Interview with Matt Webster, Corner Cafe and Brewery

I don't know about you but every once in a while when I'm traveling I come across a place that just plain makes me mad. I get mad that the owners didn't decide to open their amazing establishment next to my house. I guess I could be mad at myself too for not knowing I should be living in Tequesta to enjoy the Corner Cafe and Brewery everyday.

A few weeks ago I decided to head up to the northern reaches of South Florida to try out the fine wares of the Corner Cafe and Brewery in Tequesta (Jupiter area). I had heard many positive things about head brewer Matt Websters' fine beers. I had been in touch with Matt before I headed up and told him I had heard great things about his Double IPA. Unfortunately, he had run out of it on tap. Since Matt knew I was traveling a bit of my way to come up, he pulled some of the Double IPA out of storage for me to try. I must say I was very happy that he did. It was one of the finest Double IPA's I have had in a while. And for sure the best from any local brewpub in South Florida.
I had a sampler of all of the great beers Matt had on tap that day. He had all of the usual beers he has year round: The Kaiser, Julio's 'Jefe' Weizen, Gnarly Barley, and Terminally Ale. He also had an Apricot beer available at the time. Along with those, I got a sneak peek of a German Alt beer that he was about to put on tap. This beer and the Double IPA were some of the most consistently good beers I've ever had from a brewpub. Usually, there is one or two of the beers that are lacking something but not at the Corner Cafe and Brewery. There is a nice range of different beers for any occasion.

If the beer isn't selling it for you, the food is equally amazing. They have great gourmet food at a very affordable price. I had a delicious roast beer sandwich with horseradish sauce and cranberry preserves. One of my friends had the turkey burger and said it was the best turkey burger they ever had.



The Corner Cafe and Brewery's actual brewing area is much smaller than other local brewpubs. With only a 1.5 barrel capacity it is much smaller than the likes of Big Bear and Brewzzi. Though Corner Cafe and Brewery may be small, you can tell these beers are made by someone who truly loves beer and loves to make it.


I sent Matt an interview a few weeks ago after I visited but he has been super busy getting his submissions ready to send off to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival to be judged. In March, Matt took home 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 3 Bronze at the Best Florida Beer competition. He is hoping to add a few more medals to his already growing collection. Check out the interview below.

South Florida Beer Blog- What is your name and what do you do?

MW- Matt Webster, Brewmaster at the Corner Cafe and Brewery.

SFLBB- How long have you been brewing beer?

MW- I have been brewing beer for 16 years.

SFLBB- How did you get started in brewing?

MW- My brother was doing a bit of homebrewing and I was intrigued by it. I purchased a Mr. Beer kit and it all went from there.

SFLBB- Did you work in the beer industry before you started brewing and if so, how did it help you in the position you are in now?

MW- No, I was in the Mortgage industry, when times were good, prior to becoming a professional brewer.

SFLBB- Do you remember the first beer you brewed? Was it any good?

MW- The first beer I brewed was an American Pale Ale and it was horrible. We had to go out to bars, get drunk and then come home and drink it...truly sad.

SFLBB- Do you have a favorite beer you have brewed?

MW- I have a lot of favorites but I like the American Brown Ale I have on tap now.

SFLBB- What is the process for deciding on new beer recipes?

MW- Sometimes I get ideas from drinking other beers (it’s a rough job). Sometimes I hear of an ingredient that I think would mix well with a certain type of beer.

SFLBB- What new beers are you brewing that we should look forward to?

MW- Right now I have a Scotch Wee Heavy sitting in American whiskey barrels. It will be tapped on November 4^th, our anniversary.

SFLBB- Do you ever plan on bottling any of your beer? And why haven’t you bottled it yet?

MW- Currently the Florida laws won’t allow Brewpubs to sell any beers that will leave the premises so we have no plans for bottling the beer.

SFLBB- What sets your beers apart from others?

MW- I wouldn’t say my beer can be set apart from other “good” beers. There are tons of good beers out there and tons of bad ones. My whole goal is to remain on the good beer side.

SFLBB- Any plans on expanding with more locations?

MW- No plans for more locations right now...one is all I can handle. We are thinking of expanding our restaurant and brewhouse in the current location.

SFLBB- What are some of your favorite beers besides your own?

MW- I love most of the Stone beers and the Avery beers as well. Right now my top three are Russian River Blind Pig as well as their Pliny the Elder and also Bear Republics Racer 5.

