Stopped by Willards Tap House in Largo on Wednesday night. St. Pete’s Trigger City Trio was on hand to entertain the crowd with a mixture of rock, funk, reggae, and blues, from their original music to unique covers such as Stevie Wonder’s “Sign Sealed Delivered” and The Beatles’ “Back In The USSR.” And of course [...]
My friend Steve and I dropped by Cigar City Brewing in Tampa yesterday to check out the latest brews on tap. While the Tasting Room had a great selection of CCB beers on draft, it was a guest beer, enthusiastically recommended by a beer representative from J.J.Taylor, that really caught my attention. Hill Farmstead Edward [...]
We spent the holidays in Charleston last week, and on Thursday decided to go on The Original Pub Tour of Charleston. This wasn’t just any pub tour, as our guide Ben took the group on a nearly 3 hour journey of the city itself, educating us on all of its rich history, in addition to [...]
Anne and I spent the weekend down in Naples, and Saturday night we found a gem of a cafe. Owned by Colin Estrem, Avenue Wine Cafe calls itself “A Wine Bar with a Craft Beer Addiction”. Indeed, this hip establishment offers an extensive craft beer list to go along with the selection of wine, cigars, [...]
Another Independence Day is upon us, and I look forward to celebrating with family and friends this July 4th weekend. I’d also like to recommend ten session beers to savor as you fire up the barbecue and/or watch the fireworks display. I’m thinking American Pale Ales, American Amber Ales, American Amber Lagers, American Pale Wheat [...]
Today starts the 4th Annual Philadelphia Beer Week, which runs thru June 12. If you’re fortunate enough to be in town over the next week or so, there will be a lot of excellent beers on hand. And one local ale was voted by The New York Times as one of the country’s best pale [...]
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 [...]