Oh man. My boyfriend signed us up for a Jolly Pumpkin Beer tasting that was being held here. We showed up a little early because we didn't know how seating was going to play out and finding a parking spot was tricky. But they have signs posted as soon as you walk in, to inform you that you may need to move you car if you happened to park in the dentist lot on the side. THAT was pretty courteous - and definitely appreciated cause we don't like being towed.
The event was sold out, and we got really good seats next to all of the action. Everything went really smoothly. We learned about the beers and the brewery. The chef explained his take on the dishes and how they complimented the beers. Food came out super timely. Almost too timely, I felt like I didn't get to take my time and savor my bites.
The final course wasn't impressive. (Take that worth a grain of salt... I'd rather have a basket of fries for dessert any day.) I also get spoiled because my boyfriend makes really awesome homemade ice-cream (dare I mention, I'm not even an ice-cream eater... because... as I stated, I'd rather have fries.) But this ice-cream... the texture... the flavor... the dark chocolate sauce drizzled on top - it was a lot of blah... (Go read my review on Malley's... That's some GOOD ice-cream.) Yeah, this tasted like it was store bought and I'd have prefered to just enjoy a second portion of the chicken and waffles course instead.
I'm gonna venture to say that this isn't like most of the reviews for Beer Engine, since this is specific to a tasting - just promise me you don't read too much into the dessert thing. This was a tasting and sometimes you don't like the taste of certain things; I wasn't upset. Promise. And as for the beer - that was A LOT of fun. I'm an IPA/Saison kinda girl, and it was nice to have the focus on sour beers since it's a style of beer making that I'm not used to and I wouldn't have sought out otherwise.
I'd TOTALLY go back for another tasting. The price was reasonable and the event was great! Keep these things coming Beer Engine! We. Want. More!