Nothing goes better with Thanksgiving dinner or dessert than a festive, handcrafted beer. It's also a great time to try and turn some of your friends or family members on to craft beer. I've unexpectedly popped open a bottle of pumpkin ale the last couple years during dinner and my family thought I hung the moon! They loved it and asked for more. We have assembled a list of some of our favorites for your feast today that are readily available in Orlando. You still have a little time to head out to your local beer Megamarket and get some provisions for your meal. Happy Thanksgiving everyone and Cheers! 1. Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale (Cigar City Brewing)
This one can be tough to find but most agree it's one of the best pumpkin ales around. Made with real pumpkin flavor and pumpkin spices including Ceylon cinnamon, Jamaican all-spice, Zanzibar cloves and nutmeg. Pairs well with pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, and costume parties. (8.5 %ABV) 2. Pumpking (Southern Tier Brewing) The pie crust and whipped cream flavors in Pumpking make it the best example of "pumpkin pie in a glass" that I've had. Other flavors include malty sweetness, vanilla, clove, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pie crust. Pairs particularly well with thanksgiving dinner, pumpkin pie, and other Thanksgiving desserts desserts! (8.6 % ABV) 3. Punkin Ale (Dogfish Head Brewing) Shocking that Dogfish Head would make a top notch pumpkin brew right? Punkin Ale is a brown ale with hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. Made with pumpkin meat, organic brown sugar and spices. Goes great with turkey, roasted duck, lamb, stuffing, dessert dumplings, sharp cheddar . (7 % ABV) See more at: http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/seasonal-brews/punkin-ale.htm#sthash.MULzIKYR.dpuf. 4. Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin Smashed Pumpkin is a big-bodied beer with a light coppery orange color and pleasing aroma of pumpkin and nutmeg. Smashed Pumpkin pairs well with sharp cheeses, nuts, lamb, hearty stews and desserts like flan or pumpkin pie. Chefs find this an excellent beer to cook with in dishes such as braised short ribs. (9% ABV) 5. Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan Brown Ale This one is not a pumpkin brew but its similar flavors go great with Thanksgiving foods. Lightly hopped to allow the malty, caramel, and nutty flavors shine through. Southern Pecan won a Bronze Medal in the 2006 World Beer Cup in the Specialty Beer category. (4.39 % ABV)
0 Comments
We are excited to let you know about the menu for this Friday's Ommegang Beer Dinner at Jake's American bar at the Loew's Royal Pacific Resort! Jake's has partnered with Cooperstown's Brewery Ommegang and will featuring both of their Game of Thrones beers; Iron Throne Blonde Ale and Take the Black Stout. Tickets are $55 and can be reserved by calling 407 503 3200. Dinner starts at 7:00pm on Friday night. House Greyjoy “Kraken” Grilled Octopus, White Beans, Arugula, Blood Orange Vinaigrette Paired with Brewery Ommegang Game of Thrones “Iron Throne” Blonde Ale House Targaryen “Dragon” Dragon Wings, Charred Corn, Jalapeno Waffle, Spicy SyrupPaired with Brewery Ommegang Rare Vos Amber Ale House Lannister “Lion” Braised Lamb Shanks, Fig and Raisin Risotto Paired with Brewery Ommegang Three Philosophers Quadruple Ale House Stark “Direwolf” “Red Wedding” Paired with Brewery Ommegang Game of Thrones “Take the Black” Stout We've been wanting to get out and enjoy some Duff Beer at the Simpson's attraction at Universal Studios since we heard it had opened a couple months ago. Finally got to go out to Springfield today and enjoy a little of the beautiful weather we have been having as of late. Here are a few pics for those of you who might be interested. There are three different kinds of Duff available at the Simpson's attraction. Duff, Duff Light, and Duff Dry. Florida Brewing Company makes the beer for Universal Studios. I had a Duff today and it reminded me a heck of a lot of Key West Sunset Ale. There's a real life version of Moe's Tavern here that also serves food. It's pretty much what you'd expect it to be. There is a very welcoming outdoor beer garden here (Duff Gardens) along the water that provides a great atmosphere to enjoy a Duff!
