I had the pleasure of attending the First Annual Bite at the Beach in Manhattan Beach, which was ridiculously fun!  Although I rarely write about beer here, my guy is certainly a beer aficionado, which has rubbed off on me.  On our recent trip to Bruges and Brussels, he made it a point to try three new beers a day.  Success!  And on a few trips abroad, we went to brewery tours in Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the Czech Republic.  Besides that, there are a thriving host of beer festivals in Southern California, which we frequently attend.

But back to this event!

The reason that Bite at the Beach interested me was because it was a Food & Craft Beer pairing event.  That is pretty much everything we are looking for in a summer event: food, beer, relaxed atmosphere, and fellow foodies & brew lovers!  I had a fantastic time, and there was so much to eat, drink, and learn.  Ready for the tour?  Let’s go!

The event was held at MBS Media Campus, which was an interesting venue!  The campus is so large that we almost took advantage of the bikes… just kidding!  There was a fun little stretch of building facades called New York Street, which was like stepping on to a movie set!

The event itself donated a portion of the proceeds to The Surfrider Foundation, which had an informational booth about the organization.  The raffle itself included all kinds of items, such as dinners at participating restaurants, beer tours, items from local businesses.  That gym membership was probably popular, particularly by the end of the night!  😉

When we arrived at the tents, we knew we were in for an afternoon of fun.  This was only about a third of the pairings that we had to try, so we got mentally prepared and went for it!

Stella Artois was a major sponsor for the event and had easily the most impressive booth out there.  We received glasses and started our sampling!  We could choose from their on tap selection or…

…the new Stella Artois Cidre!  Both were crisp and refreshing on a warm day!

Special Barrel Room Collection

For the VIP hour, they had four different tastes for us.  I personally loved the cider, and I would to serve it for my next BBQ or pool party!

There were a few beer panels throughout the night, with everyone from beer makers, to beer aficionados, to chefs, and more, hosted by Adam Gertler!  It was informative and particularly hilarious to hear everyone’s opinions about beer pairings with food.  (Note: a challenge may have been issued by Beer Chick Christina Perozzi to Tin Roof Bistro & Simmzy’s chef Anne Connes to create a dinner pairing with exclusively West Coast IPAs, because she mentioned that it is impossible to pair them with food…  Challenge accepted!)

I really hope they have this again because the host and the panelists were fun and passionate about their craft!

Now, to the food and beer pairings!  For the most part, I took pictures of each dish and beer.  Most of the pictures were astoundingly good for juggling two glasses, a plate of food, my camera, and my phone, but a couple were duds.  It am definitely going to need to figure out how to make a camera holster or tool belt for future events!

In any case, here is each bite, each brew, links to the websites & social media for each participating restaurant and brewery, plus a bit of commentary on our favorites.  Enjoy!

Ceviche Marinero and Red Pepper Ceviche & Aguachiles
paired with
Kolsch Style Blonde Ale, Kolschtal Eddy

I was impressed by how fresh the octopus was and the red pepper ceviche was colorful and gorgeous!

Choice of 1) Peanut Butter Maple Bacon Cream-wich,  2) Strawberry Shortcake Cream’wich,  3) The Original Cream’wich
paired with
1) Hollenback Amber Ale,  2) Ohana Pacific Ale,  3) Hollenback Amber Ale with Coffee

A dessert and beer pairing?  I was pleasantly surprised, and this was not the only both to do so!

Traditional Hawaiian Ahi Poki, Apicy Mussels and Sweet n’ Spicy Lobster Chowder
paired with
Brown Porter and an IPA

I had never heard of Darren’s Restaurant before, but I was really impressed!  All three dishes were great, and the chowder reminded me a bit of a Thai curry, which I love.  We are definitely stopping in for a visit soon!

Mini Cannolis, Antipasto Bites, Original & Strawberry Cheesecake
paired with
Angeleno IPA

Having eaten at Grimaldi’s in the past, I was eager to have some of their awesome pizza, so I was a bit disappointed at first.  But honestly, the cannolis were possibly the best I have ever eaten and the cheesecake (which was to the left of the antipasto plate) was fantastic!

1) Roquefort Panna Cotta  &  2) Chocolate and Salted Pretzel Pudding
paired with
1) Black Ray IPA Wookie Jack  &  2) Velvet Merlin Oatmeal Stout

The flavor combination of the Roquefort Panna Cotta was amazing!  It was a savory panna cotta, which I have never eaten before, topped with Laura Ann’s Jams, a future Shop Small Saturday feature.  A unique combination and definitely my favorite of the two!

Pan Fried Fish Cake with Citrus Aioli
paired with
Hottenroth Berliner Weisse

Since starting my blog, I have eaten at Simmzy’s four times!  (Seriously, check it out #1, #2, #3 & #4)  The food is great, the beer selection is plentiful, and it’s an awesome atmosphere.  One of our favorites!

