By Matt Goldstein & Pat Smith During a weekend of absolute debauchery in Atlantic City with all you can eat and drink comps, ringside seats at the fight, hot rocks at the craps table and insidious bar hopping and the March Madness Beer Championship, we unselfishly took the time out to review a few beers. The [...]
Anne and I spent Saturday in the artisan community of Gulfport, and decided to drop in on the highly regarded Peg’s Cantina. Owned by Peg and Tony Dozark, Peg’s is situated in a nice little bungalow, and in addition to featuring exceptional Mexican food, they offer a diverse selection of beer – 9 on tap, [...]
Sometime last week I drank my 1200th different beer. It’s an ale that won Gold at the 2010 World Beer Championships, and was described by the late beer connoisseur Michael Jackson as “More than a serious beer – it is outstanding….Dizzying, appetizing, refreshing.” North Coast Le Merle (North Coast Brewing Co.; Fort Bragg, CA; Saison [...]
What an incredible time we all had at Saturday’s Mr. Beery’s Bell’s Beer Circus. Lots of fun and games, from mechanical shark riding to the HopSlam toss (yours truly won a Bell’s gift basket in the latter). Bell’s rep Cindi Curtis and her merry band of clowns were on hand to keep everyone entertained, as [...]
I really enjoy a great smoked beer every now and then. In fact, Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen made last year’s Ultimate Case list. And the pleasure was all mine at Mr. Dunderbak’s this past Sunday, when I had the chance to try two more outstanding smoked brews. Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche Doppelbock (Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla; [...]
Anne and I stopped by Mr. Dunderbak’s the other day for lunch and to enjoy a beer or two. While talking beer with J.B., he introduced me to a truly exceptional Helles lager traditionally featured at Octoberfest. Augustiner Bräu Edelstoff (Augustiner-Bräu Wagner KG; München, Germany; Munich Helles Lager; ABV: 5.7) hails from a brewery that [...]
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 [...]