European Street Beer & Baseball returns this weekend

Fewer things are more all-American than that ritual of summer that takes place in towns and cities all over the nation. In parks both grand and make-shift, players face off and swing for the fences. Fans pack bleachers, line up along fences and cheer on their teams with a hot dog in one hand and a cold brew in the other. I am referring to baseball of course; the big leagues started play earlier this week and the Jacksonville Suns – minor league representatives of the Florida Marlins – begin play tonight.

Another tradition that is returning this week in conjunction with baseball is European Street’s Beer and Baseball nights in the left field Beer Garden. This year the first of five Beer and Baseball nights is this Saturday, April 6, just in time to end Jax Beer Week. Beer and Baseball nights include a ticket to the game, all-you-can-eat European Street Monster German Wieners and sandwiches and, of course, all the beer you can drink.

The event this Saturday costs $30, with proceeds going to a long-time E-Street bartender that is battling breast cancer and includes a Monster German Weiner t-shirt. The cost of the remaining Beer and Baseball nights will be $20, but will not include the t-shirt. The way the event works is that the food and beer are put out approximately 30 minutes prior to the first pitch. There are generally two kegs of beer available and they flow until both kegs are dry.

Andrew Zarka, of European Street, says that the featured beers this Saturday night will be Blue Moon and Third Shift. He also says that both Highland and Lazy Magnolia have expressed interest in sponsoring future games.

The remaining Beer and Baseball nights will take place:

• May 25
• June 22
• July 13
• August 31

Tickets are available at all four European Street locations.

 

Jax Beer Week — Day One

Pele’s Wood Fire: Bell’s Brewing Co. Beer Dinner

In little over a year, Pele’s Wood Fire has established itself as a true destination restaurant. With over 50 craft beers on tap and many more in bottles, it has also proven itself as a gourmet eatery that is truly plugged in to what its guests are seek. So, it is not a surprise that they are opening this year’s Jax beer Week with an extravagant dinner paired with beers from Bell’s Brewing Co.

The menu, prepared by Chef Micah Windham, features his trademark flair for using organic ingredients with an artisan’s flair.

First Course

Prosciutto basil and tomato sandwich, beer cheese dip paired with Bell’s Amber ale.

Second Course

Arugula shaved fennel salad, spiced candy pecans, grapefruit segments, Oarsman vinaigrette served with Bell’s Oarsman a tart German style beer.

Third Course

Banana leaf wrap trout stuffed, beer bacon risotto, butter sauce paired with Bell’s Two Hearted Ale.

Fourth Course

Brown butter seared gnocchi duck confit, beer duck demi, shaved parmesan reggiano served with Bell’s Best Brown Ale.

Fifth Course

Ravioli with buffalo ragu, fresh tomato, garlic oil, basil, hand-pulled mozzarella paired with Expedition Stout.

Sixth Course

Hanger steak with Tuscan fries and a third coast malt shake, “Steak & Shake.” Paired with Third Coast Old Ale.

Seventh Course

Double Cream Stout infused vanilla pot de crem, beer candied nuts, baked cocoa nib meringue served with Bell’s Double Crème Stout.

The cost for the dinner – if tickets are still available — $75 per person including tax and gratuity.
Reservations must be made by calling 904/232-8545. Only 40 seats available.

Brewer’s Pizza: 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Brewer’s will host a night with Grassroots Natural Market. The guys from Grassroots of Riverside will come out and drink some brews, rub elbows and pour some beers for sampling.

M Shack

All week the burger wizards at the Beach’s M Shack will be featuring beer and burger parings. You could eat there every day, all week and still not have them all! But, from the looks of the menu, you sure will wnat them all.

