FROM THE ARCHIVES ( November 2015) Enter The Beer Bible: One book to rule them all – maybe

(Note: A second edition of the “The Beer Bible” has been published since this was first written. You can find it by clicking here.)

A couple of years ago, a friend new to the passion and community of craft beer asked me to recommend a book that could tell her more about its history and culture and the product.


Though I eagerly devour well-written books on the subject, I did not know of one that would suit her needs. Instead, I researched a little and gave her a list of three that I thought, together, would do it.

I still stand by that list, but if asked the same question today, I’d recommend one book:

The Beer Bible” by Jeff Alworth.

This expansive tome, published in August 2015 by Workman Publishing, also publishers of “The Wine Bible,” provides the most in-depth look into the past, present and future of the brewing world that I’ve read to date.

“The Beer Bible” is divided into six parts. Part One is titled “Knowing Beer,” and Part Six is “Enjoying Beer.”

In between, the sections focus on specific beer styles and sub-styles: Ales, Wheat Beers, Lagers and Tart and Wild Ales. Each of those sections is further subdivided into further divisions, varying in number. For example, Tart and Wild Ales has three sub-styles: The Lambic Family, The Tart Ales of Flanders and Wild Ales. The more general Ales section has 19 sub-styles, such as Bitters, India Pale Ales and Belgian Ales. In total, the book contains in-depth profiles of more than 100 styles.

Each of those chapters is structured similarly, beginning with a history of the style and the region in which it originated, how local geography and climate affected the beer’s development, stories and anecdotes, the flavor and ingredients – and how those ingredients affect the flavor – and example of beers, usually readily available, that the reader can try while studying the tasting notes.

But as with any book, the author’s writing style keeps the reader enthralled. After reading each nugget, I felt more like I just finished a conversation with Alworth over a pint in a pub than having studied a subject even as delightful as beer – and walked away a smarter beer drinker because of it.

READ THE BEER BIBLE AS YOU WISH

Don’t be put off by the weight of the 600-plus page book. It’s crafted to be read in easily digestible chunks, and that’s the ideal way to tackle it.

I approached it by reading the first and last sections – Knowing Beer, then Enjoying Beer.

The first reaches deep into the beverage’s history, and though Alworth likely did not travel 10,000 or so years back in time to when ancient peoples discovered fermentation of grains quite by accident, the reader feels like he might have. The narrative continues into present day and incorporates more new-to-me factoids than any such book I’ve read before.

This first section also outlines the mechanics of beer and brewing it. This part highlights the author’s knack of writing to all levels of beer consumer, from the freshly minted beer explorer to the well-seasoned traveler in the world of fermented beverages. Though I consider my own knowledge in that spectrum to fall somewhere in the middle – and likely lower than I’d care to admit – at no point did I feel like Alworth was writing down to me nor talking above my head. That takes some talent.

The final section, Enjoying Beer, is pretty much how it sounds, with the subject titles: Serving and Storing Beer, Pairing Beer with Food, At the Pub, and Beer Tourism. Each chapter delves deeply enough into the subject that the reader feels he has become smarter and has been entertained.

The book is peppered throughout with profiles of individual breweries that the author has visited, both in the United States and abroad.

The middle sections that delve into styles are best consumed, I find, in chunks, preferably with a version of that style of beer in hand.

NOT ENOUGH FLORIDA BREWERIES?

My only criticism of “The Beer Bible,” admittedly colored by my personal bias, is reflected on the map of U.S. breweries on pp 588-89, titled “American Breweries to See.” Alworth, who hails from Portland, Oregon, seems to heavily focus on breweries of the Northwest U.S. and Pacific Coast states, and to a lesser extent, those of the Midwest and Northeast. The Southern states are relatively barren, with only Cigar City Brewing, though certainly worthy of inclusion, being the sole representative of Florida’s craft brewing community. Not to mention that even over two years, traveling more than 17,000 miles and to six countries, the author could only take extensive tours of 52 breweries, though he visited many more.

This predisposition is common to those who reside in what is arguably the cradle of the modern American craft beer community, but I hope that Alworth learns of the great variety of high-quality brews produced here in the Sunshine State.

