October 17, 2015—Hosted by Balboa Bay Club’s own A&O Kitchen, the Brew Fest Weekend’s Saturday event went off with a bang! Dubbed the “Brew Fest Beer Garden Festival”, for only $60, event attendees were entreated to an epicurean array of all-you-can-drink craft beer, brought in by several local craft-beer vendors. This was complemented by an array of food stations shuffled amidst the beer vendors, as well as live music performed by Michael Jade.
Sampling what this event had to offer, I was enthralled by the beer and food selection. Four beer vendors were present at the event: Green Flash of San Diego (featuring beers Le Freak Belgian IPA and their Imperial IPA), Ballast Point (serving their Tongue Buckler imperial red and Dorado DIPA), The Dudes’ Brewing Company (serving their Kolschtal Eddy blonde and Grandma’s Pecan English-style brown), and Rough Draft Brewing Company (pouring their Weekday and Eraser IPAs). There was even a special bottled water vendor at the Beer Garden Festival—H20PS, a hop-brewed, sparkling water company. The representatives of these breweries were very friendly, and were great sources of information regarding the craft-brewing scene.
Tactfully complementing the tap-list, Chef Haggstrom devised several dishes that absolutely knocked the afternoon out of the park. From tuna tartare served with a shallots and basil sauce, to Cuban sandwich slivers with cheese sauce served in shot glasses, to a savory carnitas poutine with cilantro-jalapeño sauce. Even the dessert was savory, as a surprisingly-delicious caramelized-bone marrow was served with orange coconut crème puffs.
My experience with the Brew Fest Beer Garden Festival was first-rate—from the food, to the beer, to even the music! (Michael Jade’s cover duo was exceptional! Playing hours of music from several genres, their act was a definite crowd-pleaser!) To anyone reading this, I would gleefully state that you need to experience A&O Kitchen’s events for yourself! For more information on A&O Kitchen, or information on the vendors mentioned in this article, please visit the websites listed below:
A&O Kitchen
Green Flash Brewing
Ballast Point Brewing
The Dudes’ Brewing Company
Rough Draft Brewing Company
H2OPS – Hop-Brewed Sparkling Water
Michael Jade Music
