The Schlafly Tap Room will ship in 2,000 pounds of Icelandic cod this week, which it plans to serve with 55-degree, cask-conditioned ales during its annual Cod & Cask Festival.
“Basically, it’s warmer, flatter beer on purpose,” said Events Coordinator Susan Haberer about the cask-conditioned ales, which are made with extra hops and without added gas, so they are naturally carbonated. Although the cask-conditioned ales are available year-round at Schlafly Tap Room, they are paired specially for this event with the cod.
The Icelandic cod will be prepared and served under the direction of Icelandic chef Hákon ?rvarsson, who will prepare it in several different ways, including a traditional Icelandic dish called plokksiskur.
Haberer described the dish as a sort of “cod au gratin”-shredded cod with cooked potatoes and cheese.
Now in its fourth year, the Cod & Cask Festival will take place Feb. 8 and 9, beginning at 5 p.m., with live music starting around 8:30 p.m. Icelandic singer-songwriter Pétur Ben will fly in like ?rvasson for the event, sponsored by the Icelandic government, according to Haberer.
Some people might come to see Ben, while others might enjoy local bands Walkie Talkie USA and Gentlemen Auction House instead. “It’s kind of like two different crowds,” she said.
Both floors of the Tap Room will be open, the lower restaurant level featuring the cod dishes and other Schlafly menu items, while the concession-style upstairs club room will serve only the cod dishes for people who come “just for the cod,” Haberer said.
Schlafly will rent a freezer truck due to the large quantity of cod that will be brought in, Schlafly will rent a freezer truck from its distributor.
Other cod dishes to be served include fish-and-chips style fried cod with fries, cod chowder and cod and shrimp cake (crab cakes with cod instead of crab). ?rvasson has developed most of the menu and will head a team of seven to nine chefs who will be working both floors of the Tap Room.
Schlafly’s seasonal India Pale and English Brown Ales will also be released on Feb. 8.
“We’ll have those in cask and also regular, since cask is not always for everyone,” Haberer said.
Entrance to the Cod & Cask Festival is free on both nights and a drawing for a two-day trip to Iceland will be held on Feb. 8.
To sign up for the drawing, visit Schlafly Tap Room after Feb. 4.
