American Craft Beer Week is nearly upon us, and the Tampa Bay Area is going all out. On both sides of the bay, craft beer enthusiasts will be celebrating in grand style. In fact, there is not enough space in this article to post every event for each day, but here are some highlights. Weeklong [...]
As a beer evaqngelist, I try to patronize restaurants that serve good beer. I also prefer to patronize locally owned and operated establishments whenever possible. The best experiences are when the two meet. Whenever I travel, I make a point of doing a little research ahead of time to find places to eat that meet [...]
No beer culture, you say? Tell that to the craft beer lovers in Florida now that the latest Ratebeer.com Best 2011 Awards have been released. From breweries to beer bars, brewpubs to restaurants, Florida has onace again made a showing in this reviewer-driven recognition. Although anchored by the ongoing success and popularity of Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, [...]
The craft beer culture in Tampa Bay is expanding yet again, and this time it’s in St. Petersburg. Filling a chronically vacant space in the Tower Plaza in downtown St. Pete will be a new craft beer bar called The Ale and the Witch. According to owner Brett Andress, there will be 32 taps to [...]
Each year, local magazine Creative Loafing holds an online auction to benefit The Children’s Home, an 118-year-old organization providing safe haven for neglected and abused children and helping nearly 12,000 adults and kids annually. Items run the full spectrum from DVD packages and spa days to even “owning” the cover of the magazine for an [...]
Politics in Florida are a tricky thing. From hanging chads to the election of questionable candidates, just when we seem to think we are gaining a little respect again in the country, something ridiculous happens. This is true even down to the local goverments. Like Tampa, home of Cigar City Brewing. Cigar City opened a [...]
Beer Travel I – Kona, Hawai’i Beer Travel II – Hilo, Hawai’i Beer Travel III – Volcano and the South Road, Hawai’i The northern route between Hilo and Kailua-Kona is a vastly different experience than its sibling down south. The Mamalahoa Highway (HI-19) follows the coastline out of Hilo, taking travelers along a gorgeous view [...]
Beer Travel I – Kona, Hawai’i Beer Travel II – Hilo, Hawai’i Beer Travel IV – Waimea, Hawai’i Travel between the two main cities on the Big Island of Hawai’i – Kailua-Kona and Hilo – is done almost exclusively via the “Hawaiian Belt” road. Also known as the Mamalahoa Highway, the Belt Road consists of [...]
Bitterness ran deep Saturday night at the Dunedin Brewery, but few complained. It was the Hoppy Endings IPA Fest, a celebration of all things lupulin-infused.
In celebration of American Craft Beer Week, I drank and reviewed a different Florida craft beer each day. From the phenomenal to the just “okay”, it was an interesting and eye-opening experience for me. I learned a few things about both my own tastes and also the state of craft beer in Florida. To begin [...]
