If you thought Whole Foods Market is just for picking up organic kale or more cheese than you know what to do with, you'd be sorely missing out on some of the culinary opportunities presented in their kitchens and education areas dubbed 'Lifestyle Centers'.
This coming Friday and Saturday, Whole Foods in both Wellington and Coral Springs will be hosting a couple of beer-centered events in a style that is usually reserved to a bar or restaurant.
See also: Founders Brewing Co. Introducing "Brewers Dozen" This Spring
Friday, January 31st at 6:30 p.m., Whole Foods Wellington will be cooking up a four course dinner with a pairing of local and international beers for $30 per person. Beer expert Chris Whaley will be on hand to help explain the pairings and to answer any beer questions, along with specialist Amanda Smith.
The menu is as follows:
First Course:
- Blood Orange, Fennel, and Beet Salad
- With Chimay Cinq Cents
Second Course:
- Carrot Soup with Miso and Sesame
- With Jai Alai IPA
Third Course:
- Petit Boeuf en Croute with a Mushroom Ragu (Beef Wellington)
- With Fuller's London Porter
Fourth Course:
- Crème Brulee and fresh berries
- With J.W. Lee's 2009 Harvest (Calvados Barrel)
Pre-register now with customer service to guarantee a spot.
If you're not up in central Palm Beach County, perhaps you can make it to the Whole Foods in Coral Springs on Friday as well to check out a food and beer pairing. Starting at 6:30 p.m., beer experts and store chefs will be going over the fundamentals of how flavors of beer and food can be matched, contrasted and enhanced.
The menu will include Spicy Curry Chicken with Meantime English IPA; Beer Braised Brisket Ragout with Chimay Premiere; and English Stilton with Boulder Brewing Killer Penguin Barleywine.
Tickets are $10 per person and include a 750 mL bottle of the diners' choice.
Then, on February 1 at 2 p.m. the store in Coral Springs is hosting its 7th annual 'Beer Offs'. Beer enthusiasts will taste test 8 different brews in this bracket-style battle and vote during each round to determine the beer champ.
The beers being put to judgement are:
Fruit Beers
Florida IPA's
Wheat Beers
Imperial Stouts
It's free to participate but space is limited to the first 50 beer enthusiasts, ages 21 and up. If you're interested, call customer service to register in advance - 954-753-8000. The store will also be accepting non-perishable food donations for the Broward Outreach Center of Pompano Beach.
Whole Foods Market in Coral Springs is located at 810 University Drive, Coral Springs (954-753-8000). Whole Foods Market in Wellington is located at 2635 Florida 7, Wellington (561-904-4000).
Doug Fairall is a craft beer blogger that focuses on Florida beers, and has been a homebrewer since 2010. For beer things in your Twitter feed, follow me @DougFairall and find the latest beer pics on Clean Plate's Instagram.
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