Matthew Rooney, owner of Black Bass Grille, recently paired beer with everything from Cornish hen to ricotta cheesecake – all in an effort to support veterans.

Now in its third year, the Wounded Warriors Beer Dinner has become a tradition in Padanaram around Veterans Day.

“All the funds go to the Wounded Warriors. We have no expenses. [Rooney] gets some food donated by vendors, he donates food and his staff works for nothing,” said realtor Linda Hopps, who helped organize the auctions for the event.

The restaurant teams up with Leinenkugel Brewing Company to create a multi-course meal, each course with its own flavor of beer. This year’s menu featured six courses and drew a crowd of 56, the biggest yet for the event.

Between ticket sales, auctions and raffles, the benefit raised nearly $10,000 for The Wounded Warrior Project.

“They're an organization outside of the government that takes care of men and women that are in the service that come back from with physical or mental problems, or problems with finances,” said Rooney. “My father’s a marine. I have plenty of friends who are veterans. I respect that. I just want to do my part.”

Rooney said the event not only gives him an opportunity to give back, it allows him to explore new recipes. The menu at the benefit veered away from typical New England fare, featuring ingredients like braised pork and poached duck.

“I’m kinda crazy when I do menus,” said Rooney. “I take an envelope and write down possible beers and start brainstorming. I’ll start doing research on the beers.”

He said the he spent about three nights working out of the finer points of the meal.

“I want it to be perfect for everybody. Yeah, it’s a great cause, but I want them to feel like they’re having a special time,” he said.

This year’s event also featured a special guest, the president of the Leinenkugel Company, Dick Leinenkugel.

“I served in the Marine Corps, as did my dad and my brother and two of my nephews, so we come from a family of Marines,” said Leinenkugel.

He arrived in Dartmouth from a business trip in Chicago and planned on heading out to San Diego the morning after the beer dinner. He said attending the benefit was important to him despite his tight schedule.

“One of things you do when you’re a Marine is you make commitments, and you honor your commitments,” he said. “It wasn't like I was going to cancel out of this just because I have to be in San Diego tomorrow. They have planes that fly there. I wasn’t going to miss this.”