Heaven on Seven in Naperville, IL is known for their special dinners on the last Tuesday of the month. They all feature a specific brewery. I’ve reviewed the dinners for Abita, Founder’s Brewing Company, and now I will review the dinner in collaboration with Ska Brewing Company from Durango, Colorado. Ska Brewing started in 1995, with a mission to provide the public with better beer choices. The dinner featured eight beers and seven courses (as usual).
The Welcome Beer:
The welcome beer was True Blonde Ale, which is, as described, a blonde ale. This tasted a lot like Miller or Miller Genuine Draft. Personally, I couldn’t tell the difference between this or a bottle of MGD. None of my table mates particularly liked or disliked this beer. It was just a normal, every day “session” beer (meaning it’s low alcohol, so you can have a few in a session without getting too drunk or buzzed too quickly).
The First Course:
The first course arrived: Chilorio Taco with Guajillo Chile and Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa, served alongside Mexican Logger. There were two tacos on the plate. It consisted of smoked, pulled pork fried in a red chile sauce and garnished with a creamy avocado and tomatillo (green tomatoes, usually used in salsa verde) salsa. The tacos were spicy and delicious. The meat was a little dry, I think, from being fried in that chile sauce. There was a little bit of fat in the pork as well, but that’s to be expected with pulled pork. That’s where the flavor is, so I didn’t mind too much. The Mexican Logger tasted exactly like a Corona. I was informed by the waitstaff that this beer was substituted for Corona when they ran out a few weeks ago. Really, the only difference is that the Mexican Logger is in a can. The name Mexican Logger comes from the Mexican lumberjacks in Colorado.
The Second Course:
The second course was a Brunswick stew, served alongside Buster Nut Brown Ale. I had never had Brunswick stew before, but I knew that it usually is a tomato-based stew with lots of meat and veggies. They used pulled pork and chicken in the stew, as well as potatoes, lima beans, and tomatoes. The stew broth was basically like a BBQ sauce. I found it a little too sweet, so I added some hot sauce to my stew. That made it perfect; it really cut down on the sweetness. The Buster Nut Brown Ale tasted… well, nutty. I am a fan of brown ales and this did not disappoint. It was also a very light brown ale; most brown ales I’ve had were very heavy and had more of a malty taste to them.
The Third Course:
The third course was a Pecan Smoked Pulled Duck Slider with Georgia Peach BBQ, served alongside True Blonde Dubbel. The duck slider was on a small white roll, topped with a sweet BBQ sauce made with peach puree. I couldn’t taste the “duckiness” of the duck, it just tasted like pulled pork to me. I like the dark, gamy taste of duck, but this left something to be desired. Not that it wasn’t good; it was very tasty, and the peac BBQ sauce really paired well with the saltiness. It sort of reminded me of how duck is often served with Orange Sauce, or some similar sweet sauce. The True Blonde Dubbel was neither a blonde ale or a dubbel bock. It was just a normal beer… not great… a little hoppy for my tastes.
The Fourth Course:
The fourth course, and clearly the stand-out of the night, was Cherry-Wood Smoked Lamb Ribs with Bourbon-Mint Glaze, paired alongside Special E.S.B. (E.S.B. stands for “extra special beer”… so the name “Special E.S.B.” is a bit redundant). Most people don’t like lamb because it is too fatty and too gamy. I am one of those people… my fiance absolutely loves lamb, so I make it a point to try it whenever he orders it. Sometimes, the lamb is sublime and I taste no game whatsoever; sometimes it’s disgustingly gamy and fatty and makes me sick. These lamb ribs… there are no words. They were so delicious and juicy. I could barely tell it was lamb. It tasted like a magical beast that I have never encountered, or ate, before. You could imagine the heaven that my fiance was experiencing. He picked the bones clean. The bourbon-mint glaze added a special sweetness that really made the ribs go over the top in flavor. The E.S.B. was not all that special of a beer… again, it was too hoppy for my tastes. It kind of ruined the flavor of the lamb. Not a good pairing, at least to my palette.
The Fifth Course:
The fifth course was Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa, paired alongside Modus Hoperandi (which was on draft, instead of in the can as per usual with Ska Brewing beers). The jerk chicken was a thigh and leg, rubbed with jerk seasoning and served with white rice and mango salsa. I was in this for the long haul, so I forgoed the white rice and just had a little salsa. The jerk chicken was delicious. I am not a fan of jerk spice or rubs and this really changed my mind about trying jerk chicken again. The rice was a little underdone (still crunchy) and the mango salsa, while sweet and spicy, was a little too onion-y. The Modus Hoperandi was the hoppiest beer I had ever tasted in my life. The beer expert that was there to answer questions said that with this beer, you either love it or you hate it. Our tablemates unanimously voted this beer as a “NO!” It’s VERY hoppy. If that is your thing, then you will love this beer to death. If it’s not, please steer clear, as it is overpowering.
The Sixth Course:
The sixth course was Hickory Smoked Turkey Leg with Honey-Chipotle BBQ, paired alongside Decadent IPA (India Pale Ale). The size of this turkey leg was ridiculously huge. It was sort of funny that they expected all of us to eat this as a sixth course! It was the size of my forearm! However, the turkey leg was moist and tender, and the honey chipotle BBQ sauce was incredible. It was sweet and spicy, both hot spicy and had actual spices in the sauce. It was like no other honey chipotle BBQ I had ever tasted. I could have eaten it with a spoon for dinner, it was that good. The Decadent IPA was just okay… again, I do not like hoppy beers! This beer was nowhere near as hoppy as Modus Hoperandi (Thank God, I couldn’t take another beer like that…) and it had a pleasant citrus taste to it, but I couldn’t finish it.
The Seventh Course:
The seventh and final course was the Nefarious Shoofly Pie, paired alongside Nefarious Ten Pin. The beer expert didn’t come around to tell us what kind of beer the Nefarious Ten Pin was, but I was guessing it was a porter or a brown ale. Something lighter than a stout, that is for sure. The shoofly pie was dark, due to the beer in the pie and also molasses. It had a dollop of whipped cream on the side and was sprinkled with powdered sugar. The taste of this pie reminded me a lot of a pumpkin or apple pie, since it had a lot of spices in it. The Nefarious Ten Pin went very well with the pie; it added a deep, chocolately flavor to the pie, without using actual chocolate.
As always, I look forward to more beer dinners at Heaven on Seven Naperville. The value is outstanding, the company is entertaining, and you’ll definitely leave with a smile on your face and a belly full of love.