SFLBB- Can we look for you at any beer fests that are coming up?

MW- I will have beers at the Jupiter Beer Festival in January 2010.

SFLBB- What do you think of the South Florida Beer scene?

MW- I moved here from Denver, CO so the Florida beer scene is like a newborn baby to me. The baby is growing, expanding and changing its taste as time goes by. I love being a part of the growing craft beer movement in Florida.

SFLBB- Who are some people that are working to improve the beer scene in South Florida?

MW- All of the Florida East Coast brewers are some of the best guys I have ever met. They all want everybody to succeed. They get the fact that the more breweries in Florida the more people will open their eyes to good quality beer. If you need anything they are there to help the cause.

SFLBB- If someone wanted to be a brewer one day what advice would you give them?

MW- I would tell them to make sure they love being involved in the beer business. The chance of making a lot of money is very slim so you better love it. Other than knowledge and experience is king.

Check out this video for a little more info on Corner Cafe and Brewery from Dan Oliver's Watering Holes.

Tomorrow- BJCP Style Guideline Tasting- Belgian and French Ales

Tomorrow night at Abraxas is the next installment of the BJCP Style Guideline Tasting. This time they will be tasting Belgian and French Ales. These are some of the most interesting and unique styles around. This is a great way to try some beers you won't find in your every day bar and restaurants. For just $15 you will get a three ounce sample of each of these.

Hitachino Nest White Ale
Caracole Troublette Wit
Avery White Rascal
Weyerbacher Zotten
Avery 16th Anniversary Ale
Great Divide Saison
De Gayant La Goudale
De Gayant La Divine
Caracole Amber
Orval

To find out more about the tasting and some special things that will be going on at the tasting check out the South Florida Beer Drinker's Meetup here.

The Pub- Pembroke Pines

If you are looking for a diamond in the rough, The Pub in Pembroke Pines is just the place for you. The Pub is a ways from downtown Miami but with strong urging from my friend, Herbie, I headed out on a little road trip to the suburban oasis that is Pembroke Pines.

When I got off I-75 at the Pines Blvd. exit and pulled into the newly finished Shops Of Pembroke Gardens, I must admit I wasn't expecting much. I was hoping I wasn't going to some cookie-cutter, TGIFridays-equivalent chain. The Pub has locations in Ohio, Kentucky, and Florida (Naples). I was very happy to find out this bar was the furthest thing from it. As soon as my friends and I walked in the door, the ambiance was overwhelming. You could tell this wasn't some wannabe Irish bar. The Pub is closely fashioned to a classic English pub. The wooden bar is the central focus. With its large size it takes up half of the place. It's made of quality hardwood that's simply beautiful. With multiple taps on all sides of this wrap-around bar, no beer is repeated twice which made it hard to decide which taps of beer I wanted to be closest to. The Pub has the traditional bronze taps you would find in any pub in England. The large selection of Scotch behind the bar is also amazing. The place immediately makes you feel at home. There were maybe 10 other people in this rather large restaurant/bar and it didn't feel empty at all, just from the energy of the place.



I had been told that they had a beer engine at the bar. I was excited to see what they had on the beer engine but I wasn't expecting to be so surprised. They had BrewDog's Hardcore IPA. If you haven't heard of BrewDog before it's for a couple of good reasons. One, because it's not available in Florida and two, because it isn't readily available in the US. BrewDog is a British brewery that is trying to do different and exciting things with beer. They are deviating from the old standard of English brewing by experimenting, similarly to how American brewers do things. It was strange enough to find it at all in FL but to find it on a beer engine was beyond amazing. After talking to manager, Heather Manning, about how they had this beer, she told me that The Pub has an exclusive deal with BrewDog, giving them the sole right to have their casks in the US. The states of Ohio and Kentucky, where The Pub also does business, import BrewDog, providing the supply to their FL locations. To boot, they just put on BrewDog's Riptide Imperial Stout.


As if having such a rare brand of beer available wasn't enough, they also had a few other treats. The Pub has a beer specially brewed for them by Sam Adams, which is quite tasty. They offer a large selection of English, Scottish, and Irish draught, featuring more than just the usual beers you would expect at any English/Scottish/Irish bar in the US. It is much more authentic. British beers from Tenants, Hobgoblin and Belhaven are available on tap here, as well as some good beers from American brewers like Dogfish Head, Rogue and lots of others from around the world. You can see their beverage menu here. If you can't decide which beer to get, just ask the bartender. All the bartenders seemed to be highly trained in their products and easily suggested beers to other people. This is something that a lot of bars are lacking.


