Wednesday marked the kick-off of Veritage; a four-day jubilation dedicated to foodies, winos, and beer guts. The Wednesday inauguration lured hundreds to the paint-splattered Wynwood Walls, where a bevy of beer, wine, and food stations sat awaiting those who longed to dive into food comas and utter inebriation. MSM, of course, was invited to partake in such festivities.
Arriving at the event, two lines of – what appeared to be – working interns, greeted guests, hovering over them on either side of the long curvy walkway that led to the festival. Slapping the interns some high-fives like we were heavyweight champs approaching the arena only seemed appropriate. Finally, stepping foot into the crockpot of dark malts and Brioche burgers, the shuffle began.
Oscillating from beer booth to beer booth was the perfect beginning to get adrenaline juices pumping and build a hefty appetite.
Negra Modelo was the first brewskie checked off on our list. We opted for the darkest beer they had. Usually dark beer has the tendency of being overbearing and the type of beer that grows hair on one’s chest, but misconceptions were shot down with a smooth brew and a sweet twist at the end.
Other candidates like SmithWick’s Premium Irish Ale, Adelbert’s Triple B, and New Belgium’s Fat Tire, made the cut of the night’s top picks.
After extinguishing the thirst, hunger still lingered. Problem solved thanks to local faves like Midtown’s City Hall Restaurant with their crave-worthy Pulled Pork Sandwiches on a Brioche bun, and Gilbert Bakery serving up some mean Hummus.
“We brought our vegan white-bean hummus on a plantain chip and our asparagus croquet with a bacon Parmesan sauce,” said the chipper girl working the Gilbert Bakery booth.
But perhaps the fattiest surprise of the night hailed from Miccosukee Resort in the Everglades.
“This is a 24-hour, braised pork shoulder served on homemade Brioche with a charred-Vidalia onion apple butter, ripe green apple, chicharrones, and a Vermont white-cheddar foam.”
All compacted into a wee sandwich.
“I just gained weight listening to that,” joked a hungry patron, swooping up the Brioche bun covered in artery-clogging ingredients.
Apparently, Brioche was the theme of the night, pairing up nicely with some beer burps and good-time memories made.
