The Betsy South Beach is serving its own beer inspired by the hotel's resident dogs, Betsy and Rosa.
The two pooches — the hotel's "canine executive officers" — belong to the Plutzik-Goldwasser family, owner of the Betsy Hotel. Both golden retrievers, Betsy and Rosa also stand as the unofficial greeters for the hotel's CEO cocktail hour, held every Friday at 5 p.m. in the Lobby Bar and hosted by managing director Zachary Plutzik.
"Not many people know the Betsy is a dog-friendly hotel where guests are welcome to dine with their pets in the restaurants’ outdoor areas," Plutzik says. "The Betsy also donates a portion of pet fees to two animal rescue programs, one in Miami-Dade and the other in Zimbabwe, the birthplace of our co-owner, Lesley Goldwasser."
The classic Austrian-style lager — named simply Betsy Rosa — was created as a collaboration between the Betsy's culinary team and the House of Motor Crafted Lifestyle, a Miami-based brewery best known for its serrat — Vienna-style lager.
Served exclusively at the hotel, the naturally fermented 5.3 percent alcohol-by-volume brew is described as light on the palate with notes of lemon zest, fresh-baked bread, and allspice, plus hints of honey and herbal hops ($7).
In addition to sipping the specialty beer, patrons can also pair their pints with the Lobby Bar's newest menu addition, Mangalica jamón. The restaurant is the first in Florida to offer the premium bone-in ham for onsite carving. Cured in Spain from pigs hailing from Hungary, the ham costs $25 per ounce and is available beginning at 5 p.m. daily.
The Betsy Hotel. 1440 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach; 305-673-0044; thebetsyhotel.com.