Funky Picnic pairs with Chef Victor Villarreal for beachy beer dinner

Chef Josh Rangel (left) and Sous Chef Parker Gordon (right) of Funky Picnic are partnering with Chef Victor Villarreal (center) for the brewpub's La Playa Beer Dinner. The culinary team worked with head brewer Michael Harper to pair the flavors of the beer and food (Funky Picnic Brewery & Café).

Funky Picnic Brewery & Café of Fort Worth will present its first beer and food pairing of the new year on Monday, January 24. The brewpub's La Playa Beer Dinner is set to feature five seafood and beer pairings curated by Chef Victor Villarreal of La Onda restaurant, and Chef Josh Rangel of Funky Picnic.

"One of the unique things that sets Funky Picnic apart is that we are the only restaurant in Fort Worth with a Certified Cicerone on staff, as co-owner Collin Zreet has been professionally trained in the art of pairing beer and food,” says Chef Rangel. “This is a similar certification to the Sommelier program in the wine world, and makes for a unique dining experience as we walk you through the flavor pairings of each course.”'

Each Funky Picnic beer dinner debuts a brand new beer created by head brewer, Michael Harper, specifically for the meal at hand. Harper works with the kitchen team on creating a unique brew that reflects the flavors and theme of the beer dinner. For this round, Harper and Chef Villarreal created a citrus farmhouse saison to pair with the cured salmon gravlax course.

“Chef Villarreal and I quickly hit it off and got excited about the idea of using charred citrus in a crisp and easy-drinking beer,” says Harper. “This farmhouse saison is very light-bodied with a huge pop of citrus and just enough malt body to keep things interesting, and will pair well with nearly any seafood dish.”

The La Playa Beer Dinner also includes ceviche salad paired with a citrus pilsner, and mango ice cream topped with short bread crumble and bowfin caviar paired with Funky Picnic’s latest Hazy IPA. Click here to see the complete menu and to reserve your seats for this culinary event (tickets are $90pp all-inclusive, or $70pp for just the food portion).

As for other gatherings Funky Picnic has planned, a Brewing Up Love Beer Dinner is on the calendar for February 14-15, followed by a Vegan Beer Dinner with Blue Zones Fort Worth on March 28.