I was disappointed as I watched Iron Chef America tackle beer.

Both Alton Brown and Kevin Brauch misidentified beers, now I can accept Alton is a chef by training and not the biggest beergeek. But that the 'Thirsty Traveler' couldn't identify beers being used or where a style of beer originated was deeply disappointing.

Garret Oliver was on the episode as a judge, but he was the least shown panelist during the tasting portion which was a shame since he knew the most of beer food pairing.

It seemed that neither chef was particularly skilled in making food and beer pairings. Frankly I would have been far more interested in seeing what a Bruce Paton or Sean Paxton would have done in the situation.

The beer was more used as accent than main ingredient. Where was a decent beer soup? I can think of one with cheese immediately and I have a great one with sausage and cabbage I have had from Southwest Brewing News for years. Why not a nice beer sorbet?

In the end I didn't see the program doing a disservice to craft beer, but not any favors. They could have easily stayed with nothing but American brews and had far more interesting choices than the ones they presented. If I had picked the line up of beers here would have been my list

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout - I haven't had it, but it was probably the most interesting beer they offered.

Ivanhoe Pale Ale - A good representation of the style from the sounds of it, but never had it, but a decent pale ought to be on the list, let's keep it. Sierra Nevada would have been an interesting choice, but I won't begrudge their choice.

Ommegang Hennepin - When I met Bruce Paton at The Trappist Belgian beer bar I asked him what is the most interesting beer style to cook with? After much thought he said (paraphrased) probably Saison because of it's unique flavor characteristics. So any beer cooking competition should have a Saison, Ommegang makes a fine one that is widely available.

A Lambic - The fruit character and sourness would be great for the chefs to play with, while Russian River brewery immediately comes to mind in the space but I really wouldn't mind whose was used.

Gordon Biersch Hefeweizen - Yes Shiner makes one and it's decent, but Dan Gordon is German trained and he shows what the style truly is like, it's a far more interesting beer.

I also would have liked a nice Hop Bomb like Hop 15 or say Stone's Ruination to highlight it's character, but I tried to stay within the 5 beer inventory like the show did.

In the end no the show was no disservice to craft beer, but not really any favors. So what beers would you have picked for Iron Chef America to explore?

After thought -Why Not Watermelon Wheat beer as a possible choice too?