Too add to all of this, the food at The Pub is really great. They consider themselves a Gastropub much in the style of bars back in London. While we were there we indulged in the Happy Hour's half-priced appetizers. We had the Curry Chips, which were nice, thick steak fries with a red and yellow curry sauce for dipping. We followed that up with some Flash Fried Calamari that came with a very complimentary sweet chili sauce. If the appetizers are any indication of the rest of the menu I can't wait to go back try the rest of it.

Overall, The Pub is the local watering hole you wish you had in your neighborhood. Even though The Pub's business is growing, there is something about it that makes you feel like it's a one-of-a-kind place; where you feel at home because you grew up next door to the people working there. I think the ambiance had me sold me right away but the stellar beer selection pushed it over the top. I look forward to my next visit to The Pub.

The Pub- Pembroke Pines
237 SW 145th Terrace
Pembroke Pines, FL 33027
Located in The Shops at Pembroke Gardens
(954) 430-4230
www.luvthepub.com

Hours:
Monday - Wednesday 3PM -Close
Thursday - Sunday 11AM - Close


Happy Hour:
Mon-Friday 3-7pm
Drinks:
$4.95 Imperial Pints (20oz.)
$2.95 10ozPints
$3.95 Well Liquor & Select Red & White Wines By the Glass
BAR BITES-Happy hour Menu-
$3.95 FARE (Bar Only)
Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Calamari
British Dip
Chicken Tenders
Pub Wings
Tavern Crisps

TONIGHT- Mayfair Hotel Beer Tasting

If right about now you are sitting at your desk at work and you're thinking, "Gee, I'm starting to get hungry and I could also use a few beers but I have nothing at home." I have just the thing for you. Tonight, from 7pm to 9pm Chris Montelius from Fresh Beer will be hosting another great beer tasting at the restaurant formerly known as Angelo & Maxie's at the Mayfair Hotel in Coconut Grove. Yes, I did hear that you were also hungry. Chris promises that there will be a house selection of appetizers (usually chicken wings) to indulge in while enjoying the 47 different beers, some of them pictured above, he will have for you to sample. That is unlimited beer and food samplings for only $20. Don't miss out. You can find more details right here.

President's choice.... Bud Light?!?

Tomorrow, President Barack Obama will meet with Harvard Professor, Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Cambridge, MA Police Sgt., James Crowley, to have a beer. The beer is a symbolic attempt to smooth over an incident that involved Prof. Gates' erroneous arrest for breaking into his own house after he had locked himself out. Each of them is choosing their favorite beer to drink. So now, I'm sure you are thinking that the President will be choosing from one of the many American-owned beer companies that the US has. Well you would be partly correct. His choice....drumroll please....Bud Light. Bud Light was made by Anheuser-Busch out of St. Louis, MO and was recently purchased by the Belgian company formerly known as InBev, which rebranded as AB InBev. It's too bad that with the current economy, the President didn't choose a beer that was owned by an American company, that could use the publicity. What do you think of the President's choice?

