There’s a lot of good fun to be had if you travel north of Orlando. I just never did it.
There was too much going on where I was. And if we did travel, it was west to Tampa.
But north is where a lot of great things are happening, especially in craft beer. Plenty of great places to stop at before you hit Daytona (reminder: I must go Sanfording soon).
But first, a mead!
Surprisingly enough, mead has really taken off recently in the Sunshine State. Has it been around for years? Of course, but it has really gotten big recently.
Continue readingSince seltzers took over a significant share of the craft beer market, it feels like ciders, poised to become the next big thing, fell out of favor compared to their low-calorie cousins. This is a shame, since several breweries in the state had started weighty cider programs with some rather tasty, inventive recipes.
And there are others that never let go. One brewery that embraced both, ironically, is 3 Daughters in St. Pete. Sure, their Beach Box seltzer pack is near-ubiquitous in grocery stores around the state. But you can also find their ciders, usually headed by Rose or Key Lime variants.
I can put my finger on my favorite cartoon from my childhood.
I’m sure the hip thing to say is something like Thundercats or My Little Pony, or even something slightly unknown like American Rabbit. I am, however, steadfast in my viewpoint that Donald Duck in Mathmagicland was the bomb.
Long story short, I have begun a journey into an extensive and colorful crowler collection from breweries around the state. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with them all, but I know they definitely run the artistic gamut.
I have some that are busy and visually active, I have some that are very bland and stark, and then I’ve got some that are just classic and cool. Riptide Brewing from Naples has the latter.
Quat.
It’s literally the best beer name in Florida.
It’s simple, it’s short, it rolls off the tongue and it’s got a Q that makes sure that single syllable lands like a water balloon. It’s a beer it’s been around for a hot minute, and dare I say it’s one of the signature seasonals from Tampa Bay Brewing. I consider it to be, it’s a release that I look forward to seeing every year, only now they’ve changed the label art somewhat to add the silver medal it received at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival.
It’s St. Patrick’s Day again, and for the craft beer industry that means two things: Dry Irish Stouts (of which i am a fan), and green beer.
I hate green beer.
We are coming up on the 7th anniversary of Florida Beer Blog, and in that time I do not recall the Kolsch being quite as popular as it is now. I would see it pop up time and again, but it feels like the style is everywhere now.
I have no problems with that. This is one of my favorite styles.