Spicy Seared Tuna Loin with Lavender and Jalapeño Salsa
paired with
Lavender and Citrus Saison

One of the prettier food presentations, I must say!  Also, I liked the pairing of lavender flavors together with the beer to complement each other.

Key Lime Pie
paired with
Ginger Saison

I loved everything about this pairing.  Chef David LeFevre was there to welcome us, and asked if we like key lime pie.  Uh, who doesn’t?  But honestly, the pie was amazing and the beer was a nice dark, heavy taste to contrast with sweet and tart.

Pomegranate Cous Cous with Lavender Feta, Marcona Almonds, Grapefruit, and Mint paired with
paired with
La Grisette & Blind Ambition

On my recent trip to M.B. Post, I loved everything, so I was really looking forward to this.  Due to my fangirling over Chef LeFevre, I did not get a good picture of the dish, and it is such a shame because it was amazing.  The couscous itself was lovely, and the fruit, nuts, and cheese were perfect flavors to complement the beer.  The girl at Ladyface Ale was rocking out between pours to the music from the awesome DJ.  Definitely the most fun booth of the bunch!  🙂

For everyone that did not have enough beer, a booth for a wine break!

Jamaican Jerked Chicken Tacos
paired with
Rebel IPA

This was one of the prettiest tables of the event, with the colorful (and delicious) tacos and the seascape decor.  Also, I really liked this IPA, even though I typically stay away from them because they are “too hoppy.”

Da Works & Original Sausage with Pepperoni
paired withFortunate Islands & Lomaland

Pizza and beer: a classic combination!  Honestly, there is a reason that the two pair so well together.  🙂

1) Bruschetta, 2) Gyros, 3) Chocolate dessert
paired with
1) Citra Pale Ale, 2) Station #1 (a red ale)

I was pleasantly surprised with the bruschetta because even though it looked ordinary, the spread was earthy, salty, and garlicky.  Perfect with the paired beer from El Segundo Brewing Company!

This is a collection of home brewers who meet in Culver City.  One of them made a series of meads with different honeys, which my guy thoroughly enjoyed sampling!

Chicken Shawarma, Vegetarian Grape Leaves, Hummus or Spicy Hummus
paired with
Moose Drool

Yet another unexpected treat!  First of all, the plate of food was enormous compared to most of the other restaurants, but it was eaten all up.  🙂  And the white garlic sauce on the side looks ordinary, but it was really, really good.  Like, I-could-eat-it-every-day good.

New Orleans BBQ and Crab Cakes
paired with
Ballast Point Sculpin IPA

Manhattan Beach is know for its seafood spots, and this is a very popular one!  And we were lucky to have two dishes to sample!  Also, I learned that the beer from Ballast Point is named after the sculpin fish because of its sting.  Ooh!

1) Artisan Salumes (La Quercia Farms Prosciutto Americano) and Cheese (Laura Chenel Goat Cheese with Crostini, 2) Braised Beef Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes, Beef Jus and Creamy Horseradish
paired with
Mission Blonde Ale and Mission Amber Ale

Paul Martin’s is one of my guy’s favorite places for happy hour, so it was a treat to have this during the daylight hours!  And because my sister’s fiancé loves the San Diego breweries, we are very familiar with Mission Brewery.  🙂

Beer Steamed Clams and Linguica
paired with
Harvest Ball Orange Wheat

For a pizza place, these were some incredible clams!  A nice surprise, paired with a lighter beer from Strand Brewing Co.

1) Plov Rice & Veggies, 2) Kale Salad, 3) Belgian Waffles
paired with
1) Sofie, 2) Halia, 3) Matilda

One of our favorites of the night, it was like a full meal in one!  The waffles were ah-maz-ing.  I love that each part of the dish had a different beer pairing.  And the rice dish was in a huge cooker, which was fun to be served out of!

1) BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders and Honey Bourbon Cask Wheat & 2) Lemon Tartlets with Raspberry and Lemon Shandy
paired with
1) Belgian White Beer & 2) Raspberry Wheat Beer

The sliders were colorful and fun, and the tartlets were a nice, sweet little dessert.  I have an affinity for little food as you know.  🙂  The pairings were wonderful, once again!

1) Smoked salmon chowder & 2) sweet & spicy Asian style shrimp ceviche
paired with
1) Abel brown – Coffee Brown Ale & 2) The Quest (el dorado) – Single Hop Pale Ale

Even more fresh seafood and beer!

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Shrimp with a Chipotle Honey, Ahi Tuna, Butterscotch Custard with Salted Caramel
paired with
Nevada Pale Ale & Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA

Another full table of food and drink!  It is a good thing it was the last table, because we were stuffed!  That Butterscotch Custard was gooooood, so I was happy to end there.  🙂

And last not but not least, thanks to AQUAhydrate for keeping us hydrated on a hot day!

And that was the whole shebang!  It was a great event, and next year I will definitely keep a hand free next year for more food, beer, and photos.  We were familiar with a few of the restaurants and breweries before the event, but we found more than a few new favorites that we can add to the list!