The Celebrator hosted a beer tasting dinner at the wonderfully inventive and beer-savvy New Moon Cafe in Nevada City, featuring beers from the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in nearby Chico. Nearly 50 people turned out on a Wednesday evening for the first beer and food pairing in the area.

The first course of Barbecued Oysters and Grilled Bacon-wrapped Prawns was offered with the newly released Sierra Nevada Kellerweis, a true Bavarian-style wheat beer that simply must be tasted by all true German wheat beer fans. Crisp, yeasty and deliciously refreshing.

Diners could then choose between a Mussel Soup paired with Chico Estate Harvest Ale or a Mussel Salad and Brasserie Lefebvre Blanche de Bruxelles wit. My wife, Arlene, and I got one of each and shared, as did many of the attendees. Both were superb!

The entrées choices were Columbia River Sturgeon with Sierra Nevada Torpedo Ale (a hop-head’s delight), or Porter Braised Short Ribs with Sierra Nevada Porter. The latter was unbelievably rich and wonderfully matched.

For dessert, we were offered a plate of cheese and chocolate paired with Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale 2009 (the year of aging made it perfect) and Bison Chocolate Stout. Oh my! A spectacular finish to a wonderful evening of food and beer at a restaurant known for its great beer list. Owners Buzz Crouch (majordomo) and Peter Selaya (chef) managed this beery feast for only $55 per person, including tax and tip. The New Moon Cafe is worth a trip to Nevada City, but plan to stay over. You’ll be awesomely sated and won’t want to drive back down the hill.

Another Sacramento Beer Week event was held the following Sunday, down the road in Auburn at Latitudes Restaurant, owned by Pat and Pete Enochs. This event was hosted by Phoenix Management beer specialists and featured the beers of Bison Brewery. Bison’s owner/brewmaster, Daniel Del Grande, was on hand to lead us through a dinner featuring his beers.

Daniel’s iconic Honey Basil (infused with honey and organic basil) was paired with a Green Curry Soup with Lobster. Rich and yummy, with a hint of spicy heat.

Bison Gingerbread Ale (a spiced winter porter) was paired with Duck Confit Salad with toasted pecans and ginger dressing, which was an awesome complement to the beer.

The Bison India Pale Ale (IPA), featuring four hop varieties, provided a nice foil for the Jamaican Jerked Chicken with the classic pickapeppa condiment. The sweet/tangy spice was a match for the crisp, hoppy beer.

By this time, the group at our table was fully satisfied, even though the menu offered yet another main course! Fortunately, it was ramekin-size, but it was a very rich Beef Stout Stew Baked with Mashed Potatoes, made with chocolate stout and flavored and seasoned with chocolate, coffee and molasses. This was served with the Chocolate Stout. Excellent, but really filling. We hope there will be more beer dinners at Latitudes!

My Gold Country beer week experience also included a very cleverly themed beer event put on by some can-do beer folks. A small but crafty group of brewery reps with craft-brewed beer in cans put together an event held on February 25 at Constable Jack’s in the tiny village of Newcastle, just south of Auburn. The event was called Canapalooza. No, really. And they had music provided by a Canned Heat tribute band. No, really! Fabulous beers from Colorado’s Oskar Blues Brewery; Anderson Valley Brewing in Boonville, Calif.; Buckbean Brewery in Reno, Nev.; 21st Amendment in San Francisco; and Montana’s Big Sky Brewing were featured (all in cans), along with a selection of posh nosh to complement the beers. I can’t think of why you wouldn’t want to can, can you? Can do!