Sean Grimburg's Wellington burger is topped with bleu cheese and a foie gras-truffle-onion sauce. At BGR, his place in the Gables, they also serve a crisp pint of nutty-coffee flavored Maduro Cigar City Oatmeal Brown Ale. Try 'em this evening for BGR The Burger Joint's first ever Artisanal Beer Tasting event in Coral Gables.
The event features a series of hand-crafted beers and a presentation by a rotating guest list of brewmasters and beer experts. A $25 ticket includes an invitation to BGR tonight, with off-the-menu beer and burger pairings, and a chance to meet Grimburg (who says his charm is worth $20 alone).
Expect to try six different varieties of beer, three of which are not on the menu. Hand-crafted in small batches by experienced brewmasters, these aren't the normal off-the-shelf brands either. There will be Sweaty Betty, a Hefeweissen wheat ales with a subtle hint of banana and clove, Tampa's own Cigar City Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale, described as a "New Castle for men," this beer has a chocolate-coffee-nut-flavor with 5.5% alcohol by volume, and Stone Levitation Ale, a gold medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival with a hint of citrus, a hop bitterness up front, but a sweetness at the end.
Don't expect small portions either. Each tasting is six ounces. The best part? It's all-you-can-drink.
"I think we'll open up one of the kegs at the end of the night and have fun," says Grimburg.
Oh yeah, and there are burgers too. Three different kinds of burgers will be available, along with onion rings and fries. Try a Southwestern topped with chipolte and poblano peppers, black bean salsa and pepperjack cheese, or a Wellington burger layered with bleu cheese, caramelized onions and topped with a foie gras-truffle sauce. Not just simply meat, cheese, bun and toppings, these burgers are
gourmet, made with prime dry-aged beef, which one rarely sees outside of
upscale butcher shops because of the considerable expense involved. The burgers aren't just beef, there is also an Ahi tuna burger with grilled pineapple, pickled ginger and teriyaki sauce.
Grimburg describes his burgers as "like going to Morton's, getting the best New York strip steak, and shoving it through a meat grinder."
Only 30 tickets are available because the venue is small and Grimburg wants to keep the experience "intimate." But don't worry, he s committed to having this event indefinitely. It ich will occur every first Thursday of the month, from 7 to 9 p.m. at BGR The Burger Joint at 232 Miracle Mile in Coral Gables. No local beers will be served tonight, but in the future Grimburg hopes to bring them out of the woodwork.
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