Just a Hop Skip and a Jump From a New Love

Posted Saturday, May 11, 2024 3:30 am

By Dylan Bailey

Only a short walk from picturesque Centre Street, First Love Brewing is hidden in plain sight. The microbrewery offers outside seating under a live oak with a gorgeous curtain of moss. But if sitting outside as the sweltering summer approaches is too much, the inside is open and airy, with a great view of the brewery itself.

With beer being their big player, I was pleasantly surprised to see they offered food, as well. The menu isn’t expansive, but everything on it jumped out at me. I was in the mood for wings, so I went with the Huli Huli Wings to start the meal.

The Huli Huli Wings are inspired by Hawaiian barbequed chicken. The flavors on these are incredible – sweet, savory and juicy. Fantastic wings. If I weren't saving room, I could have easily devoured another order.

My next item was a combo, actually. I ordered the chicken sandwich and went with the $1 upcharge to have it fried. This plump piece of chicken came sandwiched between a Hawaiian bun with a wonderfully tasty mustard. One of the best chicken sandwiches I’ve had in a while. Adding to this, I swapped out the regular fries for the truffle fries.

The truffle fries, which were generously sprinkled with parmesan and truffle oil, came with a roasted garlic aioli. And that’s what made this for me. The saltiness of the fries and parmesan blended beautifully with the aioli. I know I shaved a few years off my life by eating this, but it was worth it.

To round off my meal, I ordered one of their pizzas. Honestly, it was difficult choosing one because they all sounded amazing. But I pulled the trigger on the hot honey. The hot honey pizza is a cheese pizza topped with pepperoni, Calabrian chili, and finished with a drizzle of honey. First off: this pizza has some kick to it. Hot enough to get my attention, but never too much to make me regret eating it. And the sweetness of the honey makes for a memorable pizza.

If you’re into beer, First Love Brewing has 20 rotating taps, brewed daily. I’m not huge on beers, but the bartender let me sample a new sour they’d made. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was sour enough to make me lean into the flavor, but tempered by the underlying mellowness.

Whether you’re looking for a good bite to eat, or a sampling of a fresh brew, First Love Brewing brings a lot to the table with its offerings. Grab a hot honey pizza the next time you’re close by!