Tenth and Blake Elite Beer Dinner

I’ve been to wine tastings but never a beer tasting. The presenters did a great job and the venue created some great dishes. Not just great, but superb! I wanted the recipes for a few of them and luckily the manager & chef were willing to explain how they made them. I’ve been to Blackfinn before, but never thought of it as a great eatery, and I’ll spare my true (prior) opinion. But they impressed me with the beer dinner, and I may consider returning for dinner sometime.
The Tenth & Blake guys were funny and knowledgeable. They walked us through each course, explaining what we should look for with the meals that accompanied it. The obviously knew their stuff and they gave us a great little gift bag, too! This was a very enjoyable event, and I hope that they do some more!

I’m still getting ripped apart by my friends for attending a dinner party at the Blackfinn. Whatever. I had a great time. After hauling it to Royal Oak to be on time, the party started late. Also walking in to see bottles of Miller Lite and Coors Lite on the tables gave me slight heart palpitations. I thought this was a beer dinner.
The guys from Tenth and Blake were delightful. I enjoyed their stories and passion about beer. The manager of Black Finn seemed very geniune and the chef was great to speak with afterwards. The servers were impressive and some shocked me when carrying a half dozen or more beers on a tray. The food was fantastic. Especially the blackened brie and pineapple upside down carrot cake.
As it went on past the scheduled time, I started to panic about running out of meter change. Let alone a train preventing the rail crossing to where I parked.
In the end, it was free, I got a ton of swag, met some really cool Unilocalers at my table and had an awesome meal.

Hands down one of the best meals I have ever had in my life. The main course of Killian’s Irish Red Meatloaf rolled in bacon made my infamous photo album about awesome food, and it wasn’t even the best thing I ate that night.
The butternut squash soup with Pilsner Urquell was the best soup I have ever eaten and the Michigan salad with Blue Moon dressing was awesome as well.
My only regret was not having enough room, or alcohol tolerance to finish the dessert or dessert beer. The dessert beer was the new Linenkugel’s Wee Daddy Big Ale, which was 9.9% — so it would likely would have killed me. Although, I would have at least died happy.
Hats off to the beer presenters, the brewers and the cooks at Black Finn for a great time and a great meal.

I had an absolute blast at this event. Black Finn really went above and beyond with the menu pairing. I have had the occasional dinner at Black Finn and have yet to be let down, but this meal was amazing. I would have to say the two best things were the soup and the meatloaf. AMAZING. Meatloaf if probably the last thing on a menu that I would order, but this wasn’t like any meatloaf that I have had before. More like a spice sausage meatloaf. Also, besides the Blue Moon, all of the beers that we had paired with dinner were were new to me. I have to say, the Big Eddy was awesome. It’s too bad this beer is only seasonal. I really hope that it gets a good showing and they decide to keep it around. I’m not usually a big dark beer drinker, but this is something totally different than normal dark beers. Thank you to everyone that put this event together. I really hope we can do it again during another season! :)

First off, I want to thank Blackfinn, Unilocal,Tenth and Blake, my boyfriend (he’s the Elite member and I was his +1. So he’s the only reason I got to go.), and everyone else involved for putting together this awesome event for us.
Like many Unilocalers, I was a little uneasy about attending an event at Blackfinn. However after the Beer Dinner, I am really looking forward to grabbing lunch or an early dinner there sometime in the next few weeks.
I was extremely impressed with my first Unilocal event. I’ve already put my new beer glasses to good use and I found a new love for Butternut Squash and Carrot Cake. My absolute favorite dish was the bacon wrapped meatloaf. It doesn’t get better then meat wrapped in more meat. I was also really impressed that the chef came out and explained the vegetarian dish to my boyfriend before it was served and offered to make something else if he wasn’t happy with what they had come up with.
Other then what I’ve already mentioned most of the positives of the night have already been brought up a few times so to attempt to keep this short I’m going to skip ahead to the only part of the night that wasn’t amazing.
On the day of the event I worked my day job till 5, changed, and went straight to Blackfinn in order to be there 15 minutes before the event was supposed to start. (As the confirmation said to be) However, the event didn’t end up starting till 20 minutes after the start time. Then the event was supposed to end at 8 (since I had to be at my 2^nd job at 9:30 in Ypsi, I had to be on the road by 8:30.) I ended up leaving right after the last course was served. I was pretty disappointed that I had to miss the chef speaking about the dishes.
I really feel that if the speakers hadn’t rambled on so much then the event would’ve run smoother and I wouldn’t have had to miss the part I was looking forward to the most. Another tip might be to have the speakers talk about the beer and pairing while we’re pouring and eating.
I know I shouldn’t complain about a free event, especially one of this quality but I wanted to be honest and give some constructive criticism. I look forward to using my new Beer Knowledge, as well as, giving Blackfinn another chance.
Thanks Again!

