October 10, 2013 | Posted in:Craft Beers, Special Events
The main entrance to the outside pavilion- completely sheltered from the elements, but allowed us to enjoy the great breezes and the beautiful evening.
Jake’s American Bar is located on the lower level of the Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando. For several years Jake’s has hosted monthly beer pairing dinners featuring creative menus to highlight great craft beers. If you are a craft beer enthusiast, Jake’s Beer dinner should be on your list of events to hit- if you haven’t already. On Friday, October 4th, Jake’s expanded their beer pairing format from the four course dinner and held their first full scale craft beer festival. The outside pavilion at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort provided a lovely atmosphere for the evening and is regularly used for the weekly Luaus, weddings and other special events. We were quickly checked in and could hear The Hindu Cowboys playing from the pavilion stage, they played the whole night and were quite entertaining.
So many great craft beers! Next time, I’m making a list and checking it twice.
Upon arriving, attendees were given a very handy map with a complete listing of the beer stations, I’d recommend using that handy map to make notes and check off your favorites. If you didn’t plot a course, it was very easy to get distracted (ooooooo, shiny!) as there was so much to see and enjoy. And, because every station featured really nice producers of craft beers from Florida and across the nation, it was easy to get side-tracked (squirrel!!) along the way. Our group managed to try just about every beer offered, which is pretty impressive considering the extensive list.
Beer basted grilled mini bratwurst and knockwurst on a mini soft roll with sauerkraut, Dijon and whole grain mustards.
The Oktoberfest theme was prominent in the six gourmet food stations. I had a chance to speak with Ron Cope, Executive Sous Chef, who helped to create the festival menu and has a love of craft beers. Cope enjoyed working with Andy Kuritz, Jake’s American Bar Manager, and John Power, the Food and Beverage Director for Lowes Royal Pacific Resort in coming up with flavor-packed small plates that paired with the wonderful beers being presented at the festival. While you were free to enjoy your favorite beers with the food, there were suggested pairings listed at each food station. We sampled various beers with the food and found the suggested beer pairing did add a special nuance and complimented the flavors beautifully.
The Charcuterie station featured Bavarian blu and Butterkäse cheeses, served with country chicken sausage terrine and all natural pork pate with pistachios.
Craft beer producers from around the country came out for the inaugural craft beer event.
Each pouring station was attended by friendly representatives of the breweries or the distributors, who had great information to pass on about the beers being sampled. Every person I spoke with could easily inform us where the tasty brews could be purchased around town to recreate the experience at home.
Having the opportunity to try so many great craft beers side by side, was a great. The Old Chub Scotch Ale was very tasty.
I’ve attended many beer festivals over the years, Jake’s took things to a new level by focusing on well-crafted beers and pairing them with delicious gourmet food.
Beer basted grilled mini bratwurst on a mini soft roll with sauerkraut.
Saurbraten with parsley spätzle tossed with Emmentaler cheese.
Chicken and Waffles featured crispy chicken cutlets with freshly made BACON waffles and a jalapeno maple syrup.
If you wanted to amp up your craft beer festival experience, you could upgrade your ticket to the VIP room. Located in Jake’s American Bar, the VIP room featured plenty of seating, 4 more exclusive craft beer stations and had a drawing for an opportunity to help tap the keg of Cigar City’s Jai Alai On Blueberries. Cigar City also pouring a vertical tasting of Marshal Zhukov from 2012 and 2013, the Cucumber Saison and the current release of Good Gourd.
Jake’s VIP room was packed with happy craft beer fans! A keg from Cigar City was tapped and there was an additional 4 tasting stations (about 20 beers).
Lebkuchen Cookies cinnamon and anise gingerbread, chocolate covered or sugar dusted.
The next Jake’s American Bar beer dinner will be held on Friday, November 15th at 7:00 pm and will feature the Ommegang Game of Thrones craft beers. The four course dinner is $55 per person and includes self parking validation. Look for another Jake’s Beer Festival sometime this spring, while the weather is still inviting. For more information on upcoming special events look at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort Facebook events page or sign up for the special events email list by emailing royalpacificconcierge@loewshotels.com.
Jake’s American Bar
Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando
6300 Hollywood Way
Orlando, FL 32819
(888) 430-4999
[contact-form][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]
Lisa Wilk
Hello, I'm Lisa Wilk! I'm a freelance food, wine and travel writer, photographer and presenter based out of Orlando, FL. While covering local restaurants and food events in the #1 tourist destination in the US, I find endless cooking inspiration when dining out. You'll often find me in the kitchen putting my own spin on those elevated chef creations to enjoy at home and when entertaining. I have a love and enthusiasm for wine, wine education and wine pairing. Find me about town teaching and demystifying wine as part of the popular @TheTastyTrio in the popular Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Perfectly Paired program series I've co-developed. Taste, Cook and Sip along with me on Twitter and Instagram at @TasteCookSip and @WineChix! Cheers!
1 Comment
- Taste Cook Sip | Top 5 Friday- Festival Edition - […] Jake’s Beer Festival Brings Over 90 Craft Beers to Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orl… […]
*
Leave a Reply