M Shack daily specials include both beer and food combined:

• Shipyard Monkey Fist IPA paired with Asian Burger, Sirracha Cole Slaw and Hoisin BBQ sauce & pepper jack cheese $9.95
• Cigar City Maduro paired with Truffle Portobello Burger with Bacon Smoked Gouda and Sherry Glaze $12.45
• Sea Dog Blueberry paired with super kale salad, apples, avocados,pecans, raisins, ginger garlic dressing $12.45
• Narragansett Lager paired with classic combo with all beef Hebrew national hotdog $9
• Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout paired with The Medurable: cheeseburger topped with foi gras and caramelized onions $24.95
• Julian Cider paired with the Rooster and the Pig sandwich: marinated chicken breast, smoked ham and an over easy egg. $18.50

Related articles

• Jax Beer Week is almost upon us (sprbrewcrew.wordpress.com)
• On Tap: Bell’s Oarsman Ale (independentmail.com)

 

Jax Beer Week is almost upon us

Last year the inaugural Jax Beer Week proved that Jacksonville is a town ready for a premier beer event. This year marks the event’s second year and finds a line-up of Tap takeovers, dinners, tastings and beer specials that is sure to please even the pickiest of beer aficionados.

While the list presented below is by no means comprehensive, you can get an idea for what is going on. Friend the Springfield Brew Crew or Jax Beer Guy on Facebook for details on new events as they become available. You can also follow Sprbrewcrew or JaxBeerGuy on Twitter.

Monday, April 1

Pele’s Wood Fire

The ever creative Chef Micah at Pele’s Wood Fire is throwing down a with a sumptuous meal paired with Bell’s Brewery beers. The Dinner features seven courses paired with seven delicious Bell’s beers.

Cost for this spectacular meal is $75 per person including tax and gratuity. Non-refundable deposit of $25 per person is required. For reservations call (904)232-8545. Only 40 seats are available, so reserve early.

Brewer’s Pizza 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Brewer’s will host a night with Grassroots Natural Market. The guys from Grassroots of Riverside will come out and drink some brews, rub elbows and pour some beers for sampling.

Tuesday, April 2

Brewer’s Pizza 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Florida Beer night with special guest Carolyn Graham from Brown Distribution. Brewer’s will be featuring taps from all of their favorite local breweries and others from all over Florida.

Beer Specials

Solids & Stripes, Mellow Mushroom – Fleming Island, and Taps – Fleming Island

Wednesday, April 3

Beer Specials

Aardwolf Brewing Co., Grape & Grain Exchange, The Grotto, Hurricanes, European Street – San Marco, Northstar Substation, Underbelly, Burro Bar, 1904, Burrito Gallery, Fionn MacCools – Landing, Olio

Thursday, April 4

Dahlia’s Pour House

The gang at Dahlia’s will be offering thirsty Jax Beer Week revelers $4 IPAs.

Bold City Brewing Co. 7:00 p.m to 11:00 p.m.

The crew at Bold City are treating their guests to a Florida Tap Takeover featuring spectacular brews from across the great state of Florida. The tap list includes:

Cask & Larder                         Black Ale (Winter Park, FL)

Big Storm Brewery                  Wavemaker Amber Ale (Odessa, FL)

Due South Brewing                  Roasted Cocoa Stout (Boynton Beach, FL)

7venth Sun Brewing                Graffiti Orange (Dunedin, FL)

Tequesta Brewing Company    Terminally Ale and Irish Red Ale (Tequesta, FL)

Cigar City Brewing                  Humidor Series IPA (Tampa, FL)

Pensacola Bay Brewing           Lil’ Napoleon IPA (Pensacola, FL)

Florida Beer Company             Gaspar’s Porter (Melbourne, FL)

Grassroots Natural Market 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Grassroots will host a Jacksonville Beer Tasting featuring Ben Davis owner and brewer at Intuition Ale Works who will bring a special cask brew. Also at the tasting will be a cask brew from Green Room Brewing in Jacksonville Beach.

