If you ever wondered if attending a brewmaster event was for you, stop wondering. When you combine great food, award winning craft beer and a cafe packed to capacity with beer enthusiasts, there is something to be enjoyed by everyone. We had a great time attending our 2nd Summer Brewmaster Series at Tucker Duke's Lunch Box and it more than lived up to our expectations. Funky Buddha was the featured brewery and chefs Brian Cartenuto and George Patti were on hand to duke it out to see who could conjure up the best pairing with each beer. We enjoyed 2 plates for each of the 4 courses and 4 delicious craft brews from regional Florida brewery , Funky Buddha.
After arriving we were seated at a table with 2 women who were there to enjoy there first brewmaster food pairing event. As we raised our first glasses to a toast we knew we were in for a good time.
COURSE 1: The first course was grilled shrimp watermelon salad vs. fried chicken watermelon salad, paired with Watermelon Hop Gun IPA (8%ABV). The grilled shrimp was seasoned with chile, lime, cilantro and cojita cheese. The chicken was BBQ rubbed chicken skins on a bed of arugula with a pepper jelly vinaigrette. They both paired perfectly with the Watermelon IPA.
COURSE 2: Next up, course two. Piononos stuffed fried sweet plantain picadillo arugula salad vs. a homemade pretzel croissant and welsh rabbit, paired with Floridian Hefeweizen (5.2% ABV). Are you getting the idea that this is not a typical beer event? You can think of it as a chef professional poker battle where every diner was dealt a fullhouse. We had to constantly remind ourselves our first focus was supposed to be on the beer. Florida is a flagship IPA from Funky Buddha we enjoy often.
COURSE 3: braised Cuban lamb shank vs five spice pork tenderloin paired with French Toast Double Brown Ale (8.8% ABV). The lamb shank with orange BBQ glaze was delicious made even better by the garlic malanga mash. The tenderloin had a yummy port and orange demi glaze and came with a side of potato fondue and kohlrabi slaw. It was fall off your seat delicious. The noise level in the room reached a level that rivaled an NHL playoff game. It was a mixture of moans of pleasure and squeels of excitement. French Toast is usually the center of attention when it is brought to the table so the chefs knew they had to pile on layers of good flavor and texture compete. Just like in a battle of the bands, the audience always wins. We were so happy to be judging this performance.
COURSE 4: Bring on desert. We had orange moose cake vs an orange and chocolate tart, paired with Hop Stimulator Double IPA (9.5% ABV). This was not your typical desert pairing. Funky Buddha picks the beer for each course and they thought they would throw a curve to the chefs by ending with a double IPA - go ahead I dare you. They tried their best to compete with the double hoppy IPA by bringing in a sweet and tart combination, and it worked. After finishing 6 dishes and 3 craft brews most guests ge the last course to go. The double IPA was the final stanza in the symphony and it ended with cannon fire and pyrotechnics.
We all got a Funky Buddha pint glass as a parting gift and a promise to do it again. We highly recommend attending this event. It's perfect for foodies, beer enthusiasts and anyone looking for a fun night out. We hope to see you at the next one.
Cheers!