What's better than beer and bacon? CBS Radio Orlando is hosting a Beer and Bacon Festival this Saturday November 2nd at Crane's Roost park in Altamonte Springs. Here's the official press release... Beer and Bacon Festival Sizzles at Cranes Roost Park on November 2 A festival of flavors with more than 30 unique craft beers and creative bacon specialties from local restaurant favorites The Beer and Bacon Festival features more than 30 of the finest craft beers paired with delicious bacon-inspired specialties to tempt and tease every palate on Saturday, November 2. This festival, presented by seasoned event producers CBS RADIO ORLANDO and hosted at Uptown Altamonte, showcases the growing love of craft beer along the scenic shores of Cranes Roost Park. The Fest is presented and produced by CBS RADIO, led by Orlando favorites MIX 105.1, 1059 SUNNY FM, and 102 JAMZ in partnership with sponsors AutoNation Acura of North Orlando, Seminole Harley Davidson, and Wayne Densch Inc. CBS RADIO produces several signature events throughout the year including; Downtown Food & Wine Fest, Orlando Extreme Watersports Fest, and Pet-A-Palooza. Festival Opens at 3 p.m., Craft Beer Sampling 4 to 7 p.m Tickets are $25 in Advance/ $35 at the gate (must be 21) Purchase tickets online at BeerAndBaconFestival.com Your ticket includes sampling of more than 30 craft beers. Restaurant small-plate offerings are available for purchase between $2 and $6 Full-pour beer, wine, and soft drink beverages are available for purchase. A limited number of craft beer sampling tickets will be offered. This event is sure to sell-out to maintain a high-quality and enjoyable experience for all. FREE parking is available for all festival and park guests throughout Uptown Altamonte and nearby at Altamonte Mall. Craft Beer Selection (subject to change and seasonal availability)
Orlando Beer Guide was lucky enough to spend the past week in Colorado partaking in the festivities associated with the Great American Beer Festival. GABF is on the list of "The Top 100 things to do in America before you die". After attending 2 four hour sessions at the Denver Convention Center on Saturday afternoon , I have to agree with that list! Here are some of my highlights from Colorado and GABF... My first thought upon arriving at the Festival was that it was the closet thing I had ever seen to a Disneyworld for beer enthusiasts! There were over 600 breweries and 3000 different beers available for sampling. Florida was well represented at GABF! This gentleman was sporting a sash of bottle openers. Just to be on the safe side! A public service message from the X Communicated Mormon Drinking Team! One ounce pours sneak up on you real quick when 600 breweries are pouring them! Some of the best beers we tried were at the Pro-Am Competition table. Here, award winning homebrewers pair with craft breweries to brew a recipe created by the homebrewer. The gold medal was won by Jeff Gladish who designed the recipe for Poblano Wit which was brewed at Tampa's Cigar City Brewing! Sierra Nevada's bicycle bar! Oddly enough, there weren't huge lines to get a one ounce pour of Coors Light "Liver Let Die" gets my vote for best beer name at GABF!
No fresh, unfermented apples were available at Redlight Redlight during their recent Johnny Appleseed Day, which took place on Thursday, September 26, in correlation with the birthday of John Chapman, Appleseed’s birth name. Any horticulturist knows that edible or at least tasty apples almost never grow straight from seed. Grafting and other processes better left to experts are the only ways to grow your Pink Ladies, Galas, Granny Smiths, and the other sweet and tart varietals worthy of a big crunchy bite. If you were to take the seeds from these same delicious apples and plant them in your backyard, the subsequent fruit bearing trees that emerged would likely yield very different produce, and if you were to find yourself disappointed by the first overly bitter or sour bite, you need fret not, for these apples are the building blocks of a very delightful substance, namely cider, which has a not so well hidden secret missing in even the freshest most mouth-watering apple. Yes, you can get drunk on it. John Chapman, a religious ascetic, one of the first American animal right’s activists, and a strict naturalist, was adamantly opposed to grafting and splicing, processes which he believed ruined one of God’s greatest gifts the way it was intended. On the other hand, he had no problem with alcohol, and while he, eccentric that he was, may have found the fruit of the trees he sold to pioneers during the 18th and 19th century delicious, his patrons fermented his product far more often than they ate it. For that reason, no one really felt they were doing Appleseed a disservice by drinking the fruit he helped to spread across the newly pioneered midwestern states instead of chomping down on it. After all, filling nine of the twenty-six tap lines usually reserved for ales and lagers with cider was departure enough for Redlight Redlight, but