One of my friends here in the Tampa Bay area brought over some beers from his Beer Month Club on Sunday when we hosted our Super Bowl Party. There was a particular beer among them that really stood out, as it was one of the finest Irish red ales I have ever had. Casco Bay [...]
The Tocobaga was a Native American tribe once indigenous to the Tampa Bay area. They lived in chiefdoms along the coastline, embracing a maritime way of life. Cigar City Brewing crafted a terrific red ale in honor of the rich history of the Tocobaga. Cigar City Tocobaga Red Ale (Cigar City Brewing; Tampa, FL; American [...]
With numerous church steeples dominating the city skyline, and a tolerance for all religions dating back to the original 13 colonies, Charleston is known as the Holy City. And during our recent trip, I became a true believer in their craft beer scene as well, since the area breweries have a gift for brewing some [...]
We spent the holidays in Charleston last week, and on Thursday decided to go on The Original Pub Tour of Charleston. This wasn’t just any pub tour, as our guide Ben took the group on a nearly 3 hour journey of the city itself, educating us on all of its rich history, in addition to [...]
Had a chance to visit a couple of Jacksonville breweries that had been on my radar. The first, Bold City Brewery, caught my attention when I sampled a bomber of their 1901 Red Ale (Bold City Brewery; Jacksonville, FL; American Amber / Red Ale; ABV: 8.0), a robust and complex ale with big notes of [...]
Anne and I went up to Cajun Cafe On The Bayou in Pinellas Park on Saturday to attend their annual Fall Craft Beer Festival. Rated by RoadTripsforBeer.com as one of the country’s Top 10 Fall Beer Festivals, this event featured more than 100 homebrew, craft, and imported beers. Tampa Bay is fortunate to have a [...]
We stopped by BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse in Pinellas Park on Sunday for dinner, and noticed that they had an abbey ale as the special on draft. Beer Advocate had it listed as retired, but BJ’s is brewing it again. I can definitely attest, after a couple of pints, that everything’s back to Normal! BJ’s [...]
It’s an annual right of passage at the beginning of February that two world renowned Imperial IPAs make their mark upon the craft beer world. The first, Russian River Pliny The Younger (Russian River Brewing Co.; Santa Rosa, CA; Imperial India Pale Ale; ABV: 11.0), has become the Holy Grail for many beer enthusiasts. While [...]
With the explosion of the craft beer industry, it seems like ales and lagers are giving wine a run for its money as the drink of choice. In fact, many breweries have started to age their ales in oak barrels which give them a distinct wine like character. This “crossover” is producing beers that appeal [...]