Pride Pub: Orlando City vs. Colorado Rapids

Well, the wins just keep on coming. This week the Pub is back, as Orlando City hosts the Colorado Rapids in the fortress that is Orlando City Stadium. The Lions look to maintain their perch atop the Eastern Conference with a win this Saturday. To help you enjoy, we’ve chosen some grub and grog to keep your spirits high and your bellies full.

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 Colorado: Milk Stout, Left Hand Brewing Co.

As a left-handed American, I’ve always had an affinity for Left Hand Brewing Co. But even I didn’t know that they came up with the name to honor Chief Niwot (which is the Arapahoe word for “left hand”). Chief Niwot’s tribe would winter near the St. Vrain River. Left Hand Brewing Co. also makes its home near that same river just outside of downtown Longmont, CO. Of course, they honor us all with outstanding beers, including their Milk Stout.

According to the brewery:

"Rosted malt and coffee flavors build the foundation of this creamy sweet stout. Milk sugar in your stout is like cream in your coffee. Dark and delicious, America’s great milk stout will change your perception about what a stout can be. ‘Preconceived notions are the blinders on the road to enlightenment.’ Udderly delightful.”

Pair with: Bacon-Wrapped Venison Tenderloin with Garlic Cream Sauce. Milk stouts (also know as sweet stouts) pair very nicely with wild game meats. So if you can get your hands on some venison tenderloin, you will thoroughly enjoy your dinner this weekend.

Dave’s Recommendations: Roasted New Red Potatoes. A perfect complement to both the beer and the tenderloin. These tasty red potatoes aren’t the slightly boring variety you may have had in the past.

From Florida: Under the Rose Pale Ale, Hourglass Brewing-Subrosa Brand

As so many of these stories start, it was two friends with a passion for brewing beer, that then expanded into a full time endeavor. Hourglass prides itself on the exacting standards it uses when sourcing ingredients for its creations, whether local or from around the world. This particular pale ale is a limited release for the Subrosa BMX bike company, so get it while you can.

According to the brewery’s own press release:

"We wanted to create a craft beer that embodies Subrosa's brand and offers truly unique flavors for this debut event," said Mike DeLancett, head brewer at Hourglass Brewing. "This New England-style pale ale is a bit cloudier from the yeast and grain bill, and is distinguished by the fruity and floral character of the hops. In addition, this particular beer was brewed with rose hips, an accessory fruit of the rose plant, and will be exclusively available on draft at the Hourglass taproom day of, and in 16 oz. tall boy cans around the state of Florida."

Pair with: Grilled Taco Burgers. Pale ales and burgers are a classic pairing, but we’re going to spice it up a bit with this taco-riffic twist.

Dave’s Recommendations: Mexican Street Fries with Salsa Ketchup. You were expecting chips and salsa, well not with this burger.

Thank you for stopping by Pride Pub, Mane Landers. We hope you enjoy these pairings while you watch the Lions take on the Colorado Rapids in the Fortress this Saturday, Let us know which pairing you went with in the comments below. Go City!