Mike Hess Brewing + Zoe's Place - beer and food pairing

food and beer pairing at Mike Hess Brewing

Last month we were invited to attend a food and beer pairing through Amanda from Passion Roots PR. The drinks were from Mike Hess Brewing while the food was from Zoe's Place food truck. I've been exploring beer lately so this event got a resounding YES from me. I generally prefer stouts but a few others have managed to tickle my fancy! I'm down to find more!

Mike Hess Brewing entrance

A small group of bloggers met for dinner at Mike Hess Brewing in North Park. To get to the tasting room, we walked over a raised bridge between massive beer vats. I remember being impressed with this newer brewery during Tuesday Taste of North Park last year!

Mike Hess Brewing beer list

Once inside, the beer menu is available above the bar.

Claritas, Ficus and Grapefruit Solis beer at Mike Hess Brewing

Here are the three beers we tried for the pairing. From left to right it is Claritas, Ficus and Grapefruit Solis beer.

The Claritas is a cold style beer, bright and dry with a little crisp and lemon zest. It was a nice drink to mellow down your food.

A saison, which means season in french, is typically brewed in one season like winter then drunk in the opposite season of summer and vice versa. Add chocolate malt and dark figs hand squeezed into this Belgium beer and now we've got a "dark saison"... the Ficus! This beer grew on me and I ended up liking it best of the three.

The Grapefruit Solis is one of the rotating IPAs. It has 100% grapefruit juice added to give a citrusy pow! It is a little dry with a prominent grapefruit citrus taste though it's also slightly bitter like a peel... not exactly my style but it may work for someone else!

Zoe's Place food truck at Mike Hess Brewing

Our eats were provided by the food truck Zoe's Place. It has been a while since we've eaten out of a truck but these are great food sources at breweries!

El Diablo Mahi-Mahi from Zoe's Place food truck

First Course: El Diablo Mahi-Mahi paired with Claritas

Carne-Asada Fries from Zoe's Place food truck

Second course: Carne-Asada Fries paired with Ficus

Camaron Quesadilla from Zoe's Place food truck

Third course: Camaron Quesadilla paired with Grapefruit Solis

Our favorite, the fish taco, was simple and clean plus the salsa gave it that extra kick. The carne asada fries was typical but had a spiciness that balanced out the darker beer pairing. The cheesy shrimp quesadilla was a little plain according to Dennis but I thought it was fine. Ours were sample sized so the beer helped fill the void. This particular menu was specially created for our tasting but you can easily create your own food/beer pairing. Zoe's place is at Mike Hess Brewing every Wednesday but you can find additional information on their facebook page. There's also an event calendar on the Mike Hess Brewing website if you want to check out the food options on a different day.

David Bowie tribute at Mike Hess Brewing

I really like checking out breweries these days. They have their own different vibe from your normal restaurants and bars. The night that we were here also had a David Bowie tribute event going on. They showcased various artwork and even had artists paint the Starman look on people's faces.

Mike Hess Brewing originally started in Miramar and continued on to open a second location in North Park here, taking over a bookstore! I believe there is a third opening in a couple of months!

Link Love (fellow diners):

Disclaimer: We were provided food and drink for this event but all opinions are our own

Mike Hess Brewing
3812 Grim Avenue
San Diego CA 92104
(619) 255-7136

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Comments

soo @ hungryones.ocm's picture
Submitted by soo @ hungryones.ocm (not verified) on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 8:49am

That was a cool art show and food truck to go with the beer. :-)

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 6:59pm

it was nice to see you and maggie there! :)

Faye's picture
Submitted by Faye (not verified) on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 9:43am

We visited this brewery some time ago and tried their grapefruit beer. Friend didn't think it was as good as Ballast Point but he enjoyed it nonetheless. It's a fun location and I love seeing all the four legged friends on their dog friendly patio. The food looks delicious esp the shrimp quesadilla.

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 7:00pm

hmm another grapefruit beer... i may have to check it out if i make it to ballast point!

Kirk's picture
Submitted by Kirk (not verified) on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 2:28pm

Hey Lynn - The best thing I've had lately from Hess is their Berlinerweisse which was quite good

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 7:02pm

i'll try to remember that one for the next time i stop by MHB :)

caninecologne's picture
Submitted by caninecologne (not verified) on Thu, 04/07/2016 - 11:03pm

Great post Lynn! I've always wondered about this place since I sometimes park near it to avoid the craziness on University and 30th. My husband would like this place. I am interested in the dark saison (thanks for the info on saison beers too). I either like really fruity (but not tart) beers or the super dark chocolatey/coffee tasting ones.

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Fri, 04/08/2016 - 5:49pm

hmm maybe we have similar beer tastes. i'm usually more of a sweet drink person if i have to choose and stick to water the rest of the time. healthy ya know!

Mary's picture
Submitted by Mary (not verified) on Fri, 04/08/2016 - 11:21am

Beeeeeer! I remember walking by this place before and thinking that it looked pretty cool with the ramp. Not a big beer drinker, though I'll have some every once in awhile. Food trucks + beer is a great idea though. The David Bowie art looks really cool!

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Fri, 04/08/2016 - 5:48pm

i'm not a beer drinker usually either but i've had more this year than past years combined! art was cool that night!

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