Imagine for one second a festival that’s like one big beer dinner. You check in; grab a glass, a plate and a festive wristband; then eat and drink until your heart’s content. On Feb. 2, the guys and gals at the OC Brewers Guild bring you an event that’s perfect not only for the foodie in all of us, but also for the beer lover who forgets to eat at a beer fest.
OC Palate is a perfect marriage of beer produced on OC soil and delicious bites sizzled together by some of the area’s renowned chefs. Fest-goers can grab small-plate pairings and learn about the inspiration and intention behind them. It’s sort of like the show Iron Chef, only the secret ingredient is beer, and we’re all the judges. Allez cuisine!
The last Brewers Guild fest I attended, the OC Brewers Mash in October, was not only a tremendous improvement from previous events in organization and check-in, but it was also incredibly well-attended with a huge, friendly crowd. Plus, the brewers themselves showed up en masse to support the event.
More than 25 breweries will be on hand, and local chefs include:
Craig Brady of Haven Craft Kitchen & Bar
Daniel Castillo of Heritage Barbecue
Jason Quinn of the Playground
Andrea Machuca of Culinary Underground
Justin Miller of Gunwhale Ales
Michael Rossi of the RANCH Restaurant & Saloon
Max Schlutz of Sessions West Coast Deli
Patrick Whittaker of Bottle Logic Brewing
OC Palate: A Beer & Food Event at Heritage Museum of Orange County, 3101 W. Harvard St., Santa Ana; events.ocbrewers.org/e/ocpalate. Feb. 2, 5-9 p.m. $100. 21+. Fans of this column can use code NAGEL15 for 15 percent off the ticket price, if they order in advance!
Greg Nagel has been writing about beer since 2011, is an avid homebrewer of wine, cider, and beer, is a certified Cicerone Beer Server, level 1 WSET in Wine, a podcaster with the Four Brewers Show, and runs a yearly beer festival called Firkfest happening on June 29th in Anaheim!
Event has been postponed due to poor weather.
Um… “Due to the forecasted weather and logistical challenges we are afraid that we can’t provide the experience that we intended and you expect with OC Palate. At this time we are postponing the event, with the intention to host it later in 2019. If you purchased tickets, we will refund your ticket purchase and service fees if you’d like, or you can wait and see if our future date works for you. Thank you so much for your understanding.” This is from the Guild on Monday 1/28/19