Okay so I’m a little late to the party here considering this event was like a week ago. Better late than never though!
I want to first start off by saying that I am extremely grateful for this whole event that Tenth and Blake put together. I got to eat five delicious courses, each paired with 5 different beers. Throw in the beers they started us off with (MGD 64, Miller Lite, Coors Lite), the goodie bags, and all the other random swag on the table, and that equals a LOT of free shit.
I also want to say thanks to Annette and the Chef at Blackfinn (I forget his name…) for accommodating my vegetarian diet. Before the meal began, the chef took time to explain to me what he had prepared and even gave me a chance to have him make something different if I didn’t like it. I’m very happy about that! All the food was extremely good. It really opened my eyes to Blackfinn’s menu and made me think twice about my initial impressions of the place. I think I might give them a shot during lunch at some point.
So by now I bet you are wondering why would I give only 4 stars to a free event that went out of their way to accommodate me and gave me tons of free shit? I have issues with the pace of the event. The invitation said the event would start promptly at 6pm and end at 8pm. It even said to get there 15 minutes early — which I did. Well, the Tenth & Blake guys didn’t even start talking until around 6:20, and the final course wasn’t served until after 8pm. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal, but my +1 had to work right after the event. We knew it would be tight, but I didn’t think it would run as far over as it did. We ended up leaving after the last course, but before the chef came out and talked about the food. This is unfortunate because I was really interested in the food aspect. I know i’m not the only person who was inconvenienced by the timing of the event… Another Unilocaler had to leave at the same time we did, because she had to relieve her babysitter. Not to mention all the people frantically running out of the building to feed the parking meter periodically throughout the night.
I know Tenth & Blake is probably reading this, so I would like to put forth some constructive criticism… Stay focused while giving your presentation! I noticed sometimes the speaker would start to ramble, and go off in directions that were hard to follow. Maybe take a public speaking class or something. Overall I thought everything you said was informative and interesting, but sometimes I had no idea where you were going or if you were ever going to get there at all. I think that is what threw the timing off for the whole night.
I think that Tenth & Blake, Blackfinn, and Unilocal put on an AMAZING event. I cannot stress enough how grateful I am for the whole experience. I learned a lot and truly enjoyed myself. I just wish they had stuck to the schedule!

I’ll try not to repeat what the other reviewers have already said but rest assure that I could go on to agree with them.
I would like to point out that the staff at the Black Fin were wonderful. Chris, the manager, was outstanding in his concern that us vegetarians were happy with our entre (which we were) and he continued to show his passion for the customer experience throughout the evening. Bret, the chef, is outstanding. I’ll be looking to follow his career and keep an eye out for his specials at Black Fin. Bret brought each paired beer into the course perfectly. Beer in salad dressing? Beer in cream cheese on cake? Bret did it and did it perfectly. As a result of this evening, we’re now big fans of the Black Fin.

I was worried when I saw this was at Blackfinn… however this event changed my mind on the place. Totally! It was way more than bar food, it was good food… It actually made some words come out of my mouth that have NEVER EVER came out… I actually said I liked the meatloaf and the ketchup. I despise ketchup and meatloaf… however not here!!! The manager Chris, really look time to talk to our table and my fiancé who is a chef was asking him a lot! Apparently, the meatloaf contains a lot of sausage and is cook in individual pans with lids… the bacon and sausage help keep the meat moist. The ketchup was a honey chipotle… very, very tasty!!! The manager also told us that they shred the carrots themselves to make the pineapple upside down cake from scratch. He also explained how they blackened the Brie… They melt a few tablespoons of butter in a cast iron pan and coat the brie in the Cajun seasoning… cook it a few minutes on each side to allow the butter to adhere the seasoning then pop it into the over. Also, when you order it off the menu you get a whole wheel of brie! It should also be noted that they made us smaller size meatloaf than if you would order off the menu. There were three beers to taste prior to dinner and dinner was served with 5 full size beers. You could but did not have to drink them all… just taste.
Kudos to the guys from Tenth and Blake who even offered cabs to anyone… i am all for responsible fun.
I thought that they Tenth and Blake guys were very educated and passionate about beer… they taught us a lot and Blackfinn did a great job pairing the food. I have never had a black IPA or a Scotch Ale… both enjoyable. Thought it was super cool that he even brewed the Scotch Ale himself. I like sniffing the hops, chocolate malt, pellets, wheat etc that were in vials on the table. I really hope they do more beer tasting dinners. I can now sniff beer and identify notes and I can totally understand how beer pairs. Plus, I never thought about how a Miller Light is truly an art form in that each batch is exactly the same… that is pretty impressive.
It was nice that powers distributing was there… seeing they bring all of our local Establishments their supply.
I thought it was cool that the Right Brain Brewery was represented too-​go local!
Blow away that we got a set of 4 glasses.
I love Unilocal events!!!

I will start this out as most reviews-​almost didn’t want to go when I saw it was a Black Finn.
Perception is everything. Enough said, not need to bring up the history, the manager told us about some new things and products and the restaurant and based on this event, gotta check it out again.
This event might have been my favorite Unilocal event. First-​big big props to the manager and chef of Black Finn, Annette, and Tenth and Blake. I’m blown away that we received the beer glasses, and although I probably got a bit louder as the beers flowed, I was really impressed and had a great time. The room was setup very well, the meatloaf and carrot cake were awesome stand-​outs of a really good meal.
If I had to provide any feedback to Tenth and Blake, it would be allow 1people to have the beer as you are explaining how to drink it and describing what we should expect.
Other than that I got a good education, great meal, parting gifts, and fun.
Thanks
for the opportunity to be at this event.

Shocking news! I ate bacon wrapped meatloaf and didn’t hate it!
I’m not a picky eater. I love Korean, Ethiopian, and Indian food. I’ve eaten octopus that was still moving when it was brought to the table and durian (a fruit many think is foul). However, I have hated meatloaf ever since I watched my mother make it when I was a child. It scarred me for life because it looked grotesque. Therefore, I would never have ordered it in a restaurant. And I really mean: NEVER. In addition, I don’t have a romance with bacon. The fact that I ate this course and the fact that I didn’t loath it means that Blackfinn did something right. (It probably didn’t hurt that it was paired with a lovely Killian’s Irish Red either!)
I love beer, and I drink a lot of it. I have been on brewery tours in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and the Netherlands. I’m not a beer expert, but I truly enjoy it. I have been to a wine dinner in the past, but this was my first beer dinner. It was a dream come true! Although there were a few macrowbrews, all the beers were excellent, especially when paired with each dish. The Leinenkugel Wee Heavy Scottish Ale and the Blue Moon were my favorites in terms of overall brews. However, my favorite pairing was the blacken brie with the Right Brain Black IPA.
I was also impressed with the service and hospitality at this event. I was quite jovial, and the servers laughed along with me. The manager visited each table, and the Tenth and Blake people mingled and answered beer questions. Annette, who just has to be one of the best hosts on the planet, was seen working her way around the room as well. The portion size of each course was abundant, and the full size beers were unexpected and deeply appreciated. Furthermore, the gift bags filled with duplicates of the glasses we used during the dinner were a nice touch! Thank you to everyone involved!
The Tenth and Blake Elite Beer Dinner allowed me to try bacon wrapped meatloaf with no strings attached. In this mere fact, this event was a success. Congratulations!

I have been a Unilocal Elite member since 2007. I have been to Unilocal Elite events across the country. San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, New York… the list goes on and on.
I can honestly say that this was the best event that I have ever attended. Not only was it super delicious but it was incredibly informative and interesting!
I have never attended a beer dinner before. I didn’t even know they even existed! When I looked for a beer to drink with dinner I never even imagined that a certain beer should be paired with a certain entrée. We were provided with a ton of great information from our Beer Educators from «Tenth and Blake». You could really tell that they had a passion for beer. They were not just reciting from a script but really knew and appreciated the fine art of beer and brewing. Every time they spoke everyone listened closely. It was a pleasure to hear them speak.
The lucky Unilocalers that made the list for this event were served 5 wonderful courses from Black Finn and 5 full size beers to go with each plate. You could really tell that every single course was well thought out to match the accompanying beer. A wonderful butternut squash infused with the pilsner being served to us. A delectable bacon wrapped meatloaf. Even the amazing pineapple upside down carrot cake which had an drool worthy cream cheese whipped cream… oh…did I mention that beer was mixed into the whipped cream? Yeah… it was… and it was soooo good!
I think the highlight of the night for me was tasting the Wee Heavy Scotch Ale. I had never even heard of that kind of beer and the second it touched my lips I knew I had to find it somewhere so I could enjoy it at home. Tenth and Blake guys — you really have a winner with this one.
Every single person involved with this event was wonderful. Of course our fearless leader Annette was constantly engaging the room, the guys from Tenth and Blake were always open to answer questions and supply us with some beer knowledge, and the wonderful manager at Black Finn was circulating the room making sure he got to speak to every single one of us.
Many thanks to Annette for throwing another fabulous event. Thank you thank you thank you to the guys at Tenth and Blake as well as BlackFinn. This truly was such a great night!

In the spirit of opening day —
Strike One: a food pairing event at Black Finn?
Strike Two: I walk in 15 minutes late (can we have events that start later in the evening PLEASE for those of us that cannot get off work at 5pm?) and the beer guy is waxing poetic while swilling Miller Lite.
Now I am starting to get worried…
Right before the next pitch, the beer guy is pointing towards the fence. I wind up and BOOM — out of the park, homerun.
The beers were all widely produced beers that I had before (Blue Moon, Pilsner Urquell, etc.), except for the Leiny Scotch Ale — that paired beautifully with the pineapple upside down cake. The food was largely superlative. Of course you cannot beat the price.
Good beer + good food + good people = good times

What a positively delightful evening! Thanks to Annette, Black Finn, and the folks at Tenth and Blake for making my first Unilocal event so relaxed, enjoyable, and well-​organized.
I thought the event was well paced, and I enjoyed listening to the speakers. I learned a lot, and actually liked the «suspense» that was built up before each course was served.
I was amazed at how beers that I normally don’t like on their own suddenly became delicious when paired with the right foods.
I was particularly surprised by the butternut squash bisque/​Pilsner Urquell combo, but my favorite of the night was the bacon wrapped meatloaf/Killian’s Irish Red course. Whoa. As I told the folks at my table, I may just never eat meatloaf that’s not wrapped in bacon again!
The cool glasses that they gave us on our way out the door were just the pineapple on the upside down carrot cake.
I loved having the chance to meet a few fellow Unilocalers, and look forward to future events with this awesome group of peeps!

You get the gist from the other reviewers, right? This was an amazing event, and I learned a lot.
My biggest takeaway, besides meatloaf must now always contain sausage and be wrapped in bacon and that I actually really enjoy beer when it’s combo’d correctly, is that you can put beer in food! The Wee Heavy Scottish Ale + cream cheese whipped cream that accompanied the upside down pineapple carrot cake kicked major ass. As did the Pilsner Urquell in the roasted butternut squash soup. Now I know.
Much thanks to Annette, Tenth and Blake, and BlackFinn for a memorable evening. It’s good to be elite!