Beer Specials

Intuition Ale Works, Kickbacks Gastropub, Pele’s Wood Fire, Broudy’s, Beer:30, European Street Riverside, Black Sheep Restaurant, O’Brother’s

Friday, April 5

Green Room Brewing Co. 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight

Florida Mega Tap Takeover with over 50 Florida beers. Breweries that will be represented at the event include:

Cigar City Brewing 7venth Sun Due South Brewing Swamp Head Brewing Saint Somewhere Pensacola Bay Brewery Tequesta Brewing Intuition Ale Works Pinglehead Brewing Co. Mile Marker Brewing Engine 15 Brewing Co. Cocoa Beach Brewing Three Palms Brewing Florida Beer Company And more…..

Also 17 Green Room Brewing beers on tap including:

Quetzalcoatl Many versions of the Count And much more

Engine 15 Brewing Co. 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight

The Engine 15, Engine 15 Tap Takeover. The guys at the Engine have been working hard to make this year’s Jax Beer Week event special. What better way to do that than to take over all their taps with all their own beers – 51 of them to be precise, plus one in a firkin.

Beer Specials

Mellow Mushroom – Southside, Seven Bridges, Total Wine + More, Broudy’s – Ponte Vedra, Monkey’s Uncle, European Street – Jax Beach, Mellow Mushroom – Jax Beach, Lynch’ Irish Pub, The Brick, Royal Palm Village, Island Girl, ABC Liquor, Wine Warehouse, Poe’s

Saturday, April 6

Grand Tasting 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.

The culmination of Jax Beer Week is the Grand Tasting that will take place downtown in conjunction with Community First Saturday in front of the Times-Union Center on the Northbank Riverwalk. The tasting will feature over 30 beers including many from Florida. Also enjoy the Food Truck Skyway Crawl and live music.

Bands and performance times are:

12:30 p.m.       Canary in the Coalmine

1:30 p.m.         RickoLus

2:45 p.m.         Four Families

DJ E. Lee 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., between sets, and 3:30 p.m to 4:30 p.m.

Related articles

• Nominations open soon for Beer City USA; Let’s get Jacksonville on the ballot (sprbrewcrew.wordpress.com)
• Florida Breweries (elleswim.net)

 

Thasnksgiving beer pairings just in time for your feast

Not long ago I was asked what beers would be on my Thanksgiving table this year. While I had a quick answer at the time, I started thinking about what would really be good with the different foods that are part of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. I started thinking about the flavors and what would truly work best with them. Below are my recommendations of beers to try with the various courses of your Thanksgiving meal.

Thanksgiving feasting in my family begins the moment you walk through the front door. Generally there are platters of cheese, crackers, and other salty, savory snacks. These types of snacks are perfect for a well-hopped Pale Ale. Locally, here in Jacksonville, a perfect choice for this is Intuition Ale Works’ People’s Pale Ale. For those out of the area looking for a good Pale Ale try Dales Pale Ale or the granddaddy of all Pale Ales: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. These beers will also pair well with appetizers like shrimp cocktail or bruschetta with tomatoes and basil.

Thanksgiving dinner proper begins with a salad in my family. My mother has a favorite oriental style salad she makes with a sesame seed oil and vinegar dressing and dry Ramen Noodles crumbled into it that is a hit with our gang. The sweet salad dressing deserves a beer that will not over-power it so I like pair it with a Belgian White Ale like Blanche de Bruxelles. The wonderful balance of coriander and citrus in this brew enhances the sweet and tangy dressing marvelously without overpowering it with hops or malty sweetness. Try this beer with other similar, sweet salad dressings since the spices can hold up to the flavors of sweet lettuce, tomato, carrot, and cucumber.

For the main course of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, yams, cranberry sauce, and so on you have to decide a direction to go. I have always aimed for a beer that would take a middle road through all of these flavors, enhancing them without distracting from them. Many beer connoisseurs will point you towards a toasty, malty beer like a Brown Ale. I don’t disagree with that in theory, but for my taste – and I think a lot of other folk’s if they have the where-with-all to save it – Oktoberfest Marzen works wonderfully. Oktoberfest-style beers have many of the characteristics of Brown Ales, but tend to have a cleaner finish. To me that is important. I want a beer that is going to refresh and cleanse my palate between bites, not leave a lingering malty flavor. One of my favorite Oktoberfest beers is Ayinger Oktoberfest. You may still be able to find some at your local beer store, so hurry on out for it. If Ayinger is not available try others like Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest of Flying Fish Oktoberfish.

