Manayunk’s cupcake and beer pairing a sweet addition to Philly Beer Week

After selling out in the first ten minutes the cupcake and beer pairing event in Manayunk had attendees buzzing about the unlikely, but succesful combination.

“They actually had to turn people away,” said Steve Mermelstein of Horsham, Pa. “People were lined up an hour before the event.”

The highly-anticipated event was held Tuesday night at Lucky’s Last Chance. Chris Barnes, managing partner of Lucky’s, says the idea came from a joke about how great the cupcakes from the nearby Sweet Elizabeth’s Cakes would taste washed down with a chocolate stout.

“Five minutes later we were knocking on their door,” said Barnes. “It’s a great way to introduce people to some interesting styles of beer. Plus, who doesn’t love cupcakes?”

For $16 attendees received a flight of four mini cupcakes from Sweet Elizabeth’s, the Manayunk-based dessert haven, and four mini beers from Southern Tier Brewing Company, out of Lakewood, NY. 

Beer lovers delight in cupcake pairings

A favorite pairing of the night was Southern Tier’s Pumpking beer, a pumpkin ale, which was paired with a white-chocolate-cranberry cupcake topped with candied hazelnut.

“The Pumpking beer is great,” said Dan Elliot, a Manayunk resident. “The cupcakes really extenuate the beer flavors.”

Attendees Philip Concors and Sandy DiDomenico say the event fit their Philly Beer Week plans well because it offered more than beer.

“Sandy’s not much of a beer drinker, but she is a fan of cupcakes” said Concors. “We’ve been longtime fans of Sweet Elizabeth’s, so we knew we wanted to attend this event for beer week.”

The couple’s favorite pairing was the Crème Brulee beer, a milk stout,  and an orange-caramel cream cupcake.

Paul Hedman of Germantown and John Nugent of Madison, NJ. said they waited an hour to receive their flights.

“I think it was worth the wait,” said Hedman after biting into his first cupcake.

How the “pairings” come to life

To prepare for the event Barnes selected dessert-type beers to present to Elizabeth Paradiso, owner of Sweet Elizabeth’s.

“I take the beers over to her and I just let her bake, these are her creations,” said Barnes. “She’s truly a baking genius, she comes up with some incredible cupcakes.”

Paradiso says it’s all about profiling the favors of the beer and cupcakes.

“A really good beer in your cupcake can add a depth of flavor and introduce some unique flavors that wake up your senses,” said Paradiso. 

To find more events check out the NewsWorks guide to Philly Beer Week.