You may think you know your way around a sleeve of Thin Mints, but a trip to The Black Squirrel this weekend (and this weekend only) may have you thinking differently.
For the 2nd year, the Adams Morgan-based beer hall is taking an already perfect food-stuff (Girl Scout Cookies) and pairing it with another (beer). Why? Because why only eat Girl Scout Cookies when there’s beer; and why only drink beer when there’s Girl Scout Cookies. Honestly, don’t overthink this. But also because last year, one employee’s daughter was short on her sales goals, says restaurant manager Avalon Barnes. So the bar pitched in.
“We bought some boxes and made an event out of it,” Barnes says. “It went off like a bang.”
This year the bar bought 100 boxes of seven different kinds of Girl Scout Cookies, totaling north of 2,400 cookies. The cookie and beer pairing will be held at the bar from 5p.m. until close on Friday, 12 p.m. until close on Saturday, and for a select time on Sunday should there be any cookies left.
On Thursday, we were given a sneak peak at the tasting menu. Here’s what we learned:
1: The Pairings Range from Light To Dark
The bar offers seven different kind of Girl Scout Cookies: Toffee-Tastic, Trefoils, Savannah Smiles, Samoas, Thin Mints, S’mores, and Tagalongs. The menu is best experienced from light – the gluten free Toffee-Tastic – to dark – Samoas, Thin Mints, S’mores, and Tagalongs.
2: There’s A Right Way To Pair
Each of the different variety of Girl Scout Cookies has its own particular flavor profile. It’s up to the customer to match – though Barnes does have her suggestions:
- To keep it gluten free, pair the Toffee-tastics with a nice crisp cider. Or, for the gluten-tolerant, a brown ale will suffice.
- Trefoils go well with a Belgian-style wit or saison. A pilsner works here too.
- Because Savannah Smiles are sour and sugary, an IPA works here. Especially those with tropical flavors like grapefruit or pineapple. Not an IPA fan? Try a pilsner or pale ale.
- Samoas, Thin Mints, S’mores, and Tagalongs are best experienced with a darker drink – think amber lagers, porters, stouts, or even barleywines.
3: But Also A Wrong Way
Pairing Girl Scout Cookies and beer is all fun and games. That is, until somebody gets hurt.
“Don’t pair Savannah Smiles with a dark beer,” Barnes warns. “It might turn you off to both cookies and beer altogether.”
4: Don’t Take it Too Serious
It’s cookies and beer after all. Have fun with it, experiment, go wild. You really can’t go wrong (as long as you’re careful with your Savannah Smiles).
“If you know how to eat cookies and drink beer you should be safe,” Barnes says.
Follow The Black Squirrel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.