Pride Pub: Orlando City at New England Revolution

Here at the Pride Pub we provide craft beer selections and delicious chow recommendations to prepare you for Orlando City matches. Just a reminder on how this works: we choose a craft beer from the state/city/area of our opponent and include a recipe to pair with that beer. We also choose a Florida craft beer to represent our Lions and the beautiful Sunshine State. This week, Orlando City heads to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Revolution. It feels like we just did this, but here we go again!

From New England - UFO Hefeweizen, Harpoon Brewery

Started in 1986 by Dan Kenary, Rich Doyle, and George Ligeti, Harpoon Brewery became an employee owned company in 2014. That's doing craft beer the right way. While we can have plenty of respect for Harpoon, let's hope New England will have to respect us taking three points this Sunday. Wait...haven't we said all of this before? Moving on.

According to the brewery:

"UFO Hefeweizen, an American wheat beer, pours a cloudy, golden color with a dense, frothy head. Because it is unfiltered, the yeast accounts for the cloudiness of the pour as well as a faint but clear citrus-like character. We serve UFO Hefeweizen with a wedge of lemon to complement its fruity, tart fragrance."

Appearance: hazy, golden yellow, fine, foamy head.

Aroma: clean citrus, crackery

Mouth feel: light bodied, never thin

Taste: tart wheat, sweet malt

Finish: quenching, refreshing

Pair with: Wheat Beer Roasted Chicken. The light taste of a hefeweizen compliments poultry recipes on a normal day. This recipe lets you use some of the beer when preparing the dish. Don't forget to save some for drinking.

Dave's recommendations: Some Lemony Roasted Potatoes to go with your roasted chicken. Additionally, there are the complimentary flavors when you have the lemon on the top of your drink.

From Florida - Crusher Session IPA, Funky Buddha Brewery

Thanks to Ryan Sentz, the hookah and tea bar formerly known as the Funky Buddha Lounge has been turned into an excellent purveyor of craft beer. You can check out more here.

According to the brewery:

"We heart session beers. There's nothing quite like whiling away an afternoon with a six pack of something crisp, clean, and light enough to walk away from when the job is done. But we also demand flavor -- hops at that, and the more the better. Meet the Crusher: this poundable session IPA is brewed with 2-row barley and a touch of caramel malt for depth, accented with loads and loads of late-addition hops. Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops provide an IPA-sized dose of intensely fruity, citrusy hop aroma without an overly bitter finish. This is the IPA bar stools were invented for."

Pair with: Fried Fish. New England has their clam chowder, but in the South we fry our seafood.

Dave's recommendations: French fries and hush puppies, of course.

We hope you will enjoy this week's selections and that Orlando City comes home with a victory. As always, we'd love your feedback in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!