Category: Beer

Brewer’s Ball 2018 Winners + Recap

The Brewer’s Ball 2018 presented by Best Florida Beer was quite the beer affair. The weather that day was perfect and there were a number of incredible entries that day at the event by breweries both near and far.

I have to say that my favorite beers that day came from Arkane Aleworks. I was a big fan of Gimme Swelter Mango Habanero Florida Weisse and Mezkin Blackbird Blackberry Sage Gose.

Here are the winners in different categories at the event:

Best Brewpub In Florida: Big Blue Brewing, Cape Coral, FL

Best Cider/Mead In Florida: Can’t You Hear The Thunder, Garagiste Meadery, Tampa, FL

Best Small Brewery In Florida: Arkane Aleworks, Largo, FL

Best Large Brewery In Florida: Infinite Ale Works, Ocala, FL

Second Runner Up Best Small Batch Beer In Florida: Yarmouth, Arkane Aleworks, Largo, FL

Runner Up Best Small Batch Beer In Florida: The Passionate Mango, Wicked Barley Brewing Company, Jacksonville, FL

Best Small Batch Beer In Florida: (Presented by Country Malt Group & Brewcraft USA) Chocolate Stout, Fort Myers Brewing Company, Fort Myers, FL

Second Runner Up Best Beer In Florida: Guayabera, Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL

Runner Up Best Beer In Florida: West Floridian, Infinite Ale Works, Ocala FL

Best Beer In Florida: (presented by Brewer’s Supply Group) Lightest Thing Ya Got, Big Blue Brewing, Cape Coral, FL

Full competition results page: http://bestfloridabeer.org/2018-medal-winners/

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9th Annual Brewer’s Ball After Party at The Independent

Head over to The Independent in Seminole Heights located at 5016 North Florida Avenue, Tampa, Florida 33603 after the Brewer’s Ball 2018 (part of Tampa Bay Beer Week) for the 9th Annual Brewers Ball After Party. The party starts at 6PM.

9th Annual Brewer's Ball After Party

Live music will be provided by POETRY IN LOTION! They will be grilling hamburgers, hotdogs, and brats outside .

TBBW Beer Dinner at The Restorative (Dunedin) – 3/10

Local gourmet and fine-dining restaurant, The Restorative, will have their first craft beer during Tampa Bay Beer Week 2018 with Dunedin Brewery on Saturday, March 10th, 2018.

Dunedin Brewing is the oldest microbrewery in Florida. Tickets are $100 per person and are now on-sale. The Restorative won the Critic’s Choice for Creative Loafing Best of the Bay in 2017.

Address: 420 Patricia Avenue Dunedin, FL 34698

Email restorativerestaurant@gmail.com to purchase your tickets today.

Here is the menu:

Tampa Bay Beer Week 2018 Guide

Tampa Bay Beer Week 2018 is going to be one for the books. There are tons of events lined up to enjoy for the celebration of Tampa’s growing craft beer scene.

Per the website “The inaugural Tampa Bay Beer Week was established in 2012, and has since hosted thousands of events ranging from large-scale festivals to beer tastings, beer dinners and more”.

“The success of TBBW has been a major factor in the continuing growth of the Tampa Bay area craft beer community. Tampa Bay Beer Week begins on the first Saturday of March and ends 8 days later. It has become the premier Beer Week destination in the Southeast”.

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This is my guide to the events going on and my recommendations:

Visit them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TampaBayBeerWeek/

Review: Coppertail Brewing S & V Kitchen a great place to eat and drink

Full disclosure: I was invited to Coppertail Brewing for a complimentary menu tasting in exchange for my opinion of their menu. Opinions are my own and do not reflect Coppertail Brewing.

Coppertail Brewing located in Ybor City has been serving food from the Stein & Vine Kitchen (known as S & V Kitchen for some time now). I visited recently to give the menu a taste. What I found was plenty of great food that paired well with their beer. How about that?

The meal started off with the potstickers. Potstickers are one of the things that you’ll find on plenty of menus but are often ruined. Sometimes they are soggy or fried too much. These were perfect – and it went perfect with an assortment of beers ranging from sours to lighter beers. The dish is seasonal and rotates on and off the menu, but to me it was good enough to be a regular item.

