You'd expect a brewer's dinner to be all about the beer, right? Well, the Harmon Brewer's Dinner at Chambers Bay Grill Friday, Oct. 11 did feature tasty beer (and it flowed beautifully), but this dinner was so much more, such as knock-your-socks-off food pairings, great guest speakers, lively conversation and the Holy Grail of sunsets, which punctuated the event.

The dinner was indeed a celebration of many things: the launch of Harmon Brewing's Fearless Exploration Imperial Rye IPA, a collaboration of the brewery with the Tacoma Regional Convention + Visitor Bureau (TRCVB); the culinary magic of Chamber's Bay Grill chef Joshua Corcoran; the magnificent Chambers Bay Golf Course and upcoming mega-watt golf championship, the 2015 U.S. Open; and finally, where we live is totally awesome and we know it.

Top things I learned:

I (HEART) the Harmon Brewery, and the Chambers Bay Grill is a foodie's dream.

Let's start with the menu:

First course: shrimp ceviche, cucumbers, lemon and avocado paired with Harmon T-Town Blonde - A Summer Shandy.

Second course: butternut squash, yam puree, candied pecan, honey cranberries paired with Harmon Fall Ball.

Third course: smoked salmon, shaved radish, pickled onions, boiled egg, frisee and herbs paired with Chambers Bay 80 Shilling Ale, brewed exclusively for the Chamber's Bay Grill.

Fourth course: Painted Hills smoky short ribs, crispy Walla Walla onions, baby carrots, Danish blue cheese paired with Fearless Exploration Imperial Rye brewed for TRCVB.

Fifth course: cinnamon doughnuts (yes really!) with Theo's chocolate sauce paired with Harmon Vanilla Porter.

Harmon Brewing Master Brewer Jeff Carlson gave a spirited overview of each delicious beer. Chambers Bay Grill Food and Beverage Director Anthony Shipman and his team provided superior service and food that paired beautifully.

The shrimp ceviche and T-Town Blonde was a bit of summer sunshine. For me, the second course really zinged (the pecans and cranberries were a great touch) with what Carlson called a "big beer smoothed out." The salmon salad paired with the Scottish ale brought out the wonderful smoky flavor of the lox. The fourth-course short ribs were perfectly tender and succulent, and the blue cheese bit put it over the top. It was a perfect pairing with the spicy and citrus notes of the brewery's newest little darling, named "Fearless" to pay homage to the people who make the region great. And yes, doughnuts and sweet vanilla porter DO work well together; it's dessert both on the plate and in the glass.

The 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay is a REALLY big deal and YOU should care about it

Danny Sink, championship director of the 2015 U.S. Open Championship, and his team were on hand to give the latest updates. Whether you love, despise or don't care about golf, the U.S. Open is about 600 days away and it is going to come in to our area and come in BIG. Think about this:

• It is the first time the championship is being played in the Pacific Northwest;
• More than 5,000 volunteers will staff the event (80 percent will be locals);
• On the busiest day of the four-day championship, 50,000 people will grace the golf course;
• More than 200 million people all around the world will see our region via television, online and through social media;
• About 2,000 media folks will be covering the event;
• And finally, projections of $144 million in revenue are expected to come in from this event.

Bottom line, South Sounders, we are going to be in the national and international spotlight. And we are going to shine, yes? Why?

We live in the most beautiful place ever

No words here; just this picture. Sigh.