Well, I missed the Florida Brewers Guild Festival last weekend, but I’m looking at the bright side: There are so many great craft beer events going on in Florida that it’s difficult to make it to all of them. That’s a great sign that our craft beer scene is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds. Here are some reviews of the festival by other Florida beer writers:
- Lucas Widrick of A Night With the Hops: “Beer Festival in Ybor.”
- Alan Shaw of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune: “Beer Geeks Pack Ybor City for Festival.”
- And Sean Norduist wrote of the after-party that night for Tampa’s Creative Loafing: “The BFBC Brewer’s Ball showcased Florida’s Best Beer.”
But I won’t be missing one event Saturday: The once-a-year release of Cigar City Brewing’s Hunahpu Mayan Chocolate Imperial Stout. There will be much happening throughout the day, with multiple taps set up for pouring the Tampa brewery’s other products, guest beers on tap, live music, food and lots of good people brought together by their love of good beer. For those interested in purchasing the Hunahpu, wrist bands will be given out beginning at 11 a.m., and you can start buying the bottles (limit four per person) at 6 p.m. This means you can either hang out at the brewery or leave to pursue other activities and return from 6 to 9 p.m., to buy your bottle(s) , after you get your wrist band. The bottles will sell for $20 each. Check out Cigar City’s website for more details.
Over the Bridge
Time it right and you could even head over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and do some sampling at the Bradenton Beer Festival on Bradenton’s Main Street before coming back for your bottles. This event is produced by Florida Beer Festivals, a for-profit company that has several other festivals coming up in the state. I’ve been to some of their festivals in the past, and there are too many macrobrews for my taste, but there are enough crafts there to keep most beer geeks happy. The best part is that a lot of local eateries provide plenty of free food samples to fill your belly, a practice that I wish other Florida festivals would embrace. Tickets are $25 in advance, and some of the proceeds will go to Realize Bradenton, a local nonprofit that supports the city’s arts and culture scene.
The Chronicles of IPA
Up to the north, Dunedin Brewery will crack a cask-conditioned firkin of the first of its new IPA Chronicles project, Black Rye IPA , on Saturday. There will 100 bottles (22 oz.) available for sale today, limit two, and it will be available on tap.
Beer at Disney
Are you imprisoned enjoying a stay on Disney World property this weekend? Fear not, craft beer geeks, there’s something happening for you there. Head over to the Disney Boardwalk Saturday afternoon from 2 to 5 p.m. for the tapping of Irish Red Lager at Big River Grille & Brewing Works, the only working brewpub on Disney property. $3 pints and free reuben sandwiches, while they last. Details here.
Reminder: Please use our free interactive events calendar to promote your upcoming craft beer events. The link’s on top of the Beer in Florida home page.
That’s it for Beer Bites this week. Feel free to email trips4beer@gmail.com with any ideas or story tips.
Until next time, Florida, remember: We are here! We are Beer!