Sunset Tavern- First Beer Tasting event

On July 23rd, Sunset Tavern hosted its first beer tasting event. The event was a little different than other beer tasting events I have been to. Instead of having one person explain the beers, they had representatives from the individual beer distributors or breweries talk about their beers. The beers that were chosen were a good range of styles and the turnout was one of the biggest I've seen at recent events. I felt Sunset Tavern was a great venue for a tasting like this. I had never thought of Sunset Tavern as a spot for beer connoisseurs but their selection has greatly improved since the last time I was there. The last time, the craziest beer they had on the menu was Killians Red. Now, they have three different types of Sam Adams, Brooklyn Lager, Warsteiner, Anchor Steam and a bunch of other quality beers on tap. Jahn Kirchoff, owner of Sunset Tavern, said they will be bringing in Bell's Oberon on tap as well. The bottle collection has also grown with selections from Dogfish Head, Stone, Shipyard, Falkensteiner, Rogue and a bunch of others. Though their beer selection has changed and grown, their local crowd has stuck around and they are now expanding their beer horizons. This event has great potential in serving as a place to bridge the gap between people who only know big macro breweries (Bud, Miller, Coors etc.) and those who know more of the independent micro breweries (Dogfish Head, Rogue, Brooklyn, Seirra Nevada, etc). After the event, the people I spoke to seemed to enjoy the more independent beers over the macrobeers that they are used to because of their abundant flavor. Just looking around, the beers in peoples hands looked much darker than what I have seen at Sunset Tavern before. One of the few complaints I heard about the event was that instead of the tasting going from lightest to darkest, it involved one distributor going through all of their beers and on to the next. Going from a Stone Imperial Russian Stout to Presidente Light was a bit of a step back in the tasting. Also, the glasses were washed after every couple of beers and it was leaving a soap residue on the glasses that you definitely picked up in the beers. It really started to change both the smell and taste. I would suggest if they do another tasting that they just leave a pitcher of water and a champagne bucket on each table so that people can rinse the old beer residue out of their glasses. The one other thing is that they were a little short on the amount of beer they advertised. They announced a tasting of 20 beers and only showcased 14. They made up for it a bit by giving everyone a coupon for a free drink at a future time. Overall, the event was a big success with a great turnout. It introduced people to beers that they may have never tried before. Here are some pictures from the event and you can find even more here.

Weekend of Dogfish Head

If you are a fan of beers by the always ingenius brewers over at Dogfish Head brewery you are in for a real treat this weekend. Their are two great events going on this weekend. One in Miami and one in Lake Worth. If you live in either area, or anywhere in between, these are some great, hard to find beers that aren't to be missed. If you are new to Dogfish Head this is a great way to get introduced to them.

Abraxas in South Beach
This event will take place at Abraxas starting on Friday and will continue all weekend long (or until they run out of beer). They will be featuring some of Dogfish Head's best and most difficult beers to find. On draft, they will have Burton Baton (if you missed this at the Abbey before you don't want to miss it again), Palo Santo and 90 Minute IPA. Along with these excellent beers, they will also have lots of other great bottled beer from Dogfish Head like their 120 Minute, 60 Minute, Festina Peche, Raison D'etre, Indian Brown, World Wide Stout, and Red and White. Remember, all the Dogfish Head beers will be on special all weekend long.

BX Beer Depot in Lake Worth
The other Dogfish Head tasting is going to be quite an event as well. They will be featuring more of the hard-to-get DFH beers on draft. They will have Palo Santo, Midas Touch, Burton Baton, Chicory Stout, and Indian Brown. The event goes from 6pm-10pm and will run you about $6 for a 9oz pour of these unique kegs. You'll want to get there early, as the first 10 people will receive a free Dogfish Head snifter glass. To find out more info about this event and all the other great things they have going on, you can check out the BX Beer Depot website here.

Avery's Maharaja at The Abbey on Monday

On Monday at 9:00PM The Abbey on South Beach will once again be hosting another special event tasting of Avery's Maharaja on the handpump. Maharaja is Avery's Double/Imperial IPA. It is one of the highest rated Double/Imperial IPAs around. Having it on tap is a rare treat and having it on the handpump is just at a whole nother level. Check out out some of the reviews for the beer here. Hope to see you at The Abbey on Monday.

Lots of Beer Events This Week

This week seems to be a big week for beer events. These events are going to be hard to choose from as they all are pretty excellent, showcasing beers you may not find again for a while. You can always check out our Beer Events calendar for information on beer events all over South Florida.

Tuesday
The Boca Beer Lovers Meetup- Funky Buddah in Boca Raton
The Boca Beer Lovers events are organized every month by Jonathan from Case & Keg. The meetups are known to be lots of fun. They attract a great group of beer lovers who like to get together to enjoy some tasty beers and food. They will be tasting 6-8 of the Buddha' finest. Their current keg selection includes Gudden Draak, Nostradamus, and Prior 8, to name a few. You'll get a sampling of each for only $10. The meet up starts at 7:00pm. You can find more info on this meetup and future ones by joining the meetup group by clicking here.

Wednesday
BJCP Style Guideline Tasting- Abraxas in South Beach
This bi-weekly Beer-Judging-Certification-Program-style tasting is held at Abraxas and is hosted by Chris from Fresh Beer Inc. This installment is going to feature dark lagers and bocks. These tastings always feature some of the best beers in each style. Chris usually brings along a few other treats that you won't find anywhere else too. The tasting only costs $15 and gets you eight 3oz samplings of each featured beer. Another plus: the beer style showcased during the tasting is usually on sale for the rest of the night. The event starts at 8pm. You can find out more info about this event and become part of the South Florida Beer Drinkers meetup group by going here.

