Pride Pub: Orlando City vs. New York Red Bulls

We know things didn’t go as planned in Columbus, but the Lions are back in Orlando for their first match against the New York Red Bulls. Hopefully the supporters and atmosphere of the new stadium will enable Orlando City to get back to their winning ways. For our part, let’s figure out the best grub and grog for supporting our Lions.

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: Brooklyn Lager, Brooklyn Brewery

In 1998, Steve Hindy and Tom Potter quit their jobs to start the Brooklyn Brewery. Like many new brewers, they relied on word of mouth initially. They did one thing that was different. Hindy and Potter hired Milton Glaser to design the brewery logo. Glaser is the creator of the logo for the “I Love New York” ad campaign. If you hire that guy, you know that you’re not messing around. When it comes to their beers they go the extra mile as well.

According to the brewery:

In the late 1800s Brooklyn was one of the largest brewing centers in the country, home to more than 45 breweries. Lager beer in the “Vienna” style was one of the local favorites. Brooklyn Lager is amber-gold in color and displays a firm malt center supported by a refreshing bitterness and floral hop aroma. Caramel malts show in the finish. The aromatic qualities of the beer are enhanced by “dry-hopping,” the centuries-old practice of steeping the beer with fresh hops as it undergoes a long, cold maturation. The result is a wonderfully flavorful beer, smooth, refreshing and very versatile with food. Dry-hopping is largely a British technique, which we’ve used in a Viennese-style beer to create an American original.

Pair with: New York Style Chili. The not too light, not too heavy taste of the lager is an excellent complement to the spice of the chili.

Dave’s Recommendations: Breadsticks. Anyone can do crackers with chili, but we’re going to step it up and recommend breadsticks for your dipping pleasure.

From Florida: Vega Blonde Ale, First Magnitude Brewing

You may remember that First Magnitude took their name from the nomenclature for the largest type of springs found in Florida. As such, all of their beer names follow the same principle. Vega is the the brightest star in the constellation of Lyra, thus making it a first magnitude star.

According to the brewery:

Vega is a light bodied, approachable, and easy-drinking choice that features a touch more hop character than a standard blonde ale. Vega is a first magnitude star that is especially beautiful and bright in the summer skies of the northern hemisphere. It’s no coincidence that this refreshing blonde ale pairs perfectly with summer star gazing and springs exploring.

Pair with: Wisconsin Bratwurst. First Magnitude claims the brewery’s blonde ale pairs perfectly with star gazing, and I’ll add brats to that list.

Dave’s Recommendations: Sauerkraut. When you have brats, you’ve gotta have the kraut. This is a pretty easy and quick sauerkraut recipe, so enjoy!

We thank you for stopping by the Pride Pub, Mane Landers. Let us know which pairing you went with, while you enjoy watching the Lions take on the Red Bulls this Sunday, in the comments below. Go City!