Luksus & Tørst – The Beer Pairing Movement
Beer pairings are making a new home at the dinner table alongside wine as a new “haute” gastronomic movement increases in popularity across the US and abroad.
New York City, a dining destination known for forward thinking menus and unique dining experiences brings a new dynamic duo to the scene, Master Brewer Jeppe Janit-Bjergsø and Michelin Star Chef Daniel Burns. These two creative masters in their field teamed together in 2013 to open craft beer bar, Tørst (‘Thirst’ in Danish), and Luksus (‘Luxury’ in Danish), an intimate restaurant / tasting room in the trending neighborhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Tørst provides their patrons 21 taps of custom and unique craft beers from around the world, with an additional cellar of rare bottled beers for true beer enthusiasts. Among the menu are beers from Jeppe’s own brewery, Evil Twin. The beers on tap at this unique bar are on constant rotation so, with each visit, patrons can experience new flavors and brews.
Some of the local patrons of Tørst don’t realize that hidden in the back of the beer bar, a speakeasy-style pocket door opens up to the cozy 26-seat Michelin-star restaurant, Luksus. The restaurant’s natural and elegant atmosphere sets the stage for Chef Daniel’s elevated culinary creations centered on local seasonal ingredients that tantalize with sweet and savory avant-garde flavors across his 5-course tasting. To magnify the dining experience even more, guests can add a custom craft-beer pairing to their meal and enjoy a perfectly paired brew with every bite. The tasting menu also flows with the seasons, allowing Chef Daniel’s limitless energy and inquisitive nature to be amplified with each of his new innovative gastronomic creations.
Chef Burns and Brewer Janit-Bjergsø continue crafting their skills in pairing Scandinavian-American cuisine with cutting-edge beers from all over the world at Tørst and Luksus. Their combined passion for enhancing flavor elements between food and beer also inspired their first co-authored cookbook, Food & Beer, a 60-recipe cookbook released in May 2016. The book includes Jeppe and Daniel’s philosophy on elevating beer pairings with high-end dining as well as methodologies behind crafting the perfect pairing. Both are advocates of craft beer having a place in fine dining and believe the beer pairing movement will continue to rise in the future. To Jeppe and Daniel, beer pairing is limitless.
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