Anne and I were invited by Greg Rapp, brewer extraordinaire and founder of the Pinellas Urban Brewers Guild, to his home on Saturday for Rapp on Tap. The event featured more than 20 craft beers, including 16 of Greg’s brewings on tap, in addition to offerings from other PUBGuild members. There was a great turnout [...]
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 [...]
This Saturday marks the second anniversary of Billy’s Beer Blog. To mark the occasion, I’ve decided to do an updated version of my Ultimate Case. While I’m keeping two of my three rules from a year ago – no retired beers and a limit of one beer per brewery – I’m dropping the ban on [...]
A couple of my friends celebrated their 40th birthdays last year, and I remember it to be a very good year. It’s an especially good number for my favorite series of old ales. Harviestoun Ola Dubh Special Reserve 40 (Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.; Alva Clackmannanshire, Scotland (UK); Old Ale; ABV: 8.0) is yet another outstanding offering [...]
It was a festive day on Saturday when Mr. Beery’s hosted the Cigar City Total Tap Takeover. Indeed, word of this stupendous event traveled fast, and the crowd on hand included many a beer aficionado from around the country, in addition to local residents already familiar with the world renowned brewery. In general, the brewery, [...]
Anne and I were hanging out in St. Pete the other day, when we decided to head over to A Taste For Wine. This charming bistro has something for everyone, from Mushroom Vol au Vent to Bacon Wrapped Scallops, in addition to an excellent wine and beer list. And a beer that I ordered truly [...]
Marzens tend to be traditional Fall beers, but I had the chance to try a different take on this beer style at Crum’s Bar and Grill recently. Cigar City Marzen Spring Lager (Cigar City Brewing; Tampa, FL; Marzen; ABV: 5.5) is also known as Cigar City Oktoberfest Marzen when it’s released during the autumn months. [...]
You can add Crum’s Bar and Grill to a growing list of exceptional brewpubs in the Tampa Bay area. Located in downtown St. Petersburg, and owned by Chris Crum and Lanette Miller, Crum’s Bar and Grill offers craft beer, food, and live music in a hip casual setting. Speaking of which, there’s 52 selections of [...]
The last time I was at the Cigar City Brewing Tasting Room in Tampa, I learned something new. Did you know that bats pollinate blue agave plants, which provide the ingredient found in tequila? So it’s fitting that I tried a double cream ale, named for the bat, that’s aged in tequila barrels. Cigar City [...]