Brewer brings beer back home
Le Cakery now offers beer and wine
A former Elm Grove resident and new Elm Grove business owner have come together to offer Elm Grove residents beer from Big Sky Brewery.
Matt Long, head brewer for Big Sky Brewery in Montana, made a trip back to his hometown to give Elm Grove residents a taste of what he does.
After getting a beer and wine license for Le Cakery from village officials at the end of 2008, Hakan Hare decided to exclusively offer Long's beer at his restaurant.
"It's all the little things," Hare said, that make his restaurant work.
About 30 people gathered at Le Cakery on Feb. 20 for a four-course meal accompanied by a beer tasting.
The Le Cakery chef paired four Big Sky Brewery beers with each of the courses.
"It's good to make people aware that beer can pair well with all kinds of food," Long said. "The fun part is once you have the beer you can think of what kinds of food to pair with it."
Long lived in Elm Grove until 1986 when he graduated from high school.
He then received a degree in microbiology and joined the brewery as head brewer after finishing college.
Big Sky Brewery offers four year-round beers and two seasonal beers, and Long spends much of his time traveling around doing tastings.
"It's becoming increasingly popular," Long said of beer tastings. "You'll see more of it as time goes on."
But this tasting is different.
"It's definitely a nice opportunity to be able to do it here," he said, especially since Hare will offer the beer exclusively.
After taking over the business in August, Hare has big plans for it, including offering beer and wine, and expanding the menu to include pizzas, hot sandwiches and wraps.
"If people are happy, they will come back," Hare said of his plans for the business.
Lori Weiss can be reached at (262) 446-6645.
FYI
Courses and their pairings:
First course: fig and olive tapenade crostini with the Trout Slayer Ale
Second course: espresso shrimp and sambuca flambé paired with Scape Goat Pale Ale
Third course: braised short ribs with white polenta with the Moose Drool Brown Ale
Fourth course: cheese and chocolate plate with Strong Cherry Ale
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