Harry's Beer Slam

   Last Tuesday we went to Harry's Pizzeria to participate in the first ever Harry's Beer Slam! It was such as great experience of delicious food and tons of beer and awesome people. The idea behind it was to vote on the best beer and food pairing between two participating local breweries. The breweries competing were Wynwood and Biscayne Bay, and each surprised us with a distinct beer they selected to pair with the dish. It was up to us to select the best match by voting with these really funny cardboard face cut-outs of the brewers.

As soon as we got there we were offered amazing appetizers for the reception part of the evening. We had Morel Mushroom Arancini with taleggio & aioli (croquetas!!), Shrimp toast Banh Mi, Baby Back ribs, and Kale Pizza; all this was offered along with Wynnewood's IPA and Biscayne's Miami Pale Ale. I believe this part was kind of the warm up for the voting, we tasted and decided more or less which was the best paring between the two beers and each of the appetizers.
                                                                          >>>that's 2 beers

Ribs!

1st course was next....
Crispy Pork Belly +++ Wynwood Magic City Pale Ale & Biscayne Saison
- the pork belly was perfectly crispy and tender, with just the right amount of fat! and it was served with oranges which added a nice sweetness and tanginess. This complimented beautifully with the Saison. With the Pale Ale, all the flavors came together in a kind of harmony making the citrus really shine which I really liked because I thought the Pale Ale was a bit on the bitter side.
                                                                          >>>2 beers
2nd Course
Braised Oxtail Terrine +++ Wynwood Pop's Porter & Biscayne Double Nine double IPA
-(terrine is like a pate, so in this case it was the deboned meat of the oxtail shaped into rounds ) this was my favorite dish of all...I just love, love, love oxtail! It had a nice smokey flavor, the beef was tender and it was served over barley and mulberries. The IPA was nice with the mulberries and the beef, I felt it was the best pairing, but most people, including Laz felt that the Porter was the best with the beef and all the other flavors.  
                                                                          >>> 2 more beers

Pure Deliciousness!!

3rd Course
Florida Blueberry Crostada +++ Wynwood La Rubia Pale Ale & Biscayne Buenas Noches Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
-This was served with a tiny scoop of malted milk ice cream!! Yum!! The Stout was really good with the ice cream and it was somewhat sweet and thick and dessert-like (I usually go for Stouts), but I am surprised to say that the Pale Ale was the best match with this. It was crisp and refreshing and was the best compliment with the blueberry.
                                                             >>>the last 2 beers


In the end.. the brewery with the best pairings overall was Wynwood, the interesting part was their choice of beers for each dish; especially the Pale Ale paired with the dessert which was a surprising but definitely a winning combination.

our selections

I'm really looking forward to the next beer & food paring event, these are just too much fun and I feel you learn so much about food and flavors, I just might need to skip two meals in order to be able to eat and drink everything.

...at the end of the night...

xo