Happy Tax Day! Ha ha, fooled you. Taxes aren’t due till Monday, thanks to an obscure holiday celebrated today in the District of Columbia, Emancipation Day. Of course, if you’re GE, don’t worry. You ain’t paying nothing! But that’s a subject for another blog that I don’t write.
I do write about Beer in Florida, so let’s get to it.
Good Beer and Gators
Dude looks thirsty! Hand him a craft beer.
It’s been awhile since I’ve visited Myakka State Park in Southwest Florida, but here’s some good news from the folks at Brew Kettle Times, the craft beer arm of distributor J.J. Taylor. The Myakka Outpost – besides having some awesome gator stew – also pours several craft beers for your enjoyment. Here’s what they say:
“While enjoying lovely views of the Myakka River and counting alligators from the deck of the Myakka Outpost, you can now also imbibe in a selection from their fine assortment of Local and Specialty beers, including Sierra Nevada, Key West, Monk in the Trunk, Orange Blossom Pilsner, Sam Adams and more. With a delicious assortment of bottles and draft to choose from (including Swamp Ape IPA on tap!), Myakka Outpost is the perfect spot to grab an ice-cold brew right after — or before — a hike through the trails!”
By the way, you can subscribe to the Brew Kettle Times newsletter on the website. It’s a great way to learn about some nice craft beer happenings, like Hoptomic 2011 coming up in June in Tampa. I’ll be writing more about that in the future.
At Least It’s Beer
I wrote a couple of months ago about the new Five Guys Burgers and Fries restaurant on Church Street in downtown Orlando and how it was going to be the first in the chain to serve beer in Florida. Got an email from a spokesperson a few days ago, and here’s the scoop on what they’re serving: “We have Miller Lite and Yuengling as our domestics (at $2.75 a bottle) and Heineken and Blue Moon as our premium at $3.25 a bottle.”
Well, Yuengling isn’t bad, but if it’s any consolation, they’re open till 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday for the late-night crowd.
Maybe they’ll make some better beers available if you ask them when you’re in there.
The Best Time of the Beer
I’m speaking about arguably the best beer festival in Florida: the Cajun Café on the Bayou Spring Craft Beer Festival (they hold one in the fall, as well). Owners Paul and Rebecca Unwin bring in some of the finest beer in the world to serve at their festivals. Expect to be surprised by the selection, and you can win some really cool beer and gear in the raffle there to support Dunedin Doggie Rescue. This is a festival for the beer geek in all of us. I’ll be there, so stop to say hello if you see me. Make sure to visit the Mike’s Heavenly Homebrews booth to try some of Mike Gyarmathy’s creations before he runs out.
Venetian Beer Tasting
No, it’s neither the Italian city of canals nor beers from that region. Instead, it’s a sampling of several craft brews at La Dolce Vita Wine Bar in downtown Venice, Florida. Though heavily focused on vino, the lounge also offers many craft beers on tap and in the bottle. On Sunday, it will host a beer tasting featuring brews from Florida Brewing, Cigar City, Dogfish Head, Abita, Bell’s and more. The tasting runs from 2 to 4 p.m. and costs $12 per person.
And Now For the Bad News
Over the past few months, several craft brewers have announced they are pulling their products out of certain states and markets because their breweries can’t keep up with rising demand. So far, Florida had been spared – but not this time. Avery Brewing Co. announced plans this week to exit eight states and seven “partial state markets.” Sadly, one of those is Central Florida. Fans of the brewer should stock up while they can.
Reminder: Please use our free interactive calendar to promote your upcoming craft beer events. The link’s at the top of this 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!
