As previously reported, this past weekend the Brewer's Association graced our fair city with "Savor — An American Craft Beer and Food Experience." During three four-hour sessions spread over two days, some 2,100+ ticket holders converged on the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium for a stunning array of beer and food pairings. I had the good fortune on Saturday of being one of those patrons.

The first thing that must be said is that if the BA was going for spectacle, they couldn't have picked a better venue. Besides being well situated on the Mall, the Mellon Auditorium is giant and opulent; velvet draped and gilded walls surround three-foot thick marble columns supporting a cathedral ceiling over a room the size of a soccer field. The 48 brewers were arranged around the room's edges, with sponsoring breweries in a large circle occupying the treasured space at the room's center. Even with so much stuffed in, the space felt airy.

Another feather in the BA's cap is superb organization. Though the place was packed (the event having been sold out ahead of time for all three sessions), it never felt crowded, and there were plenty of open spaces in which to escape and regroup. After taking a few minutes to get my bearings, I set upon some of my favorite brewers' tables and found myself served an ample portion in a matter of moments. In fact, despite a sold out crowd, I never spent more than two minutes waiting at any given kiosk. My greatest fear — the devolution into feeding frenzy so common of liquor based events — was quickly assuaged.

As promised in the promotional literature, the breweries let out all the stops, all showing the best of their best, with brewing luminaries present in the dozens. On the whole, the brewers and reps were friendly, if groggy. (Considering that this was an afternoon session following, what I know by word of mouth, was a loooonng night for some of the folks, I was not offended). That said, Savor's thesis was always at the heart of the conversation: that the beer would be best enjoyed as an accessory to accompanying food.

In the food department, I am conflicted. On one hand, most of the pairings were rather adept. As I understand it, participating breweries were given a preliminary menu, and were asked to make a set of matches between their available offerings and the forty-some-odd dishes offered by the caterers. Most breweries did a bang up job matching their unique beers with what was on hand. That said, the quality and quantity of said food was mixed. The Christopher Elbow Chocolates were universally great, as were the selected artisanal cheeses, but the prepared foods were often cold, sometimes bland, and too often unavailable at time of tasting.

The food situation, though, was by no means a wash: some of the pairings were downright orgasmic. Great Divide Brewery of Denver, Colorado made a fantastic match of their Hercules Double IPA with Romano Padera cheese — the slight sweetness of the beer offset the cheese's saltiness completely, and the strong hop character mingled well with the aged cheese's ripeness. Local favorite Dogfish Head made an impressive showing with their little known Palo Santo Marron paired with Steak Tips in Blue Cheese/ Shitake Sauce. This is the only beer in the United States brewed in Paraguayan Palo Santo wood, the hardest known wood in the world. Holding 10,000 gallons apiece at a cost of $110,000 a tank, this beer's vessels are a testament to Dogfish Head's commitment to producing innovative world class beers. This brown ale tastes of varnished wood and incense, with a sweetness quite slight given its 12% abv; combined with the chewy texture of steak and tangy sharpness of the well executed sauce, the effect was extraordinary.  Finally, New Holland, a Michigan brewery who will hit the DC scene in the next month, made my night with their combo of Maytag Dairy Farms'  Blue Cheese with their Dragon's Milk Oak Barrel Ale. Any of my friends will tell you that I am not the biggest fan of blue cheese, and often choke at its smell! That said, when paired with this lovely strong ale, the Maytag blue lost all its moldy edge, and a gestalt of creaminess was achieved the likes of which I would never have expected. Color me a convert!

In addition to the hubbub of the main floor, Savor offered up a series of Salons; hour long, food themed lectures hosted by celebrity brewers. As befitting my love of crab and all things local, I attended one entitled "Beers and the Bay: How to Enhance the Bounty of the Chesapeake Bay with Your Favorite Beers," hosted by Hugh Sisson of Baltimore's Clipper City Brewing Company. Though I love Clipper City's beers, I am sorry to say that the Salon was a bit of a disappointment — though irreverent and entertaining, the number of pairings was reduced without notice from four to two, and most of the hour was relegated to questions from the audience. The crabcake and Oxford Organic Raspberry Ale was a fine pair, but the subsequent duck dish was limp and over spiced — I would love to have seen what Sisson planned for oysters, but unfortunately, logistics laid that by the wayside. Though this Salon proved for me underwhelming, I was told by some attendees that others were a smashing success. For those that are interested, full podcasts are available of of all six Salons through Craft Beer Radio.

Warts and all, I can't call a Savor ticket purchased anything but a smart buy. The lines were swift, the beers were great, the characters were plentiful, and, let's be honest, the volume of beer alone made the $85 ticket a bargain. I asked every staff member I could find whether they would be hosting a similar event next year, and the best answer I could garner was, "We'll see." Considering that this, the BA's smallest ever event and their first in Washington, was met with such a resounding response, I can't imagine that they won't give it another go. Assuming the organizers learned anything from this well executed trial run, any beer and food lover with some extra cash about would be foolish not to attend the anticipated "Second Annual."