There’s a good chance of that happening very soon, as he has scheduled a pair of book signings in Florida this week.

You’ll be able to meet the author and have him sign copies of “The Beer Bible” Wednesday, Nov. 4, at Books & Books in Coral Gables starting at 8 p.m.; and Thursday, Nov. 5, at one of Florida’s newest breweries, Hidden Springs Ale Works in Tampa, starting at 7 p.m. (in conjunction with Inkwood Books in Tampa).

So if you go, offer to buy Alworth a local beer and hopefully broaden his already expansive knowledge.

EDIT: Received this update from the author: “If this book makes it to a second edition, I will be able to spend more of my time in the US and less overseas (presuming that most of the old European breweries I mentioned are still in business and making the same beers then). I promise to come back to Florida!”

FLORIDA BREWERY MAP AND LIST

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FROM THE ARCHIVES: (June 15, 2015) Clothing-optional beer festival can be enlightening

beerfest_700The beer festival started at noon, but I arrived around 10:30 a.m. to get set up for my book signing.

I rolled up to the gated community’s guardhouse, got my name checked off the list, and proceeded to the vendor parking area.

The Florida sun beat down, and the familiar haze of mid-June humidity already had started to thicken. Which is probably why it only took about 30 seconds before I saw my first naked person.

The first beer festival last year at the clothing-optional Caliente International Resort & Spa in Pasco County proved such a success that they are doing it again this year on Saturday, June 20, from noon to 3:30 p.m.

Organized by “Chef Rob” Wilcox, the festivities will include unlimited samples of beer from local and national breweries, as well as food samples, and music from local blues musician Cat Valentine. Local breweries scheduled to pour include Cigar City Brewing, Big Storm Brewing Co., Tampa Bay Brewing Co. and Coppertail Brewing Co. Samples will flow from such national breweries as Oskar Blues, St. Arnold’s and Shipyard.

There will be a raffle of items donated by local businesses, and all proceeds will go to HPH Hospice.

Tickets for the public are $50 for general admission and $75 for VIP; Caliente member prices are $35 and $60. VIP admission includes a food selection provide by area restaurants, special beers and ciders, and wine. Call 813-996-3700 for tickets.

Eyes down here

Caliente 2

If you clicked on this post to read about the beer, you can stop now. If you wanted to hear about naked people, read on. By the way, you will ONLY read about them. Unauthorized photographs are strictly forbidden. (The Safe-for-Work images here are courtesy of Caliente).

The festival had not been on my calendar last year, but my “Florida Breweries” book had just been released a couple of months before, and I was hustling to get the word out about it – and make some sales. During a conversation at a book signing, new-friend-at-the-time Lynn Waddell, author of the book “Fringe Florida,” mentioned that she was doing a signing at the Caliente Beer Festival the next weekend. Her book, a fun and eye-opening literary romp through the Sunshine State’s less-mainstream subcultures, devoted part of one chapter to Caliente, as well as some other clothing-optional resorts in Pasco County, which “boasts the largest nudist and clothing-optional community in North America,” according to VisitPasco.net.

(Her book’s subtitle is “Travels among Mud Boggers, Furries, Ufologists, Nudists, and Other Lovers of Unconventional Lifestyles).

Lynn asked if I would like to do a book-signing at the festival. I said I would. She made a call, and I was booked.

What I learned

For the purposes of this article, I’ll list some of the things I discovered via my personal experience at last year’s beer festival. You can learn more about clothing-optional resorts in general by reading the chapter in Lynn’s book, researching other resources, or visiting resort websites (usually not safe for work).

An open mind is essential: I had no idea what to expect. I knew of the concept of clothing-optional living, but other than a few teenage skinny-dipping episodes and walking around naked before and after showers in my own home, I had never participated and did not know how I would feel about it. I soon found out. For the first 10 minutes, it was weird. For another hour, it was a novelty. After that, I felt weird by being clothed.

Nudists are cool people: After the weirdness in my brain died down, I found that the unclothed were very welcoming, friendly and nonjudgmental people. Not everyone around the pools chose to go bare, and that seemed to be OK. Clothed and unclothed mingled and laughed as at any beer festival where no one was naked. The conversation and camaraderie amongst friends and strangers sort of reminded me of the social atmosphere of a brewery taproom.

