I had the privilege of drinking three outstanding beers when I stopped by the Cigar City Brewing Tasting Room in Tampa this past Wednesday evening. Besides being crafted by Florida breweries, these beers shared another commonality in that each have an ABV of 9%. What drove me, literally and figuratively, to CCB that night was [...]
It was a special day on Saturday when Mr. Beery’s in Sarasota hosted a Rare Beer Silent Auction & Mac ‘N Cheese Cookoff to benefit the HelpHOPELive Southeast Lung Transplant fund in honor of Erin Coleman, with all proceeds going toward her double lung transplant. It was a full house that turned out to honor [...]
I remember the first time I walked into Mr. Beery’s with a couple of friends a little less than two years ago. Owner Mark Tuchman was on hand, and we all hit it off immediately. Before the end of the night, Mark was breaking open complimentary bottles of Ken Schmidt Maui Stone Coffee Macadamia Coconut [...]
Stopped by The Shamrock yesterday afternoon and was pleased to learn from James that a porter I have wanted to try was on tap. Described by Ommegang as a “Belgian Love Affair”, I was quite eager to try this latest offering from the Cooperstown brewery. Ommegang Seduction (Brewery Ommegang; Cooperstown, NY; Porter; ABV: 6.8) is [...]
I had a chance to try a couple of interesting ales from San Diego brewery Ballast Point while at Mr. Beery’s for happy hour the other evening. One was a spicy hopbomb on firkin, the other a bold, full-bodied imperial porter. Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin (Ballast Point Brewing Co.; San Diego, CA; India Pale Ale; [...]
We attended the Seventh Sun Brewing Company release party in Dunedin on Saturday, as a packed house was on hand to usher in the new Tampa Bay area brewery’s first official pouring. Local bluegrass band the Crackerbilly’s entertained the crowd, and tasty cuisine was provided by Dunedin’s Olde Bay Café and Tampa gourmet caterer Wicked [...]
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 [...]