My friend Jack and I hit Shamrock Pub last night to check out several beers that were featured during Monday’s Harpoon Tiny Tap Takeover. I’ve been a fan of the Boston based brewery for some time, so it was a great opportunity to try some offerings that aren’t normally seen in the SRQ area. Harpoon [...]
Earlier this year, Brooklyn Brewery gained a new brewhouse, and the first offering from this location is an unfiltered ale in the rare “Abbey Singel” style that Trappist monks craft for themselves. Brooklyn Main Engine Start (Brooklyn Brewery; Brooklyn, NY; Belgian Pale Ale; ABV: 6.2) is a well balanced and medium bodied ale. Light amber [...]
Anne and I had a blast at Wazoo 2010 this past Saturday night at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. In addition to having more than 250 beers and beverages from around the world, the event featured cuisine from restaurants as well as live music from area based artists Velvet Jones, Impulse, and The Paper [...]
Palm Speciale (Brouwerij Palm N.V.; Steenhuffel, Belgium; Belgian Pale Ale; ABV: 5.4) has been one of the most popular beers in Europe for years. It’s finally available in the U.S. market, so I was curious to try it when Anne & I stopped by the Oldsmar Tap House. Palm is a very smooth and drinkable [...]
Belgium’s Brouwerij Van Steenberge brews such outstanding ales as Gulden Draak and Piraat. And I just recently sampled another superb beer from this brewery. La Bière du Boucanier Red Ale (Brouwerij Van Steenberge N.V.; Ertvelde, Belgium; Belgium Pale Ale; ABV: 7.0) is as complex as it is smooth. It pours a honey amber color and [...]
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 [...]