Caliente pool

Cliché 1, It’s all about sex: I didn’t see any public sex – maybe some “heavy snuggling” in the pool – but that’s it. In fact, the “unspoken rule” is addressed in the FAQ section of the Caliente website: “Overt sexual behavior or the appearance of such behavior is unacceptable at Caliente Resorts. Behavior ‘never needing an apology’ is the norm.” Is there sex going on? Of course – the place is a sprawling housing and resort development with thousands of year-round and seasonal residents. Get a room? They’ve got plenty. Just don’t expect to see it in public.

Cliché 2, All you’ll see are old, saggy bodies: As far as the physical attributes of the clientele, they ran the gamut from hard bodies to extremely soft bodies, and young to old, pretty much like at any crowded, upscale Florida resort. After a while, I hardly noticed, and probably even less so had it been a traditional resort. After all, you can’t stuff your body into a too-small swimsuit if you’re not wearing one.

Bad puns and jokes are inevitable: To this day, a brewery representative friend who attended and I greet each other with the universal waving-two-fingers-at-eye-level “I’m looking at you” symbol, and “Eyes up here!” And when I saw that Oskar Blues was sampling their “Old Chub” Scotch Ale … well, you get the idea. Just keep the jokes to yourself and your non-nudist friends. Or nudist friends who you know won’t be offended.

Privacy is important: Of course, you should be respectful of others’ privacy no matter where you are. But I did run into folks at the fest going au naturel whom I knew from the “clothed world,” and there were others I later encountered outside the resort whom I had met there. They know that mainstream U.S. society does not generally approve of their lifestyle. Some are OK with “outsiders” knowing; others are not. Until you know otherwise, assume the latter.

Finally, did I join in? Other than a brief and unobtrusive skinny dip into one of the five pools to cool off from the blistering heat, I stayed in my uniform of swim trunks and “Beer in Florida” work shirt for the duration of the festival. As the beer-related festivities wound down, Chef Rob announced that attendees were welcome to stick around and enjoy the resort as long as they wanted that day.

I loaded up my gear, packed it in my car, returned to the pool area, slipped off my clothes and for a couple of hours, I hung out.

See what I mean about the puns?

I’ll be signing books again at this year’s festival. Come by and say hi if you’re there. I promise to be clothed, at least until the festival is over. Lynn won’t make it this year, but she says there are copies of “Fringe Florida” available in the gift shop. If you’re in Central Florida on June 27, she’ll be signing copies at the Orlando Public Library’s LIBCON Author’s Fair.

Note to festivalgoers: Please bring cash or a standard credit card if you want to purchase a book ($20, tax included). Resort currency is in the form of a prepaid cash card, and I won’t be able to accept that. By the way, if anyone wonders how naked people carry around that sort of stuff, the gift shop sells some really cool branded baseball caps with zipper pockets inside.

FATHER’S DAY FLORIDA BEER GIFT LIST

FLORIDA BREWERY MAP AND LIST
Exclusive Craft Beer T-shirts

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I fell in love with a beer 10 years ago

Dear Cigar City Jai Alai IPA,

Happy Anniversary.

Though I often think of the first time we met, the good robots of Facebook Memories reminded me this morning of exactly when it was with the following post.

Ten years ago.

I had no idea we were going to meet that day, Jai Alai. My then-wife and my daughter – 5 years old at the time – decided to spend the weekend in Central Florida, and they had some shopping to do. We ended up at Waterford Lakes Town Center in East Orlando. While they perused shoe stores and clothing shops on a beautiful spring morning, I scouted out a place where we could have lunch.

Noticing a crew setting up something in an area of the expansive parking lot, I wandered over to ask a worker what was going on.

“We’re setting up a beer festival,” he said.

My interest was piqued. It was called the East Orlando Beer Festival. I found out the details and when it would start. I called my wife and told her where we would meet for lunch. Once she and my daughter arrived there, I had one question for her.

“How would y’all like to spend a few more hours here shopping?”

