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Monday, October 5, 2009
Highlights from Brews by the Bay 2009
Posted by Katie Machol on Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 2:30 PM
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The Florida Aquarium's 'Brews by the Bay' event made quite a splash Saturday night. Creative Loafing was the media sponsor of the festivities, which started at 8 p.m. with a line that wrapped around the building (tickets having sold out before the event even started), full of partygoers who were eager to sample the many brews offered and the appetizing food from local restaurants.
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The party went on throughout the aquarium, with Four Star Riot playing downstairs, a DJ outside on the deck, and an acoustic musician playing inside the Coral Reef Gallery room, as well as scuba divers who interacted with the onlookers by writing messages on Etch-a-Sketch boards and performing acrobatics. Visitors were greeted by two live mermaids who offered photo opportunities (although it looked like most people were more interested in getting inside and downing their first beer). Guests had the chance to roam around the building to find all the food and drink spots while admiring the aquatic scenery.
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The beers featured at the event ranged from big names, like Budweiser and Michelob, to American craft brews, like Peak and Redhook, and some better known Belgian brews, like Stella Artois and Hoegaarden. Budweiser and Michelob had some of their newer hybrid beers to taste, such as the Bud Light Wheat - which still tasted like Bud Light, just more wheaty; Bud Select 55 - if you took Bud Select and mixed it with equal parts water, that's the flavor you'd get; Michelob DunkelWeiss - which wasn't as bad as I'd expected, a decent representation of the style; and Michelob Marzen - which tasted like Michelob with just a hint of malt.
Some of the standout beers of the night were Magic Hat's #9 - a refreshing, dry pale ale with hints of apricot (trying to make its way into the market in this area); Hook & Ladder's Backdraft Brown - malty, with a slightly nutty taste; and Leffe Blonde - a Belgian pale ale with hints of clove and spices and a touch bitterness in the finish.
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, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Fly Restaurant and Bar, Smoke Barbeque and Grill, Marrakech Restaurant, Square One Burgers, Weck's Deli, Pizzaiolo Bavaro, and Splitsville were some of the food providers for the event. Most of the small plates were finger food and mini sandwiches - perfect for a beer-themed party. Some of the more memorable dishes were the fried-to-order, deliciously salty fries from Five Guys - the perfect pairing for a cold brew; the mini burgers from Square One, which were cooked to order on a portable flat top; the tuna ceviche nachos from Splitsville; and the beef with chimichurri sauce from Fly - tender and cooked to a perfect medium rare.
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Other than being a bit crowded in some areas, the lines moved fairly quickly, allowing one to finish the beer they'd just gotten from another booth before having their mini mug refilled at a new one. And, as mentioned before, the fare was mostly finger food so it made it easier to eat while holding a beer. All in all, the party went swimmingly well - patrons enjoying everything offered and getting their fill of it. Because who's not going to have a good time when there's beer involved?
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