TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) -- It's the most wonderful time of the beer!
Holiday beer pairings are what's on tap for this Pinterest Party.
Saralyn and Gabe Grass from GrassLands Brewery joined us on WTXL with their best brew advice.
GrassLands has several seasonal brews for this time of the year, including pumpkin, amber and IPA. You can also bring food to the taproom to pair with what's on tap.
Here's Gabe and Saralyn's advice for holiday pairings:
- Amber ales pair well with game birds and grains. The malt-forward beer has a residual caramel sweetness that compliments sauces that accompany dishes with game birds and vegetables. GrassLands offers a similar style with a twist called Groundation Amber Rye. It's an American Amber infused with rye malt and citrus hops, providing for a slight spicy finish.
- The American IPA (India Pale Ale) pairs well with grilled pork and/or chicken, especially with salty side-dishes and fried foods. The bitterness and flavors from heavy hop additions enhances barbecue flavors that would likely be used in grilled dishes. You can get a very popular IPA in our taproom called Rising Embers IPA - one that imparts tropical fruit flavors & aromas as well as IPA bitterness - which compliments a mildly sweet finish.
- Pumpkin-flavored beers pair very well with spicy dishes to mildly-sweet desserts. Pumpkin beers range in spiciness, but they typically compliment heavier spiced foods. The spicier versions pair exceptionally well with ice-cream. A reduction sauce made from a pumpkin beer would be amazing. We've got our own approach to the seasonal style called Pumpkin Tears - which gets its pumpkin flavor from added chai spices. It's an amber base style that's not overly spicy and finishes with an enjoyable sweetness. Only available once per year!
Click the thumbnail to see more of their advice.
GrassLands opened earlier this year, but because of state and federal licensing issues, the taproom could only serve other breweries' beer. But in July, Grassland started began brewing its own craft beer on a smaller, pilot system and started releasing batches to the public in September.
The company says they're waiting for a 15-barrel, production-sized brewing system that should be here by the end of the year, and "begin distributing its beer throughout Tallahassee by April 2016.
GrassLands Brewery is also hosting a "Grand(er) Opening" on Saturday, December 5 from noon until midnight. There's craft demonstrations, including blacksmithing and glass blowing, plus live music.
The first 1,000 people get a custom Grasslands bumper sticker.
GrassLands Brewery is located at 603 W. Gaines St. For more information, call (850) 765-3014 or click here.
Remember you can catch Pinterest Party every Wednesday morning on WTXL Sunrise. Also check us out on Pinterest for even more inspiration!