Then came the Drunken Shrimp made with Coppertail Unholy Trippel. I was a little skeptical of this dish when I first saw it, but oh my god this was the best sauce ever. I wanted to put it on everything. This is simply the best menu item they have and I will definitely be ordering this one in the future. They could sell this sauce…it’s that good. Yum.

From this beer flight there was some German inspiration and some sours mixed in. The BOMP! was by far the winner and I just had to have a glass of that with my food. Coppertail always has an interesting mixture of beers on the menu, but that BOMP is something special.

HECK YES.

Back to the food.

Stein and Vine has always had an arrangement of spicy burgers. This one packs the heat and I’d recommend tuning down the sauce if you’re heat sensitive. However those who love the heat will love this Sriracha Bomb. Burgers and beer makes perfect sense especially with summer coming – I’m hoping to see some more burger ideas on the menu for that!

Then there was the Schnitzel Sandwich. My favorite of the two entrees I tried. Schnitzel and German beer is just perfect. The price was fair and the portion was great. I was dipping my tator tots in that drunken shrimp sauce because ITS DELICIOUS. I am a fan of this sandwich and I hope it eventually would make its way to the standard menu. German food and beer just makes me happy.

Overall, the options at S & V Kitchen are excellent for Coppertail Brewing. There is definitely some culinary genius going on here and I think the more they incorporate the beer in the process the better! I’m a fan and can’t wait to go back soon for more.

Restaurant Name: S & V Kitchen at Coppertail Brewing

Neighborhood: Ybor City

Address: 2601 East 2nd Ave, Tampa, FL 33605

Phone Number: (813) 247-1500

Website: http://coppertailbrewing.com/the-food-1/

Brewer’s Ball 2018 – 3/4

Craft beer fans should get excited for the 2018 Brewer’s Ball happening on Sunday, March 4th, 2018 from 12PM-5PM at Water Works Park (1710 North Highland Avenue, Tampa, FL 33602) during Tampa Bay Beer Week.

The event is presented by Best Florida Beer.

Guests can roam the park and drink and talk with the brewery owners and brewers during the event.

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The Brewer’s Ball festival is a celebration of the best beers in Florida. The top three beers in each category of beer, mead, and cider will be served up for your enjoyment. The Brewer’s Ball has been held for over 11 years celebrating the breweries, the brewers, and the beer they make right here in Florida.

This festival features over 100 of Florida’s Best Beers on tap. East Coast Catering will be on-site serving food from 12PM to 4PM.

Buy tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/brewers-ball-2018-tickets-42330646102

The event is rain or shine. Lawnchairs are allowed. Service animals are permitted, but other canine friends should be left at home.

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The purpose of Best Florida Beer is to aid in the development and promotion of both home and commercial Florida brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts.

BFB accomplishes this by organizing fair and credible competitions that distinguish excellence in beer with qualified judges. In addition they increase awareness of commercial breweries through consumer education, marketing, events and competitions.

BFB strives to serve as a model of cooperation in its effort to unify the Florida brewing community by establishing partnerships and cultivating resources with like organizations statewide.

 

Florida Brewers Guild Craft Beer Festival – 03/03

This Saturday, March 3rd, 2018 is the Florida Brewers Guild Craft Beer Festival at Cotanchobee Park in Downtown Tampa (601 Old Water Street, Tampa, FL 33602) from 2PM-5PM. The event will kick off Tampa Bay Beer Week 2018.

Guests will be able to sample more than 200 beers from 60+ Florida craft breweries while raising money for the Florida Brewers Guild, the nonprofit trade association committed to preserving the rights of craft brewers throughout the state.

Tickets are now on-sale and range from $45 for General Admission to $65 for VIP. VIP ticket holders will get one-hour early access (1PM).

Buy tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/fbg-2018-craft-beer-festival-presented-by-boston-capital-leasing-tickets-41214061367

Guests must be 21 years or older to attend. All attendees will receive unlimited samples and a commemorative tasting glass.

Participating breweries:

The event is sponsored by Boston Leasing Capital, Visit Tallahassee, Gas South, Willamette Valley Hops.

The Ultimate Brewer 3 This Friday

Tampa Bay Beer Week officially kicks off this weekend with The Ultimate Brewer 3, a competition that will get our taste buds ready for what is to come at Brew Bus Brewing in Seminole Heights.