There’s not much I can say about this event that hasn’t already been said.
Amazing.
Great selection of beers from Tenth and Blake and wonderfully tasty dishes from the Black Finn American Saloon. Standouts included the bacon wrapped meatloaf and the pineapple upside down carrot cake. (hats off to the chef at the Black Finn).
Each of the beers was paired with the 5 course meals. The Pilsner… light and bubbly, Blue moon see through new eyes when paired with a wonderful salad, Killian’s and bacon wrapped meatloaf. Oddly as we moved through the night. the alcohol content of the beer was climbing ending with a near 10% scotch ale.
A 2 hour scheduled dinner turned into 3 ½ hours of superlative beer and food tasting which made this event one of the greatest Detroit Unilocal events ever.

The waiting list for this Unilocal!Elite event stretched farther than a queue of cars outside Comerica Park on opening day, and I completely understand why. Like our host Shane said, mix good food with good beer and good people, and something magic happens.
Annette and the Tenth and Blake crew deserve kudos for arranging a relaxed, outstanding night to sample a few well-​known and lesser-​loved brews paired with five courses which also incorporated them. The menu was enough to melt away a very stressful day; what girl can’t love descriptors like blackened brie, upside down pineapple carrot cake with a beer-​infused cream, and bacon-​wrapped meatloaf? Or, for you vegans, a stuffed portabella mushroom the size of a hubcap laced in a savory marinara sauce? Hunger was well upon me, if the brisk walk over from the post office parking garage wasn’t enough.
As soon as they brought out the granddaddy of pilsners, the Urquell, gratitude and starvation clutched me in their grasp. I was not to be disappointed. Beer appreciation tips were presented in a lively and friendly fashion, but I take two things away: the palate cleansing effect of beer, and the importance of the first exhale/​inhale after swallowing for rounding out the flavour. Seems what’s true for whiskey is also true for beer, no surprise there. Amateurs and professional swillers could take something away from an informative, well-​paced event which wins big marks for presentations. I was referring to my now coveted beer pairing placemat all night.
The food was delicious, service impeccable, and the addition of a microphone guaranteed everyone could hear and participate. We had great conversations across the table with new Unilocalers I hadn’t met or spoke with before outside of a few compliments, messages, and review-​reads. Perfect night all around with plenty of laughs. I feel very fortunate to participate in this sort of thing, and not just because the free food was a huge plus. I’m rather amazed at how the chef integrated Killian’s into braising the green beans and infusing the bacon meatloaf (how cool is that?) down to working it into the heavy cream accompaniment. I’ll be eating salad all week long or hitting the gym hard to make up for the fine beers, too.
Let’s just say I fell in love with the butternut squash bisque and may be forced to abduct Blackfinn’s chef to prepare and perfect the recipe for me on a regular basis. He’s going to need to bring a case of that Big Daddy Wee Heavy Scottish Ale, too, which is now my favourite beer.
And all of this from a non-​beer drinker. Yes, I can’t stand the stuff at the best of times and my only tolerables have been an apricot wheat ale because it doesn’t taste beer-​like, and two very, very dark Russian and Imperial stouts. Knock my socks off, maybe it’s just finding the right blend. I won’t be drinking it daily but I do confess that was outstanding.
Annette, thank you! I’d love to see more of these delicious tastings/​pairings. :)

A. Maze. Ing.
Kudos to the gentlemen from Tenth & Blake, the staff at Blackfinn and the chef — this event was excellent! I’ve been thinking about that soup all night!!!
This was a great event for me because I’ve always felt like a beer novice, but I feel much more comfortable now ordering and not sounding like a clueless buffoon. AND I learned that I like IPA!!! … this was a recent discovery. And that Big Eddy Wee Heavy may be my new favorite thing ever!!!
Kudos to Annette for organizing!!! We totally need to do this again!!!