Pride Pub: Orlando City vs. Toronto FC

Welcome back to the Pride Pub! This Wednesday, Orlando City hosts Eastern Conference foe Toronto FC. However, what is really important is that the teams are playing on my birthday and I’ll be at the game. That makes this the most important Pride Pub we’ve ever had! So, without further ado, here are the beer and food pairings to make it a great day, even if it isn’t your birthday.

Just a reminder on how this works: we choose a craft beer from the country/state/city of our opponent and we include an appropriate recipe to go along with it. Of course, we also choose a Florida craft beer to complement our other recipe, and to represent our Orlando City Lions here in the beautiful Sunshine State.

From Toronto - St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, St. Ambroise - McAuslan Brewery

Like so many other brewers, Peter McAuslan left a boring old job in 1989 to strike out on his own to brew a better beer. Though he has retired, the brewery he started still cranks out excellent brews and, fortunately for us, it’s available outside of Quebec.

According to the brewery:

"St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout’s expert blend of deeply roasted malts has made it an international medal winner, including on of the nine Platinum medals awarded at the 194 World Beer Cup. You’ll fall in love with your first sip of this rich brew punctuated by espresso and chocolate notes, topped with a thick, creamy hear with just a hint of mocha."

Pair with: Stout-marinated Steak Tips. Stouts pair fairly well with most foods, and since it’s my birthday, we’re going with these steak tips. Plus, they are delicious.

Dave's recommendation: Twice Baked Potatoes. If you haven’t had twice baked potatoes before, you’re in for a treat. They will go great with both the steak tips and the stout.

From Florida - Twist of Cane Double IPA, Tomoka Brewing Company

In the past, we’ve recommended heading over to Port Orange with your growler to get one of their beers. If you want to do that, you certainly may. Fortunately, Twist of Cane is also available in cans closer to home.

According to the brewery:

"Brewed with Fresh-pressed Florida Sugar Cane, this DIPA is a nice balance between malty, hoppy, and dry with a perceived sweetness and mouthfeel!"

Pair with: Taco Burgers! Tacos? Burgers? How is a person to decide? I say heck with it, we’ll just combine the two! Admit it, Taco burgers sound awesome.

Dave's recommendations: Taco Fries! Doubling down on the taco awesomeness! Try this dipping sauce for dunking those tasty fries.

Thank you for stopping by the Pride Pub and having a beer with me on my birthday. As always, please comment below and let us know what you think. Vamos Orlando!