No arms were twisted.

Let’s back up in my life a little. We were living in Sarasota at the time, and though I had been “into” craft beer for a while, it was far from a big part of my life. I had visited a few breweries here and there and learned a bit about it, and leaned toward drinking it when it was available. Some of the guys at work were far geekier about it, and I learned a lot from them.

But my beverage of choice at the time was, I believe, Corona Light. With a twist of lime, of course.

So the idea of trying a variety of craft beers from around the country and a few from Florida certainly appealed to me. And that’s what I did that afternoon.

But back to you, Jai Alai.

That beer geeks on my team at my day job had mentioned the buzz they had been hearing about the new “Cigar City” brewery in Tampa. Being a Tampa native, the name appealed to me. I was looking forward to trying it out.

Little did I know that my chance would come that spring day a decade ago, for as I turned down a row, there was table bearing a Cigar City Brewing banner. I immediately made for it. Two dudes were behind the table serving samples of two beers: Maduro Brown Ale and, of course, Jai Alai.

I tried the Maduro first. Loved it. And oh, Jai Alai, how I wish I could say it was love at first sip. But it wasn’t. I wasn’t used to such bitterness and floral flavors and citrus and caramel all at once. Don’t get me wrong. I was intrigued. But not enamored.

As I wrote in a comment on that original post: “Many microbrews,2-3 ozs. at a time. Impressed w/ offerings from new cigar city brewery, esp. jai-alai IPA.”

It was more than your taste, though, Jai Alai. I loved your name, described on your can as so: “The merry game of jai alai provides inspiration.”

http://www.fla-gaming.com/jai-alai-2/

Though in my lifetime, I could count on one hand the times I visited the Tampa Jai Alai Fronton to watch the players whip that ball against the wall using the wicker cestas strapped to their arms, it was not so with my father. He went pretty much every Friday night, and when he hit a trifecta, he returned with a crisp $5 bill for each of us kids who were still living at home at the time.

Back to the beer.

Needless to say, my palate soon adjusted to the joy that is you, Jai Alai, and eventually I made it to that new brewery in Tampa. Before long, you were being bottled and I started finding you in the darndest places across the state.

Then in 2012 you made it into cans, and I made it a point to swing by the brewery to grab a sixer of that first run. I still have the (empty) cans on a shelf in my kitchen.

The O.G. Jai Alai cans. Photo by Gerard Walen

During this time, I started blogging and writing about craft beer, and sometimes found myself attending various festivals, conferences and events across the country. When someone asked where I was from, I told them “Florida.”

Usually their next words were, “Ah, Cigar City,” and often followed by “Jai Alai.”

Your reputation preceded you.

Over the years, for various reasons, your recipe was tweaked, but under the guidance of Cigar City Brewmaster Wayne Wambles, it would only be noticeable to the most refined of palates.

Your label changed, but it still paid homage to “the merry game” and your roots.

In 2016, I was honored to moderate a panel on “The Beer Industry in Tampa and Florida” at the Beer Now Conference in Tampa (then known as the Beer Bloggers and Writer Conference).

On that panel was Cigar City Brewing founder Joey Redner. At one point, someone asked him about expanding distribution throughout the country. His response, to paraphrase, would be that it’s difficult because first they would have to ensure that there would be representation not just in specialty beer stores and such, but also on supermarket shelves in order to make it worthwhile.

From left, Eric Criss, Joey Redner, Mark DeNote, Gerard Walen. Carol Dekkers, Photo

I then asked the audience – about 150 or so beer bloggers, writers, social media influencers and communicators from across the country and around the world – this question:

“If you could go to your local grocery store and buy Cigar City beer, would you?”

Everyone raised a hand.

Not long before that, Cigar City became part of a new partnership with Oskar Blues Brewing – a consortium with a few other breweries that became the Canarchy Craft Brewery Collective.

Soon, Cigar City’s offerings made their way to other states, led by you, Jai Alai. In October, it was announced that Jai Alai is “the third fastest growing top 50 craft brand in the U.S.” according to Brewbound.com.

You’re even in 12-packs!

12-packs!

