It’s been a long time since we’ve had a news rundown, but there’s a lot going on in the state right now. Buckle up, here we go:
Brew News
Florida Beer News for 4-16-15
Here’s your Florida Craft Beer News for 4-15-16. There’s a lot, so sit back and relax…
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Sneak Preview of Craft Food Counter at Funky Buddha
It’s official, Funky Buddha is getting a kitchen!
It’s a kitchen in a recycled shipping container, but it’s a kitchen!
Craft Food Counter at Funky Buddha Brewery
Funky’s Craft Food Counter is set to open on November 11th, and will be located in the back of the tap room. If you have been to the brewery and remember where the bocce ball court was, that’s now the home to a 20-foot long polished concrete countertop and 10-foot tall picture windows that look directly into said shipping container kitchen.
Screamin’ Reels Cans from Saltwater Brewery to Launch Distribution
Someone got a new toy…
Delray Beach’s favorite Saltwater Brewery got themselves a new canning line, and now they’re starting mass distribution of their first canned release, the flagship Screamin’ Reels IPA.
Image courtesy of Saltwater Brewery
Naming Contest with Pair O’ Dice Brewing
Brew News – Bottle Releases for the 4th of July
Happy 64 oz. Growler day, everyone!
Just in time for the big 4th of July weekend are two awesome bottle releases in Florida. The best part of these is they’re not wait-in-line, limited to the first 20 people bottle releases. They’re all-inclusive, and I like that.
First up for readers in South Florida is Blueberry Cobbler (Fruit Ale, 5.4% ABV, 12 IBU), Funky Buddha’s next seasonal 4-pack release after the massive success of More Moro.
Sunday Brunch at SaltWater Brewery
Want beer on Sunday morning? Go to SaltWater Brewery. They’ll get you hooked up.
SaltWater Brewery Sunday Brunch Menu
SaltWater Brewery is starting a new monthly tradition with brunch this Sunday morning from Noon to 4 PM. Food will be a la carte from It’s A Cubano B (both of these items look fantastic, BTW) and there will be tappings of two special treatments of their new workhorse Belgian Tripel Don’t Get Confused.
Looks like a good time. If you go, let me know what you think.
Drink Florida Craft (even early on Sunday),
Dave
floridabeerblog@gmail.com
Descarga Brewing Offering Free Beer For Life at Sprung! on Saturday
The Free Beer For Life intrigued you, didn’t it? There’s a lot of information in this post that my South Florida readers are really going to enjoy, so hang in there.
And it all centers on the soon-to-open Descarga Brewing Company, based out of Miami.
Image courtesy of Descarga Brewing Co.
Descarga Brewing (known to many in South Florida by their former name, Opus Ales) will be one of the many, many breweries pouring at Sprung Beer Festival on Saturday, March 7th at Peacock Park in Coconut Grove. I spoke with Manny Jannes, one of the owners of Descarga, about what they’re bringing to the festival:
Rachetera (Sour Ale, 7.5% ABV, 24 IBU) – This is Descarga’s Hi-Ju-Doin beer, but soured with a Belgian sour yeast blend and flavored with ample additions of Hibiscus flowers, Juniper berries, Raspberries. The name of the beer is Spanglish for ‘ratchet.’
Cocotazo (Witbier, 5.2% ABV, 17 IBU) – I can’t tell you how much I want to try this beer. This is a witbier “brewed by adding natural shaved coconut to the mash and coconut milk and pineapples during the boil,” according to Jannes. “Once racked to secondary we dry hop it with pineapples and coconuts.” As for the name of the beer, it’s apparently a play on words, and is sort of getting rapped on the head by someone’s knuckles. “It’s what your Spanish mama does when you’re acting a fool.”
Travieso (Saison, 5.6% ABV, 16 IBU) – This is a saison brewed with prickly pear cactus fruit and ginger root. As for the name, ‘travieso’ means to be mischievous or causing mischief (“In your mouth,” said a playful Jannes about this beer).
Fuki-Fuki (Witbier, 5% ABV, 33 IBU) – This is a Belgian witbier, but is brewed with smoked malts. Fresh Florida mango was added during the boil and in secondary. The name, however, is something Jannes wouldn’t tell me. I looked it up, and we’re just going to slap a big NSFW sticker on this one and move on to the next beer, okay?
Saison Completa (Saison, 6.2% ABV, 60 IBU) – This is a big, hoppy saison, the closest to an IPA as Descarga will be providing at Sprung. It’s brewed with Florida honey and generously hopped (and dry hopped) with Galaxy and Citra.
All of which sounds great, but free beer, right? You’ve got two ways to avail yourself of lots of free Descarga Brewing beer. If you’re going to Sprung, they are raffling off Free Beer for One Year at their soon-to-open brewery. Raffle tickets are $10, but a year of free beer! It’s a no-brainer.
And when will that brewery open? Descarga is currently in the process of acquiring a brewery space in Midtown Miami, just north of what is fast becoming the center of Miami brewing, Wynwood. This new brewery, according to Jannes, would feature a 7 BBL system on the first floor, tap room on the second floor, beer garden, and rooftop lounge.
Opening is expected in winter 2015, but Descarga has found that “even though the idea of having a local brewery in South Florida is a very popular idea, cities are still having a hard time figuring out how to help expedite the construction efforts.”
Ahead of the brewery opening, you can get ready for a lifetime of free Descarga Brewing beer by looking into their Free Beer For Life (FBFL) Society. Descarga is selling memberships to get Miami ready for the future brewery opening. The FBFL Society similar to the mug clubs that many other breweries offer, only that (as the name implies), you do, indeed, get free beer at Descarga Brewing for life! Naturally, the memberships aren’t transferrable. It’s just for you. Sorry.
Jannes gave me a nice rundown of everything else you get with society membership:
- Custom engraved FBFL Society snifter, stored and displayed at the Descarga Brewing Company tap room
- Two free fills of your custom snifter per day for the remainder of the Society Member’s life
- Refill your snifter any time at happy hour prices after the first two fills.
- Custom 32oz. take home growler
- Ten free fills of the 32oz. growler, to be redeemed by the Society Member as needed.
- Custom printed FBFL Society members T-shirt
- Custom FBFL Society bottle opener
- Access to the FBFL Society e-newsletter, providing information about member only events, beer releases and more
- $1 off can or bottle purchases anytime at our tasting room
- 10% off keg purchases and growler fills
- 15% off merchandise (t-shirts, hats, etc.)
- Quarterly Founders Club meetings with swag, raffles, giveaways and more
Membership is $1,000 and will be limited to the first 100 people. If you’re interested in getting details, or possibly signing up, Descarga’s new web site has all the details for you.
Or you can talk to them at Sprung. With the beers they’re bringing, why wouldn’t you want to stop by?
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