A taste of Portland

The longest-running beer dinner series in Spokane continues Sunday with Oregon’s oldest brewery.

BridgePort beers from Portland will be featured in a four-course pairing dinner at Hills’ Restaurant and Lounge downtown starting at 6 p.m. (doors open at 5 for pre-funking).

It’s the 37th such event in Hills’ history; BridgePort previously was featured early on, back in September 1995.

Here’s the new menu from chef David Hill, who incorporates the accompanying beer into each course:

– Cajun Boudin-IPA Sausage with a fresh whole-grain IPA beer bread, accompanied by the mellow, longtime flagship Bridgeport IPA (5.5 percent alcohol by volume, 50 International Bitterness Units).

– Fresh California Calamari Salad with mixed greens, mandarin oranges and a CandyPeel vinaigrette, accompanied by the fruity, recently released Stumptown CandyPeel IPA (6.5, 65).

– Ebenezer-marinated Beef Shoulder Tender Steak with a peppercorn-Ebenezer demi-glace, roasted garlic, wild mushroom mashed potatoes and Ebenezer-glazed vegetables, accompanied by the rich, malty Ebenezer Winter Warmer (6.4, 40).

– Old Knucklehead chocolate chip brownie with Old Knucklehead vanilla ice cream, accompanied by the big, oak-aged Old Knucklehead Barley Wine (9.2, 60). (This is a vintage version from early last year; there’s a quarter-barrel, so if you miss it Sunday it still should be on tap for a while.)

The Knucklehead also was the closer in 1995, when the dinner price was a mere $21. Today’s cost is $49 (still a good deal), which includes tax and tip; call (509) 747-3946 for reservations.