At the end of the turkey gorging, there are always all those wonderful desserts. In our family that means pumpkin pie, apple pie, and rich chocolate cake. But, I have also seen families who serve mouth-watering desserts such as trifles and carrot cake. What you want here is a beer that can add its own spiced, sweet flavors while still allowing the delicious desserts to shine. In my recommendation recently, I suggested Southern Tier Pumking to pair with pumpkin, sweet potato, or pecan pie. The pumpkin spices in this brew are marvelous and will enhance your enjoyment of the pies. For chocolate desserts I have a bit of a wild idea: chocolate chili beers. You may have to look a bit for one of these but if you can find them try, Samuel Adams The Vixen a Bock beer brewed with dark cocoa nibs, cinnamon, and chilies; or try Cigar City Hunahpu an Imperial Brown Ale brewed with Peruvian cacao nibs, ancho and pasilla chilies, Madagasgar vanilla beans, and cinnamon.

At the end of the meal, while you are lying on the sofa in all your stuffed majesty, watching the football games a good easy-drinker would probably hit the spot. What you probably want after all that food is a lighter, lower-alcohol brew to relax with. Again, for those who think ahead, grab your growler and head to one of the many great breweries in Jacksonville. You can even pick up a six-pack of Intuition Ale Works’ Jon Boat Coastal Ale at most local grocery stores.

But, no matter what beers you decide to serve with your Thanksgiving meal, it is my sincere wish that you have a safe and happy day with your family and friends. I also hope that you will take a moment to think about all that we have to be thankful for, in particular, please take a moment to think about the many United States Service Members who are away from their families – whether over-seas or domestically – that proudly protect our rights and freedoms.

Keep up to date on all the beer happenings and news going on in town at the ALL NEW www.JaxBeerGuy.com.

 

Gnome Week Continues with Two Events Friday Night

Gnome week rolls on in Jacksonville with a couple of great events Friday night. As you may recall from the previous Gnome Week article, this week is a celebration of a village of Gnomes discovering a spring that produces magical waters in Belgium. Enterprising spirits that they are, the Gnomes decided to brew beer with the magical water and what resulted were particularly tasty brews. After centuries of keeping the beer and the recipe to themselves, the Gnomes decided to give the formula to the founders of Brassiere d’Achouffe (literally Brewery of Gnomes) in Belgium. Now, 6,666 years since the discovery of the spring and Gnome-style brewing began, we celebrate Gnome week by partaking of the beers and, in the case of at least one event, pairing them with great food.

The first event takes place at Total Wine and More at the St. John’s Town Center where you can taste several beers from Brassiere d’Achouffe. Stop by Friday, June, 8 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and enjoy samples of these enchanted brews with Marc Wisdom, Jacksonville Craft Beer Examiner, Springfield Brew Crew blogger, and I Know Jax’s The Beer Guy. Distributor representative Carolyn Graham will also be there to answer questions and hand out cookies (think elves here – what do you want there are no Gnome cookies).

The second event takes place both Friday and Saturday, June 8 and 9 at Pele’s Wood Fire. The Riverside eatery has dubbed the two-night event as “Gnome Gnights” and Chef Micah Windham has prepared a three course meal that is inspired by and paired with the Gnome’s brews. The menu for the event is:

First course

Bouquet Flower Salad, with La Chouffe Vinaigrette

Second course

Tomato and Rabbit Cappeletti Pasta with Garden Vegetable Ragu

Third course

Warm chocolate cake with La Chouffe Gelato

The special dinner is available for $30 and is sure to be a hit.

In addition to the special dinner, Pele’s is offering La Chouffe and Houblon Chouffe on tap.