Tony Albelo was sick of supposed beer events where the goal was to get wasted, not to appreciate the craftsmanship of beer.

“Everything turned into people getting drunk. There was nothing for the gourmet palate. I said, ‘I want to go to a real beer festival,’” Albelo recalled.

So a year ago, Albelo, a lifelong South Florida resident and event planner by trade, decided the Fall—to coincide with Octoberfest—was the perfect time of year to put on Grovetoberfest, South Florida’s biggest craft beer festival this side of Jupiter’s annual craft beer event in January.

Funky Coconut Grove proved to be the perfect venue for the second-annual event, which takes place Saturday Oct. 13 in Peacock Park. More than 200 beers will be available for tasting, including local brews from Tequesta Brewing Company, Due South in Boynton Beach, Inlet Brewing’s Monk in the Trunk and Brewzzi’s in West Palm Beach.

More than 3,500 tickets have already been sold for the event (prices ranging from $39, $69 and $89 for VIP packages), which expects to draw more than 6,000 people, about 1,000 more than the inaugural event.

Everything about the event serves to highlight the explosion of craft beers, those brewed in small or limited quantities by independent breweries, with particular attention to individual tastes and styles.

You won’t find the Coors or Anheuser-Busches of the world, by design. You will find a wide variety of pilasters, lagers, pale ales, IPAs—just about every style represented.

So, too, the discussion of marrying the flavors of beer to gourmet food.

To wit, five South Florida restaurant chefs will be putting on cooking demos and talking about food pairing. Among them are Andre Bienvenu of Joe’s Stone Crab and James Beard Award winner Michael Schwartz of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in Miami. He will be pouring his own new beer, Michael’s Genuine Home Brew, while his chef de cuisine, Bradley Herron, cooks up his Crispy Beer Braised Pork Belly with Caraway Citrus Salad.

IF YOU GO:

Grovetoberfest happens Saturday, Oct. 13, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Miami’s Peacock Park, 2820 McFarlane Road, Coconut Grove. For tickets and information, visit the website, Grovetoberfest.com

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Crispy Beer Braised Pork Belly with Caraway Citrus Salad

Recipe courtesy of chef Michael Schwartz.

Serves 4

1 pound slab pork belly (skinned)

2 cups Michael’s Genuine Home Brew

2 cups chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1 fresh Serrano chile

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

5 cilantro sprigs

1 shallot

1 small knob of ginger

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Canola oil for frying

Preheat oven to 300°F. Wash the pork belly with water and pat dry with paper towels. Place the belly, and all the other ingredients in a casserole dish and cover with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Bake for 3 to 4 hours, or until it is tender when poked with a fork. Let cool on the countertop for 2 hours.

Cut the braised belly into 4 identical cubes. Place a large skillet with two inches of oil over medium heat. A good way to test if the oil is hot enough is to stick the end of a wooden spoon or chop stick in it, if bubbles circle around the end then you’re good to go. Working in batches of two, fry the cubes until crispy, about 3 minutes on each side, transferring to a platter lined with paper towels. Serve warm over Caraway Citrus Salad.

For the Caraway Citrus Salad:

1 cup orange segments

1 cup grapefruit segments

1 serrano chile, sliced paper thin

1 cup cilantro sprig

1 cup watercress

2 radishes, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon beer vinegar (or champagne vinegar)

Freshly ground black pepper

Kosher salt

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss until combined.