Thursday
Beer tasting- Sunset Tavern in South Miami
This beer tasting will be hosted by the bar itself, Sunset Tavern, and is the first of many they hope to have. For just $20, you'll get to sample 20 beers from around the world and munch on their tasty wings. The tasting starts at 7pm. Stone Imperial Russian Stout will be their featured beer and you'll be treated to 1/2 off domestic drafts at the conclusion of the event. Sign up via Pay Pal at www.delilane.com and receive a free draft at the end of the tasting for signing up in advance. You can also call 305.665.0606 or email Patty at pksyankees@aol.com. You can find out all the info on the event by checking out this previous blog post.

Friday
Dogfish Head Brewery Tasting Weekend- Abraxas in South Beach
This is one of two great Dogfish Head events happening this weekend in South Florida. This event will take place at Abraxas starting on Friday and will continue all weekend long (or until they run out of beer). They will be featuring some of Dogfish Head's best and most difficult beers to find. On draft, they will have Burton Baton (if you missed this at the Abbey before you don't want to miss it again), Palo Santo and 90 Minute IPA. Along with these excellent beers, they will also have lots of other great bottled beer from Dogfish Head like their 120 Minute, 60 Minute, Festina Peche, Raison D'etre, Indian Brown, World Wide Stout, and Red and White. Remember, all the Dogfish Head beers will be on special all weekend long.

Dogfish Head Beer Tasting - BX Beer Depot in Lake Worth
The other Dogfish Head tasting is going to be quite an event as well. They will be featuring more of the hard-to-get DFH beers on draft. They will have Palo Santo, Midas Touch, Burton Baton, Chicory Stout, and Indian Brown. The event goes from 6pm-10pm and will run you about $6 for a 9oz pour of these unique kegs. You'll want to get there early, as the first 10 people will receive a free Dogfish Head snifter glass. To find out more info about this event and all the other great things they have going on, you can check out the BX Beer Depot website here.

Review: Samuel Adams Long Shot Traditional Bock

In honor of the Bock tasting going on at Abraxas on Wednesday night I decided to review the Samuel Adams Long Shot Traditional Bock. The Sam Adams Long Shot series is a contest that Sam Adams has every year to find the best homebrews in the country and then Sam Adams brews it for mass consumption in this limited six pack. This version of Long Shot six pack also comes with a Double IPA and a Cranberry Wit. You get two of each beer.

This traditional bock pours a nice dark amber with a very thin head. It gives off a nice malty aroma initially but once it warms up a bit the aromas get a bit more fruity with some cherry and sugar. The malt and fruits carryover into the taste as well. As the beer warms the fruitiness comes out more and the maltiness moves back a bit. The lack of carbonation in this gives it a creamy mouth feel. Their is a slight alcohol taste at the very end but dissipates very quickly and leaves you with that maltiness that bocks are known for. It makes you want to come back for more. I enjoyed this beer and would drink it again, for sure, if it was around but not something I would necessarily seek out.

Review: Rogue Captain Sig's Northwestern Ale

I had picked up Rogue's Captain Sig's Northwestern Ale at Sunset Corners in South Miami a few weeks ago to enjoy on the 4th of July. This beer was brewed in honor of Captain Sig Hansen and the other Hansen brothers who are part of Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch. These are hard working fishermen out in the Bering Sea around Alaska in some of the most treacherous waters in the world. This is a beer that fits them perfectly.

This beer is a little something different. Their is a nice combination going on here of two great beers, an IPA and a Red Ale. The result is a beer that gives off a nice malty aroma with a bit of hoppiness sneaking through. It pours a nice dark amber which was very similar to what you would expect from a Red ale. The head was a good two fingers high and slightly off white and never fully dissipates. What you get from the aroma is opposite from the taste. You get a bitter hoppy taste up front with the maltiness coming through in the end. It has a slightly slippery with a nice full mouth feel. The beer finishes with the maltiness leaving you first and the hops sticking around a little while in the end. A very enjoyable beer overall. This one is only around for a short time so pick it up while you can.

