I’ll be rockin’ Branson, Missouri, this weekend. Yee-Haw
Wow, there are a lot of craft beer events and news items to talk about this week.
Though the forecast calls for temperatures slightly lower than Hades through at least September, it’s still a great time of the year for great beer in the Sunshine State.
Unfortunately, I will be out of town this weekend in, of all places, Branson, Missouri. I’ve a feeling I’m going to either love it or hate it. We’ll see.
Let’s get to this week’s Beer Bites.
Mag Love
Garden and Gun magazine featured The Porch craft beer bar in Key West as one of the places in its “The Guide to Outside: Drink.” Read it here.
Cigar City magazine, though it has nothing to do with the brewery, nevertheless published a nice profile of Joey Redner, owner and founder of Tampa’s Cigar City Beer. In it, Joey talks about starting the brewery, dealing with the city bureaucracy and what it was like growing up as the son of Tampa’s strip club king. Read it here.
Tour This!
Tampa’s Cold Storage Craft Brewery will open its doors to the public again for tours on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. Details here.
In Gainesville, Swamp Head Brewery will hold its first beer tour Saturday, but as they say on the Facebook page, “this will not be just any old brewery tour.” Not only will participants tour the brewery, but there will be a bus tour to a few of Gainesville’s other craft beer places for beer. Tickets are $25 and include everything. Details here.
Do Sushi What I See?
Speaking of Swamp Head, the brewery is partnering with Dragonfly Sushi and Sake Company in Gainesville for a five-course beer dinner. Since I won’t be able to be there, my good friend Amie will cover it for me. Stay tuned for her review next week, especially since they’re doing it again on July 11. Tickets are $60 plus tax and available at the restaurant.
Wheat in the Heat
The Lager Haus Summer Fest will be Saturday in Palm Harbor. Expect Hefeweizens, Belgian Wits, Berliner Weisse, a wheat beer home brewing contest, a dirndl contest, a hot pepper sauce contest and lots of Spanish paella. Details here.
Maple. Bacon. Coffee. Porter … Imperial!
The Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery in Boca Raton will hold the grand opening of its homebrew store next door to the brewpub on Saturday. They will also release the highly anticipated Imperial Maple Bacon Coffee Porter. The regular version ranked near the top of best beer lists by BeerAdvocate.com and RateBeer.com, and the imperial version clocks in at an impressive 10.5 percent ABV. There will be other rare beers on tap, as well as raffles of Funky Buddha merchandise. Details here.
New Brews
Looks like there may be yet another craft brewery in the works in Jacksonville, according to the “Amber Waves” blog on the The Florida Times-Union’s website.
Also in J-ville, Green Room Brewing announced on its Facebook page that it has received state and federal approval to brew its own beer. No word yet on if any of it’s on tap yet.
ARRR!
Head over to the World of Beer Sarasota this Saturday for its Pirate Fest Day. Dress like a pirate and get Happy Hour prices all day. There will be a costume contest, live music food and special brews from Ballast Point, Clipper City and Heavy Seas. There will also be Rogue Dead Guy Ale on tap (the official brew of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, which occurs each year on Sept. 19).
Outta the Can
I reported here in February that Buckbean Brewing Company in Reno, Nevada, was going to start distributing in Florida. Word is that the Reno, Nevada, brewery’s canned craft brews have arrived. I haven’t seen them yet, but then again, I don’t live in what you would call a craft beer hot spot.
Mark Those Calendars
St. Petersburg craft beer bar The Ale and the Witch announced that it will sponsor the inaugural Brewgrass Festival on Saturday, July 2, at the St. Petersburg Coliseum.
Also at the Coliseum, the Cask Beer Expo on Saturday, July 23, will feature cask ales brewed by a slew of Florida breweries, live music, and food. Tickets are limited.
The Seminole Hard Rock & Casino in Hollywood will hold its inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Beer-B-Que on Sunday, July 3. The beer lineup isn’t too impressive, but for $35 advance, $45 at the door, you’ll get unlimited tastings of it and unlimited tastings of barbecue food. Seven Mary Three will provide the musical accompaniment.
That’s it for this week’s Beer Bites. With all that’s going on, I’m sure I’ve missed something. Let us know in the comments or use our interactive events calendar – the link’s at the top of the page.
Please email trips4beer@gmail.com with any ideas or story tips. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Until next time, Florida, remember: We are Here! We are Beer!
