Chef Michael Schwartz Launches His Craft-Brewed Classic American Ale in Grand Cayman on Saturday, September 8 at 7:00 p.m. with Beer Pairings Dinner at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink

On the heels of a warm welcome in Miami in August, Michael’s Genuine Home Brew, a new classic American Ale from James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, is now available for the first time in the Cayman

Islands at his Camana Bay outpost. Light bodied with a citrusy sweetness, hint of floral hops and a dry finish, Home Brew is craft-brewed in Gadsden, Alabama by Back Forty Beer Company with Sem-Chi rice and cane sugar, marking the first time Florida-grown ingredients have been used for the grain bill of a commercially-marketed beer. The chef will be on island for a multicourse beer-pairings dinner at the restaurant on Saturday, September 8 at 7:00 p.m. to mark the occasion.

“It’s no surprise that we love beer. We love drinking it, our food loves it, and I guess you could say we had the label all along,” Schwartz explains. “I’m thrilled to be able to bring it to the Cayman Islands. Home Brew is crisp and has a clean finish making it food friendly and ideal for the weather in Miami and the Caribbean alike.“

Good ingredients always come first in everything Schwartz does, and crafting his own beer was no exception. Starting with a list, everything under the sun from basil to honey, coconut to mango, he landed on Florida’s only locally-grown and milled brown rice – “Sem-Chi” or Seminole Chief out of Palm Beach County — a rotation crop sewn by Florida Crystals to replenish the depleted soil of its cane fields after harvest. Florida Crystals operates the only mill in the state. It was a perfect match, and Back Forty was up to the challenge of brewing with rice for the first time, making MGHB the first beer featuring Florida ingredients in the grain bill, specifically 40 percent rice. Fashioned after the style of beer the chef likes to drink, Home Brew is sessionable and food-friendly, easily pairing with the wide variety of flavours that come with a daily-changing, seasonal menu of everything from fresh fish to locally-grown Caymanian ingredients like seasoning peppers and pumpkin.

Saturday’s beer dinner is a celebration of craft beer in four courses including pairings for CI $60 per person.

To reserve, contact the restaurant at 345.640.6433 or [email protected]. The following menu subject to change and 20 percent gratuity will be added to final bill.

 

Amuse

Rock Shrimp Terrine

dill-pickled long beans, rye bread, beer mustard, micro mustard

First

Homemade Biltong

frisée, 7-minute local egg, avocado, dried olives

Peak Organic, Pale Ale

Second

Home Brew Steamed Mussels Anson Mills brown rice, orange segment, freshly grated turmeric, crème

fraîche, chive oil

Michael’s Genuine Home Brew, American Ale

Third

Roasted Leg of Lamb parsnip purée, grilled fennel, pearl onions, Meyer lemon, capers, tarragon, saffron oil

Holy Mackerel, Golden Ale

Dessert

Granny Smith Apple Beignet

Flying Dog Imperial Porter-cocoa ice cream

Flying Dog, Imperial Porter

 

Michael’s Genuine Home Brew will be available for CI $11 in large format 22-ounce bottles perfect for sharing. Three beers more beers from the Back Forty portfolio will also be served at the restaurant, Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale, Naked Pig Pale Ale, and Freckle Belly IPA. For more information on the style of beer, ingredients, and partnership with Back Forty Beer Company, please visit michaelsgenuine.com/homebrew.

The Genuine Hospitality Group of chef/owner Michael Schwartz operates restaurants including Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink Miami (Est. 2006), Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink Grand Cayman (Est. 2010), Harry’s Pizzeria (Est. 2011, Miami) and 150 Central Park by Chef Michael Schwartz aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas (Est. 2011), as well as food and beverage operations at South Beach’s iconic Raleigh Hotel. According to Schwartz, the secret to good food is … good food. Honored with the

prestigious James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: South in 2010, Schwartz is recognized by his peers and the diners that flock to his restaurants for his fresh, simple and pure cuisine incorporating responsibly- and locally-sourced seasonal ingredients. His first book, MICHAEL’S GENUINE FOOD: Down to- Earth Cooking for People Who Love to Eat (Clarkson Potter; $35), became available online and in bookstores nationwide in February 2011. For more information visit michaelsgenuine.com/TGHG.