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 [...]
Sarasota, famous for Siesta Key Beach which was voted America’s #1 beach this year, has become a prime destination for an increasing number of overseas tourists. As part of a promotion called Fam Trip: A Sampling of Sarasota County, six representatives from various German media outlets were invited to the area to see the best [...]
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, [...]
The late Hunter S. Thompson coined the phase above, which is on the blackboard of a new pub that just opened in Sarasota called Growlers. Owned by Kevin and Sherry Kolyno, has 30 beers on tap and at least as many in bottles. From the easy drinking pale lager Jalehouse Light to the superb tripel [...]
Anne & I were in St. Pete the other day, and stopped by The Independent after an excellent sushi dinner. We shot the breeze with bartender and beer aficionado Neal, and had a couple of rounds. This is a really great pub, with a large selection of Belgians and other European beers. All in all, [...]
No rental car, no problem. The Pacific Northwest has some of the best public transportation around. We thoroughly enjoyed our vacation, and spent a considerable amount of time exploring Seattle. Anne & I even took a shuttle down to Portland to pay The City of Roses a visit. The area has a lot to offer, [...]
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 [...]