After spending the last few weeks trying to control my meal proportions, a serious indulgence was in order. This attempt came to a screeching halt when I heard about the Beer Dinner at Silvercreek. Five-course meal? International beers? Right on.

Silvercreek held this beer-tasting event last Wednesday, the first of a new (hopefully) regularly occurring event. Manager Michael Stratford, a self-proclaimed “beer snob” is attempting to extend his own love for the lagers, ales and stouts to the Bud and Miller Lite drinkers of CU. Stratford invited Merchant du Vin’s Brian Van Zandbergen to entertain the guests with the historical knowledge expected of any beer connoisseur.

The first of six beers was the Ayinger Jarhundert-Bier — a golden, Bavarian lager with a medium body and a dry finish. During the first beer of the evening, patrons mingled while nibbling on pistachios, chips and bread before the main presentation began.

As the group took their seats, the appetizer was served — shrimp and calamari paired with the golden Ayinger Brau-Weisse. The crisp tartness of the Brau-Weisse paired well with the fried seafood dish served on spicy Dijon mustard among several jalapeno peppers. The appetizers were served at the latter end of the dinner rush, which caused the arrival of the dishes to be fairly scattered. As the night rolled on, this became less of a problem.

Our next course was a mixed fruit salad paired with Westmalle Tripel. Darker than the previous two, this beer had more of a bite with a bitter finish, which paired well with the baby spinach. The taste was slightly fruity, which paired well with the dried cherries, apricots, cranberries and blue cheese crumbles tossed in their champagne vinaigrette that provided a nice contrast.

The third dish was a Mulligatawny soup paired with Samuel Smith’s India Pale Ale. This hoppy oatmeal-style beer with an amber color hails from England and settled well with the soup (lamb, chicken, curry, celery, carrots, apples and button mushrooms — a delicious combo).

Our main course, four-bone rack of lamb, was paired with Rochefort 6, a trappist ale — amber still but a deeper brown. The full-bodied beer sat heavy with the main course, which I surprisingly enjoyed. Not normally a fan of fatty meats like lamb, I was skeptical. While I did wince while chewing the fat, I enjoyed the sweet glaze and crisp outer edge of the meat that matched perfectly with the buttery mashed potatoes.

The night closed with New York-style cheesecake paired with Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout. I normally hate beer with anything sweet, so I was surprised at how well the stout matched the dessert. The stout was a black beer with a strong roasted smell, and drinking it was almost reminiscent of coffee.

Admittedly, I was a bit miserable after engaging in such a rich sequence of delectables after my pathetic attempt to moderate my meals. But here’s a perk of the Beer Dinner — it’s only $55 for an extensive array of choice dishes accompanied by beers you may have never tried otherwise.