In an era when pork belly is nearly as commonplace as grains of sand, it probably seems ridiculous to write about one of my favorite pig parts yet again. No doubt, but an occasional swine undercarriage hits my plate and the concept still seems novel and exciting. This was the case on October 10 at The Foundry on Melrose for Dionicess VII, the seventh installment of Gev Kazanchyan’s beer-and-food pairing series.

The fifth course from The Foundry chef-owner Eric Greenspan may have been my favorite. His meaty pork belly square featured a chile glaze that combined honey, red chile flake and Sriracha. Co-organizer Randy Clemens literally wrote the (cook)book on Sriracha. So that last inclusion didn’t come as a surprise, but it still packed a lingering kick. The plate also hosted sweet butternut squash puree and crunchy pumpkin seed brittle. Best of all, Greenspan cook his pork belly in “old school,” pork fat. That choice added killer richness and caramelized the exterior. This dish isn’t currently on The Foundry’s menu, but should be.

Greenspan, Kazanchyan, Clemens and Bryant Goulding paired each course with a Dogfish Head Craft Brewery beer. They matched the pork belly with 90 Minute IPA. This double IPA had just enough bitterness to counterbalance the belly’s richness. Goulding, Dogfish Head’s West Coast Sales Manager, even provided some fun facts about the beer. It’s continuously hopped for 90 minutes, carries 9% ABV, and touts 90 IBUs (International Bittering Units). Beers technically don’t register over 100 IBUs. 90 Minute IPA is surprisingly balanced and won’t wreck your palate with hop bitterness.

Dose of Vitamin P spotlights my favorite pork dish from the previous week.