I’m happy for your success, Jai Alai. But I hope you’ll always remember our first meeting, 10 years ago today.

I’ll never forget.

Love,

Gerard

P.S. Want to meet me outside on the patio?

Photo by Gerard Walen, BeerinFlorida.com

P.P.S. Any of you have Jai Alai stories you want to share? You can add them in the comments.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES (October 2017): Florida craft beer featured in ‘Florida Crossroads’ documentary series

A new half-hour documentary by the The FLORIDA Channel‘s show “Florida Crossroads” takes a look into the booming craft beer industry in the Sunshine State.

Robb Larson of Grindhaus Brew Lab. Image from “Sunshine State Suds,” produced by The FLORIDA Channel

Host Rebecca Baer talks to a variety of people in the state’s brewing community, from pioneer Michael N. Bryant of Dunedin Brewery to relative newcomers such as Robb Larson and Lisa Colburn of Grindhaus Brew Lab, as well as representatives from the University of Florida’s hop research lab and The University of South Florida-St. Petersburg Brewing Arts program.

Baer even allowed me to add my two cents to the conversation, interviewing me in the beer barrel-aging cellar at Marker 48 Brewing in Weeki Wachee. (BTW, if you want to get a close look at that cellar – and more – I guide behind-the-scenes tours there most Saturdays at 3, 4 and 5 p.m.).

You can view the show at this link, or check the schedules of your local PBS stations for when it might air there.

Down in the barrel room at Marker 48 Brewing.
Image from “Sunshine State Suds,” produced by The FLORIDA Channel

“Florida Crossroads” is an award-winning, half-hour documentary series that looks at the people, places, and events shaping Florida.

The series explores a wide variety of environmental, political and social issues from across the state.

Located in the state Capitol building, The FLORIDA Channel is a public affairs programming service funded by The Florida Legislature and produced and operated by WFSU-TV.

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Craft beer podcast ‘Gator Growlers’ debuts from Gainesville

Image by GateHouse Media Services

I have a craft beer podcast!

We’re a few episodes in, but I’m pretty excited about it.

Background: I try to keep my day job duties separate from my beer writing, but those pesky upper-level editors at The Gainesville Sun – where I’m a lower-level editor on the news desk – found out about my side gig and asked if I would be willing to talk about craft beer as one of a new group of podcasts being launched through the gainesville.com website.

And those of you who know me are well aware that I need little excuse to ramble on and on about my passion for the craft brewing community.

Thus was born Gator Growlers

The goal is to keep these short – max of 30 minutes – and to concentrate on the community, not necessarily the liquid itself. There are plenty of other podcasts, blogs and vlogs to fill that need – plus, they won’t let me drink in the studio during working hours. Instead, the content aims to enlighten, educate and hopefully amuse the middle ground between the craft beer newbie and the hard-core beer geek.

Though broadcast from the Gainesville Sun newsroom, the podcast will not necessarily be Gainesville-centric. The content will radiate from the North Florida city to cover all of the craft beer community in Florida and elsewhere.

The first Gator Growlers podcast featured guest host Nathan Crabbe, the Sun’s opinion editor and a bit of a craft beer aficionado himself, who interviewed me so new listeners could get an idea of my background and what to expect from the podcast.

The second was just me, explaining a bit about the definitions of craft beer and craft breweries, so listeners – if there will be any – will know what I mean when the term comes up in conversations.

Now that the baselines have been established, future episodes will feature interviews with local and national craft beer personalities and delve into diverse subjects related to the world of craft beer and brewing.

You can find the first podcast here and the second one here, and subscribe to it on stitcher.com or iTunes, though it will become available on other podcast hosting platforms in the near future as well.

The podcasts will be recorded every other week, usually Thursdays, at first though when we get rolling, we might bump that up to weekly.

Any questions, comments or critiques can be sent to gatorgrowlers@gmail.com or put on the comment thread when the episodes are posted to The Gainesville Sun Facebook page.

I’m very excited about this opportunity.

Cheers!

Gerard

FLORIDA BREWERY MAP AND LIST

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Win swag from Jameson Caskmates Drinking Buddies and its beer partners

The contest is now over. Please check your email if you entered.

