The Auld Allance was an alliance forged between Scotland and France, lasting from 1295 until 1560 when the Treaty of Edinburgh was enacted. And it’s also the namesake of an ale that was collaborated on by two of Tampa Bay’s elite breweries. Cigar City Auld Alliance (Cigar City Brewing; Tampa, FL; Scotch Ale / Wee [...]
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 [...]
During our trip to Jacksonville this past weekend, Anne and I decided to drop by one of the country’s premier gastropubs. Situated in the Riverside section of the city, which has a Portland like vibe to it and houses such notable craft breweries as Bold City and Intuition Ale Works, Kickbacks Gastropub has 84 craft [...]
I received several samples this past week of an IPA that is part of Newcastle’s Limited Edition Series. Having enjoyed several of the Scottish brewery’s offerings in the past, including New Castle Brown Ale and especially their John Courage Amber Ale when it was available in the U.S., I was more than curious to give [...]
My friend Brad and I attended the Bradenton Brewskis homebrewers meeting last Thursday at the invitation of Allen Bavry, who Anne and I had met along with his wife Cindi while having dinner at Brasserie Belge in downtown SRQ last month. We enjoyed hanging out with the group, which was founded in 1991, and talking [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]