a delightful way to not only honor one of our country’s favorite folk heroes, but also to unveil the truly awe-inspiring creativity and capabilities of the newly founded Cigar City Cider and Mead (you know, because Cigar City wasn’t awesome enough already.) Any one who’s been in the middle of the craft beer renaissance as long as I have is used to describing beverages with adjectives that would certainly seem unappealing in other contexts. A bitter, hoppy double IPA may be described as tasting like pine sap, whereas the aroma of a sour geueze may be equated with an old, leather boot. I’ve also compared beers to grapefruit rinds, diapers, barnyards, and wet dog hair, none of these descriptors intended in a negative manner. It is therefore a jarring juxtaposition enjoying Cigar City’s array of decadent ciders, which are simply delicious in that sweet, simple way candy is delicious. The colorful names written in bright pink, green, and yellow chalk further increased my illusion of being a kid in a candy store, but unlike candy these ciders could get you drunk, and if that isn’t enough, most them were brewed exclusively for this singular event and will not be available ever again. There was the Andale´ brewed with kiwi, strawberry, and caramel. There was Cowboy Dan’s Holiday Extravaganza brewed with whiskey salted caramel, chocolate, coconut, and pie crust (yes, actual pie crust) that tasted like a rich Christmas dessert. There was There’s Always Money in the Banana Stand that tasted like banana shaped Runts, yellow Laughy Taffy, and fluffy orange Circus Peanuts. There was the Crying Game brewed with two melons and a cucumber (get it) that had the cool, sweet flavor of a melon lollypop with a crisp, refreshing finish of cucumber. There was the delightfully floral Wise Prick brewed with elderflowers and prickly pear cactus, and while I can’t tell you what fresh prickly pear cactus tastes like, I can say with authority that it goes well in cider. There was the cinnamon-spiced Apple Pie that bore an uncanny resemblance to its namesake, and finally the delightfully understated Peach In Cider, which made a refreshing denouement after the delightfully over-the-top sampling, which felt like a tour of an orchard in Candy Land, tipsy and sugared-up as I was by that point. As apples are not native to the United States, Redlight Redlight gave nod to their European roots with some imported ciders as well. England’s Hogans Draught Cider had a nice light tart and salty flavor and France’s Dupont, whose traditional Norman ciders are some of the most wonderful in the world, was represented by their incredibly effervescent Cidre Reserve, its flavor touched by a hint of brandy having been aged in Calvados barrels, and a 2010 vintage cask of Cidre Triple, which clocks in at 11% abv and has a boozy, medicinal flavor combined with a rich, intense finish of over-ripe apples, delicious to be sure, but no doubt something for the connoisseurs who can’t enjoy their alcohol without describing it using adjectives that would seem unflattering in other arenas. I first arrived at an unfortunately empty Redlight Redlight wondering why Orlando was missing out on such an exciting evening, but by the time I stumbled out the bar was packed with cider enthusiasts and beer geeks alike, almost everyone clutching a Cigar City snifter sparkling with the bubbly, crystalline cider or the smaller half pour for those who just wouldn’t leave without tasting each and every variety the bar had to offer. My friends and I finished our evening by splitting a large bottle of Original Sin’s Newtown Pippin Cider. Brewed using only the heirloom varietal known affectionately as “The Prince of Apples,” Newtown Pippin was “first harvested in 1740 in Queens, NY. Coveted by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and planted in their personal estates. Benjamin Franklin had Newtown Pippins shipped to him in London in 1759. Credited with establishing the U.S. fruit export industry,” Original Sin claims. Light and crisp, unpretentious yet wonderfully refreshing, Newtown Pippin was a distinctly American and decidedly appropriate way to finish off the night. As we were enjoying it, my friend Beau told an interesting story. Beau is short for Rambeau, a family name that came over from Sweden and was shortened to Rambo in customs. As it turns out he’s the descendent of the same people who developed the apple varietal Rambo, which legend has it provided a snack to writer David Morrell as he penned his novel First Blood and is the genus of the last living tree planet by John Chapman himself. So in an indirect, far-fetched, and bizarrely coincidental way, it is almost as if Johnny Appleseed blessed this cider celebration with his presence. Like the details of Chapman’s life, Beau’s story and my probable mistranslation of it are made more of family rumors and hearsay than documented history. The parts that may be accurate are now impossible to untangle from myth, but like all good legends, the stories speak for themselves. The culture they