The event will happen Friday, March 2nd, 2018 from 7PM-10PM. There are currently over 50 local breweries in Tampa Bay making craft beer daily, 25 will be competing at the event.

Tickets cost $25 in advance and $35 at the door. There is no VIP  sales for this event.

Buy tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3320638

“Pairs of unusual ingredients were randomly drawn and 25 participating breweries chose the beer style that best demonstrates those ingredients. Garlic, Wasabi, or Hazelnut might test a brewer’s creativity, but combine one of those with pineapple, coriander, or chives and now you have quite the challenge. These ingredients are kept secret and the beers are tasted blind on March 2nd 7PM-10PM”.

“The winner will be chosen between a balance of two votes:

  • Consumer Choice as chosen by you’
  • Pro Panel chosen by the participating brewers.

“The brewery with the most votes wins The Ultimate Brewer 2018, will have their name etched on the trophy, and will be presented with the opportunity to brew the official beer of TBBW 2019. The trophy currently resides at Brew Bus Brewing, two-time champion and brewer of this year’s official beer of TBBW 2018″. 

Brew Bus Brewing is located at 4101 N Florida Ave, Tampa, FL 33603.

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Participating breweries:

CL Meet the Brewers this Saturday, February 17th!

The annual Creative Loafing Meet the Brewers craft beer event is this Saturday, February 17th at Brandon Harley-Davidson (9841 East Adamo Drive, Tampa, FL 33619) from 1PM to 4PM.

GA Tickets cost $30 in advance and $40 at the door. General Admission includes unlimited beer while you mix and mingle with local brewers. A portion of proceeds will benefit Ybor City Museum Society.

VIP costs $75 in advance and $85 at the door and includes an hour of early admission to the event and food provided by Mini Doughnut Factory, The Mill Brandon, beer from Slim Pickens Cider & Mead, and more.

Buy tickets: http://www.xorbia.com/e/cltampa/brewers/

The event is sponsored by Brandon Harley-Davidson, Smashburger, Mini Doughnut Factory, Florida Brewers Guild, Tampa Bay Beer Week, Tampa Bay Brew Tours by Thirsty Pelican, Ybor City Museum Society, The Mill Brandon, Roundhouse Creative, Lyft, and UNATION.

Brewery list:

  • 3 Daughters Brewing
  • 7venth Sun Brewing Co.
  • 81Bay Brewing Co.
  • Big Storm Brewing Co.
  • Big Top Brewing Co.
  • Cigar City Brewing
  • Cigar City Cider & Mead
  • Crooked Thumb Brewery
  • Darwin Brewing Co.
  • Dissent Craft Brewing Co.
  • Dunedin Brewery
  • Escape Brewing Co.
  • Flying Boat Brewing Co.
  • Hidden Springs Ale Works
  • JDub’s Brewing Co.
  • Marker 48 Brewing
  • Saint Somewhere Brewing Co.
  • Sea Dog Brewery
  • Tampa Bay Brewing Co.
  • Tampa Beer Works
  • The Wild Rover Brewery
  • Ulele Spring Brewery

Check out the beer list here: https://www.cltampa.com/brewers

CONTEST: Big Storm Brewing & William Dean Chocolates Team Up

Big Storm Brewing and William Dean Chocolates are joining forces to make a chocolate stout beer. William Dean is well-known as the chocolates featured in the popular film “Hunger Games” series. They are seeking help from the public in naming this new craft beer.

The partners describe the beer as a “toffee chocolate stout, the beer was crafted to intrigue the palate and invoke thoughts of chocolate covered toffee. A true work of art made from the finest ingredients, this stout pours black with deep garnet highlights. Flavors of sweet toffee and caramelized sugar pair together with a hint of rich, indulgent chocolate”.

People can come into the Big Storm taprooms to try the beer and get inspired. Names can be submitted directly to namethebeer@bigstormbrewery.com. Winner will be revealed on Thursday, November 16th at Big Storm Brewing.

The person who is first to submit the winning name chosen for this new beer will receive a private 8-person Big Storm Brewery tour, a tap handle for the new beer, a 20-piece box of William Dean chocolates and a supply of the new Big Storm-William Dean beer.

Entrants must be at least 21 years or older and names can be submitted until 10AM on November 13th.

William Dean will soon be releasing a chocolate and macaroon made with Big Storm beers as well.

As they say in District 12: