Cigar City Beer List

Since landed in Orlando one of the local breweries we have gotten to sample is Cigar City.
My favorite is the Florida Cracker a white ale with unmalted wheat , orange peel and coriander. It is nice a light for a hot day but not too sweet. It has floral and citrus aromas and flavors with just a slight spiciness. We also tried the Invasion Pale Ale. This is a hoppier pale ale with caramel malt and papaya, mango, lime and peach. The fruit and the hopps have a nice balance and it is not overly fruity.

Via Napoli Food and Beer Pairing

Initially we were a little disappointed that the Epcot Food and Wine Festival was not offering more premium dining experiences the week we attended. Instead, we decided to try one of the lunch offering. Preferring a good beer to wine; I immediately was attracted to the Italian beer lunch at Epcot’s Via Napoli. My husband did not know what to expect be the only Italian beer we had tried was not good. Our adventure paid off and we were rewarded with discovering a whole new beer destination.

The beer lunch takes place on select Tuesdays and features a changing four course menu of fine Italian dishes and often rare beers. I had read on other blogs that one of the negatives in the past was a lack of explanation for the beers, unlike similar wine events. To my delight the lunch was presented by someone with a vast knowledge of beer and especially Italian beers, a certified beer sommelier. There are only a few beer sommeliers in the world and one works directly with Via Napoli.

Upon check in were greeted with a refreshing citrus water and seated at our tables in a private area off of the main dining room. One of the managers, Antonio, greeted us and introduced Eric who explained how the beer scene is emerging in Italy. Within the last few years Italy has grown to have over 800 breweries. He explained that there is still a stigma to drinking beer in a wine loving country like Italy so the bottles are often elaborately decorated and made the same size as wine bottles so that others would not know you were drinking beer.      

The first course was Bocconcini di Bufala e Carciofi Tartufati (Buffalo Mozzarella with Truffled Artichokes) paired with La Cinque from Birrificio L’Olmaia. This was a light yellow beer had herbal and floral notes with a slight taste of honey that complimented the richness of the oil. Next was my favorite, Moretti’s La Rosa. This double malt has a rich caramel color and the flavor and fragrance of figs and raisins. It was served with a roman style pizza with Proscuitto (Pizza Romano al Proscuitto) the saltiness of the prosciutto was a pleasant contrast to the sweet beer. Next the Colette di Vitello con Cicoria e Olive (Veal Cutlet with Chickory and Olives) was paired with my husband’s favorite  Contessa from Birra Amiata. This was a smooth IPA with a nice variety of hopps with herbal floral and citrus notes including grapefruit and tangerine. The dessert course was a cream and pistachio Cannolo (Cannolo Bicolore) the rich cream and pistachio was and good contrast to the light, crisp wheat beer Bionda from Amacord This floral and citrus beer is a collaboration with Brooklyn Beer Company. It features Orange Blossom honey and types of hopps. The bottle was designed by the same artist who created the “I love New York” logo.

The restaurant staff went all out to make us feel at home. The often poured more of our favorites and one server even danced the Tarantella in honor of the events 5^th year at the festival. The manager and sommelier made several visits to check on each table and were both friendly and knowledgeable. The chef also came out to great us all and make sure we liked the food. On the way out we all received bags of cantucci (a biscotti type almond cookie) to take home.

Michigan Beer List

I know it has been awhile since my last post but the sabbatical and two month road trip has begun. I started back home in Detroit, Michigan. While we have not yet visited any breweries or tap rooms I have had the opportunity to taste a few craft brews around town. Here is the list so far:

Atwater Dirty Blonde- Atwater is one on Detroit's and Michigan's first craft brewers. I actually interviewed for a job there when they opened in 1997. Dirty Blonde is a smooth blonde ale with a little more of a kick than similar blondes. It has a faint sweetness with orange peel and coriander but it is not overly  fruity.

Bell's Oberon - This beer has a wheat malt and spicy hopps with a slight orange flavor. It's a good summer beer but I would describe it as Michigan's Blue Moon.

Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA - This is a dry-hopped IPA. It is crisp and bold but surprising smooth. It has a hazy cooper color and floral and pine aromas. It is an IPA that this non-IPA drinker would order because it is not overly bitter.
Founder's Devil Dancer- A summer limited release. This dry-hopped beer has 10 kinds of hopps and a 12% avb content. It sneaks up on you with a punch.

Motor City Brewing Works GhettoBlaster - This English style ale is Motor City's flag ship beer. It has a light brown color and a biscuit flavor. It is slightly bold but not too strong and a good anytime beer.

Motor City Brewing Works Pumpkin Ale - This seasonal is a satisfying pumpkin offering with Detroit grown pumpkins, Belgian yeast and seasonal spices.

Short's Brewing Cinnabilly - The name and the logo of a goat with cinnamon bun horns peaked my curiosity. This beer has a clear caramel appearance with strong aromas of cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar. It has a sweet malt with hints of graham crackers and toasted almond but well balanced and not unbearably sweet.

Stay tuned for more my friends. I also got to try some local meads and ciders and has a tap room visit planned this week.