VANCOUVER — MONZO – the latest restaurant and bar concept of Kitchen Table Restaurants – has collaborated with family-owned Abbotsford, B.C. brewery Ravens Brewing Co. to introduce an Italian Pilsner specially crafted to pair with MONZO’s “best in beef” menu.
Light and crispy, the MONZO Italian Pilsner harmonizes with the restaurant’s signature smash burgers and sides. The team gravitated toward a pilsner since it complements the naturally occurring fats in meat and cheese while pairing perfectly with salty fries and golden onion rings.
The pilsner was brewed by Ravens Brewing Co. owned by Paul and Jocelyn Sweeting. An Indigenous corporation, the brewery prioritizes relationships with local suppliers and B.C.-grown ingredients to develop a multitude of celebrated beers, many of which have earned acclaim at coveted competitions such as the B.C. Beer Awards and World Beer Cup.
“When we approached Ravens Brewing Co. for a possible collaboration, their head brewer, Dan Marriette, quickly embraced the challenge. The result is a delicious beer that we’re proud to call our own,” says Drew Dunford, partner at MONZO. “Along with producing amazing beers, Ravens Brewing is deeply invested in their community [and has offered] a BIPOC Business Scholarship and sponsoring local sports programs, [for example]. We share many of the same values, which has further strengthened what I hope will become a long-lasting partnership.”
“We’re grateful to Kitchen Table Restaurants for giving us an opportunity to produce an Italian Pilsner with our own Ravens spin,” says Paul Sweeting. “The pilsner we created for MONZO is definitely a food-lover’s beer – it pairs well with many ingredients, particularly the juicy smash burgers and sides offered by MONZO. As the menu evolves, we’ll continue adjusting the pilsner recipe to complement MONZO’s current offerings.”
