at 50-degrees paired with Morton’s Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake.
SF: What was your favorite ‘fun fact’ that you learned during your Morton’s Sommelier Team training?
BK: Everything we drink is made better or worse if we are eating, and what we are eating. During one of our meetings, the question “what do you pair with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich” inspired a group debate on how to make a memorable PB&J. That’s how we all feel about beer and wine: some like it tart and crisp, others lush and jammy, some balanced, another creamy. One person’s pearl is another’s pebble.