create and the awe they inspire are more exciting than the facts that may or may not have created them. Drinking cider with a guy who is in a weird way like a descendent of both John Rambo and John Chapman, I felt very glad to be an American indeed. You can read more about John Chapman at Thedrunkenodyssey.com. The fall is a very busy time for those who love beer. There are lots of cool events and happenings going on this October that are craft beer related. Here are some of our favorites we wanted to let you know about. Cheers Orlando! Jake's Inaugural Beer Festival 10/4 Benefit For Nicole Rades at Rogue Pub 10/5 Florida Founder's Breakfast Stout Official Launch 10/4 Statewide Tap Invasion! Nerd Nite (Oktoberfest History) at Orlando Brewing 10/10 WOBtoberfest at World of Beer Dr. Phillips 10/13 Cigar City Beer Dinner at the Smiling Bison 10/14 Cask & Larder vs. 7venth Sun Beer Dinner 10/14 Pumpkinfest @ Oblivion Taproom 10/19 Play For Purple Cornhole Tourney at The Gnarley Barley 10/20 Pumpkinfest @ World of Beer Dr. Phillips 10/31 Our friends from Jake's American Bar at the Loew's Royal Pacific Resort Universal have put together a top notch Oktoberfest style beer festival that will take place on Friday October 4th from 5-9 pm. Jake's inaugural beer festival will feature some delicious German eats along with an impressive list of both imported and American craft beers. See below for a complete rundown on the food and beers. Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door. VIP tickets are an additional $15 which gets you access to some special rare beers. All tickets can be purchased on the Loew's Royal Pacific Hotel website. Jake’s Beer Festival FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013 | 5:00 – 9:00 PM MENU WITH BEER PAIRINGS WURST beer basted, grilled mini bratwurst and knockwurst mini soft roll, sauerkraut, whole grain and Dijon mustards Left Hand Oktoberfest | Bavik Pilsner | Pyramid Hefeweizen SAUERBRATEN rich and savory braised angus beef scented with juniper and allspice thyme and parsley spätzle tossed with Emmentaler cheese Ommegang Scythe & Sickle | New Belgium Shift Pale Lager CHARCUTERIE country chicken sausage terrine with walnuts and dried plums Duvel | Key West Southernmost Wheat | Bell’s Oarsman Ale all natural pork pate with pistachios Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale | Lost Coast Downtown Brown | Ommegang Hennepin Farmhouse Saison Bavarian blu and Butterkäse cheeses, cornichons and tangy mustard Breckenridge Small Batch 471 | Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA HOUSE-MADE MINI PRETZELS four cheese porter fondue Sierra Nevada Pale Ale | Terrapin Rye Pale Ale | Red Hook Long Hammer IPA CHICKEN AND WAFFLES crispy chicken cutlets with freshly made waffles, jalapeno glaze Samuel Adams Boston Lager | Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale | Cold Storage Betchey Brown Ale SWEETS Lebkuchen Cookies cinnamon and anise gingerbread, chocolate covered or sugar dusted Left Hand Milk Stout | Angry Orchard Cinnful Apple Hard Cider Apple Strudel delicate pastry, raisins and walnuts, crème anglaise SweetWater IPA Beer Menu
* VIP Room Only
In case you haven't heard, German beer lovers have something to be excited about starting this Saturday September 21st. Audubon Park's Redlight Redlight will be kicking off the 2013 Oktoberfest season with some special German beers along with some festive bites from the Smiling Bison. The tasty German offerings will include Bratwurst, Currywurst, Kraut & Mustard, German Potato Salad, and Pretzels with Beer & Cheese Mustard! Additional Redlight events scheduled throughout the week are set to include special cask tappings and stein hoisting competitions. Stein hoistings will be held each night at 8:00 pm. Prizes will be awarded for those who can hoist the longest. Check out our Oktoberfest Page for a complete rundown of all of Orlando's Oktoberfest events. Prost! German Cask Tapping Schedule
Saturday 9/21 Zehendner Mönchsambacher Lagerbier & Weißenoher Altfränkisch Klosterbier Sunday 9/22 Brauerei Bayer Landbier Monday 9/23 Kraus Lager Hell Tuesday 9/24 Löwenbräu Buttenheim Kellerbier Wednesday 9/25 Mahrs Bräu Kellerbier Ungespundet Hefetrüb Saturday September 21st will mark the beginning of the Oktoberfest season in Orlando. Orlando Brewing will be commemorating over 200 years of German brewing tradition at this year’s 7th Annual Oktoberfest celebration. Saturday's celebration will feature Orlando Brewing's organic Oktoberfest which is a medium bodied European amber lager with deep, rich malt character. It is initially malty sweet and finishes moderately dry with low hop bitterness. Prost!
Schedule of events at Orlando Brewing for Saturday will be as follows... 1pm: Official Oktoberfest Beer Tapping 1:30pm: German Food by C&S Brisket Bus 3pm: Cornhole Tournament... 4pm: Live Preformance by Dan Witucki & Mein Heimatland Musikaten |
Archives
March 2019
Orlando Beer BlogOur goal is to provide you with the latest on where to enjoy craft beer in Orlando. Categories
All
|