It’s been awhile since Beer in Florida has done a giveaway, so let’s do one, especially since it has a bit of a St. Patrick’s Day theme.

Late last year and earlier this year, seven breweries across the country released special beers in conjunction with Jameson Irish Whiskey as part of the distiller’s Drinking Buddies program. These breweries aged beer in Jameson barrels, and one of them was Downtown St. Petersburg’s own Cycle Brewing, with is Buddy Shots brew.

In addition, Jameson aged some of their whiskey in stout beer barrels from a local craft brewery back home in Ireland and released those spirits under the Caskmates brand.

The good folks at Jameson sent me samples of each — as well as some swag that I’ll be giving away to some Beer in Florida fans. (NOTE: YOU MUST COMMENT ON THIS POST, NOT ON FACEBOOK, OK?) Read on to find out the rules, but first, here’s the info from Jameson regarding the program.

JAMESON® IRISH WHISKEY PARTNERS WITH SEVEN AMERICAN BREWERIES IN A CELEBRATION OF CRAFT & COLLABORATION, TO FORM JAMESON CASKMATES® DRINKING BUDDIES®

Seven Hand-Selected Craft Breweries Across the U.S. Create Limited Edition Beers Aged In Jameson Whiskey Barrels

NEW YORK, NY — Recognizing those with a shared passion for quality and craft, Jameson Irish Whiskey continues its craft brewery partnerships with Jameson Caskmates Drinking Buddies. A collaboration with seven American craft brewers, Jameson Caskmates Drinking Buddies is the result of bringing like-minded individuals together with a common bond of creating superior quality beer and whiskey.

Returning breweries include Angel City Brewery in Los Angeles, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company in New York, Deep Ellum Brewing Company in Dallas, and Great Divide Brewing Company in Denver. Rounding out the final three collaborating breweries are Stoup Brewing in Seattle, Cycle Brewing in St. Petersburg, and Fat Head’s Brewing in Cleveland.

Inspired by the creation and end result of Jameson Caskmates, a one-of-a-kind whiskey born out of conversation and collaboration with local Irish craft brewery Franciscan Well, Jameson took a similar approach and worked with the seven local breweries by giving them Jameson barrels to age their craft beer for a select period of time. The end result? Limited edition beers featuring hints of Jameson Irish Whiskey incorporated with their already distinct craft beer flavors.

The Jameson family motto, Sine Metu, means without fear, and the Jameson Caskmates Drinking Buddies program celebrates the fearlessness of each brewer as they continue to pursue their passions. The same spirit and tradition of the family motto lives on through the creation and partnership with the seven local breweries.

“Jameson Irish Whiskey has always taken pride in celebrating those who share the same passion and focus when it comes to their craft,” said Sona Bajaria, Vice President, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Pernod Ricard USA. “Jameson Caskmates Drinking Buddies allows us to put the spotlight on these local craft brewers who ultimately embody the same spirit as our motto, Sine Metu.”

Each Jameson inspired craft beer will be available in their respective market for a limited time only.

Here are the breweries and the beer each released.

Cycle Brewing

Buddy Shots

  • Color – Dark amber to almost purple in color.
  • Aroma –  All malt, all day.
  • Flavor – Brewed with 6 different caramel malts and just a little bit of chocolate to showcase the finer, sweeter side of the beer and the whiskey.
  • ABV – 11% ABV

Angel City Brewery

ACB Imperial Irish Red Ale

  • Color – A rich mahogany-hued ale.
  • Aroma – Huge ripe fig and toffee notes dominate the aroma, leading into flavors of light vanilla, molasses, black cherries and a distinct peppery finish.
  • Flavor – Conditioned for 5 months in Jameson Irish Whiskey barrels, this beer has an indulgent yet subtle sweetness, full body, and warming linger.
  • ABV – 16% ABV

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company

  • Trans-Atlantic Imperial Red
  • Color – Deep auburn color with red highlights.
  • Aroma – Rich and malty aroma with hints of chocolate and citrus fruit.
  • Flavor – Deep and rich as the sea, the Trans-Atlantic Red’s natural taste combined with Jameson Irish Whiskey barrels gives this beer a deliciously complex flavor profile. Malt backbone, chocolate and coffee flavors highlighted by vanilla.
  •  ABV – 7% ABV

