Pride Pub: Orlando City at New York City FC

Welcome back! It’s always fun in the Pub following a stoppage-time goal to win the game at Orlando City Stadium. The Purple Palace. The Fortress. This Sunday, the Lions travel north to take on New York City FC in the Big Apple. Yankee Stadium is not a soccer stadium, but it isn’t home either. Let’s hope Orlando City can keep on rolling.

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 New York: Hoptical Illusion IPA, Blue Point Brewing Co.

Blue Point Brewing Co. is a very New York type of brewery. Just reading their “About” section will tell you everything you need to know...almost. They may have started out in humble fashion, but in 2014 the brewery started by Mark Burford and Pete Cotter sold control to Anheuser-Busch InBev. They are still involved in the day-to-day operations, and the brewery is still in New York, so I decided to let it slide. Suffice to say, they brew for themselves and if there’s any left over, well then we can buy it.

According to the brewery:

"To brew this award-winning well balanced IPA, we add plenty of hops five different ways. Adding it five ways allows the ‘Essence of the Hop’ to really shine through and give Hoptical Illusion its signature resiny, citrus-burst punch. From aroma to first sip, this beer is sure to be one of your new favorites."

Pair with: Meatball Sliders. The great thing about sliders is you can really customize your portions. And they look great on a tray for your guests.

Dave’s Recommendations: Double Fried French Fries. A little more work, but you and your guests are worth it. Plus, they’re tastier than a salad.

From Florida: Trekker Bier Saison, Central 28 Beer Co.

Over in the little Central Florida town of DeBary, a brewery has started making some fantastic beers. We’ve featured their beers before, and Trekker Bier is just as good as all the others. It is a tasty Saison, perfect for when the weather starts to warm up.

According to the brewery:

“We journeyed the globe in our search to connect the bounty of the earth and the contents of the glass. Along the way, a series of appellation adventures inspired a dry, refreshing, straw-colored, unfiltered treasure we call Trekker, an adventurous bier synergized as a tribute to the earth’s best terroir—geography, geology and climate that results in the best craft-malted barley from Canada, aromatic hops from New Zealand—inspired by Belgian “grisette”-style farmhouse ales. We searched around the world and then worked our alchemy right here in Central Florida.”

Pair with: Spiced Pork Tacos. Saisons are light and refreshing, which makes them perfect for countering rich and spicy. The avocado crema and peach salsa on the other hand will complement the saison. It’s a complex pairing that should delight and satiate at the same time.

Dave’s Recommendations: Black Bean Salad. Just as the the tacos are a mix of spicy and sweet, so is this Black Bean Salad. Enjoy!

Pride Pub thanks you for your patronage, Mane Landers. Let us know which pairing you went with, while you enjoy watching the Lions take on New York City FC this Saturday, in the comments below. Go City!