Deep Ellum Brewing Company

The Fascinating Bellman

  • Color – The experience is a custom crafted light smoke, wood aged, deep brown ale with ruby highlights.
  • Aroma – The aroma of bittersweet bakers chocolate and warm vanilla welcome a complex flavor of toasted chestnut. The smoke character shows a history not to be forgotten that fades then returns as the glass warms.
  • Flavor – Oak Smoked Imperial Irish brown ale aged in Jameson Whiskey barrels. We select fresh hops and smoke a portion of malt with Texas post oak. The resulting ale is fit for members only.
  • ABV – 7.8% ABV

Great Divide Brewing Company

The Smoothness

  • Color – Dark coloring.
  • Aroma – Whiskey notes, chocolate, oak and leather aroma.
  • Flavor – You don’t know smooth until you experience the velvety, silky feeling and dark lager taste of The Smoothness. Roasted malt, vanilla and oak flavors.
  • ABV – 8.5% ABV

Stoup Brewing

Dublin Down Imperial Red Ale

  • Color – Chestnut color with golden highlights.
  • Aroma – Rich and bold with notes of vanilla and toffee.
  • Flavor – A rich, malty red ale with notes of caramel and toasted bread. The time in Jameson Irish Whiskey barrels adds a depth of richness to the beer and added structure, bringing happiness to the palate and warmth to the belly after each satisfying sip.
  • The subtle grainy sweetness of Irish malt is balanced by a strong addition of bittering hops and warming alcohol.
  • ABV – 10% ABV

Fat Heads Brewing

Strange Trip Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

  • Color – Aging in Jameson Irish Whiskey barrels for 6 months has pulled a subtle touch of cocoa beans, Marzipan and charred oak.
  • Aroma – Inspired by flavors from an Irish Coffee.
  • Flavor – A heady brew, hopped with Perle, Centennial and Simcoe. The heavily roasted creamy flavor comes from the combination of flaked barley and chocolate malts.
  • ABV –  9.4% ABV

And as far as the Jameson Caskmates Whiskey:

Two heads are said to be better than one, and this whiskey adds serious weight to that argument. Emerging from a conversation between our head distiller and the head brewer of Cork’s Franciscan Well Brewery, Jameson Caskmates has been finished in stout-seasoned whiskey casks. While our triple-distilled smoothness is very much intact, notes of cocoa, coffee and butterscotch confirm the stout influence.

Caskmates is a head-turning, modern Irish whiskey.

  • Nose: crisp orchard fruits like green apples and pears, mild pot still spices
  • Taste: Subtle touch of hops and cocoa beans, Marzipan and charred oak
  • Finish: Long and sweet with Milk Chocolate and Butterscotch

Unfortunately, the Cycle bottles for sale at the taproom are long gone, according to the brewery, though there may be a keg or two tucked away in local craft beer bars. The Caskmates whiskey is still available in liquor stores around the area.

WHAT ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY?

What I have to give away is this:

 

 

 

 

Two T-shirts, one Extra Large and one Medium (Note: The sizes seem to run small, especially for a XXL dude like me).  The T-shirts have the Jameson logo on front, and the logos of the seven breweries in the program on the back.

Two Jameson Whiskey tote bags. They are bags to tote things in.

If you wish to enter, here are the rules.

  • Leave a comment on the post here (NOT ON FACEBOOK). Your email is required, but don’t worry: it won’t be shared or used in any other nefarious way. And I’ll have to contact you if you win.
  • Say in the comment which size T-shirt you would want, or if you would like to win a tote bag.

I’ll run this through Tuesday, March 21, at 6 p.m., at which time I’ll use the Random.org service to choose a winner. The winner will be notified by email and have 24 hours to respond with a shipping address. If I don’t hear back by then, another winner will be chosen.

As I mentioned above, Jameson Irish Whiskey provided this swag through its marketing arm, but the company has no involvement in this giveaway.

Slainte!

Gerard

 

FLORIDA BREWERY MAP & LIST

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