Deli Lane/Sunset Tavern First Beer Event

Deli Lane/Sunset Tavern in South Miami will be hosting it's first beer event on Thursday, July 23rd at 7:30pm. Look like it will be a pretty cool event with lots of beer samples and wings to try for a low price of only $20. If you act quick and buy tickets for it before hand you can also get a free draft after the event. Check out all of the info below.

What: Sunset Tavern 1st Beer Tasting Event

When: Thursday, July 23rd at 7:00pm

Where: Sunset Tavern - 7230 SW 59th Ave. South Miami, FL 33143

Why: For just $20, guest will be able to sample 20 beers from around the world and snack on out of this world chicken wings. Guest will also be treated to ½ price on Domestic Draft @ conclusion of the event.

How: Sign up via Pay Pal at www.delilane.com and receive a free draft at the end of the tasting, call 305.665.0606 or email Patty at pksyankees@aol.com

Beers that will be featured include:

Fresh Beers Incorporated - Shipyard Export Ale, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Boulder Mojo IPA, Stone IPA, Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA and the featured beer, “ Stone Imperial Russian Stout”

Presidente Beer Company - Presidente, Presidents Light

Gold Coast Distributors - Brooklyn Lager, Irish Setter, Sierra Nevade Pale Ale, Black Pecker, Warsteiner Dunkel, Snake Bite, Warsteiner, Cream of Wheat, New Castle Brown Ale, Black & Blue, Royal Extra Stout, Murphy’s Stout

Slow Foods Glades to Coast Beer Dinner

Tonight Lola's on Harrison will be hosting the Slow Foods Glades to Coast Beer Dinner. If you are looking to have a nice dinner and some good beers tonight this might be the place for you.

Here is all the info for tonight's event:

Thursday July 9th 7:00pm

Cocktail Reception

Watermelon-Organic Mint Saketini
Spicy Local Mango-Ginger Martini
Nectarine-Grapefruit Cooler

Hors D'oeuvres

Yucca-Rock Shrimp Croquettes
Maytag Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Puff Pastry
Grilled Peaches Wrapped with Mint and Prosciutto

Dinner

COURSE ONE

Chilled Florida Avocado Soup with Local
Organic Cilantro Crème Fraiche

Paired with Native Brewing Company Native Lager

COURSE TWO

"Cracked" Conch Salad with Local Jalapeno, Coconut, Key Lime
Swank Farms Heirloom Tomatoes and Red Bibb Lettuce

Paired with Gordash Beer Company Holy Mackeral

COURSE THREE

Herb Marinated Grass Fed Flat Iron Steak, Boniato and Sweet Potato Au Gratin Sauteed Swank Farms Rainbow Swiss Chard
and Green Peppercorn Sauce

Paired with Native Brewing Company Eleven Brown Ale

COURSE FOUR

Local Orange Angel Food Cake with Caramel Sauce
Passion Fruit and Mango Compote

Paired with Dessert Spritzer

$59 INCLUDES TAX AND GRATUITY
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
954-927-9851

Cooks Inc Beer Sale for the 4th

Cooks Inc. in Abacoa(Jupiter) is having a big sale on craft beer for the 4th of the July. If you are in the area and in need of craft beer check out the selection a Cooks.

'Mix-a-Six' of Craft Beers
Here are some Mixed Sixes to choose from:

Independence Day Mixed Six for $12.95 includes:
12 oz bottle of White Rascal
12 oz bottle of Sweaty Betty
12 oz bottle of Penn Weizen
12 oz bottle of Native Lager
12 oz bottle of Aprihop
12 oz bottle of Hazed and Infused

Sea to Shining Sea Mixed Six for $13.95 includes:
12 oz bottle of Penn Gold
12 oz bottle of Sawtooth ESB
12 oz bottle of Shipyard Summer Ale
12 oz bottle of Oaked Arrogant Bastard
12 oz bottle of Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
12 oz bottle of McGovern's Oatmeal Stout

The Bottle Rocket
Mixed Six for $16.95 includes:
12 oz bottle of Dogfish Head Immort Ale
12 oz bottle of Dogfish Head Aprihop
12 oz bottle of Dogfish Head Palo Santo
12 oz bottle of Dogfish Head Festina Peche
12 oz bottle of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
12 oz bottle of Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

The Red, White and Blue 3-pack for $22.95 includes:
22 oz bottle of Hog Heaven
22 oz bottle of The Reverend
22 oz bottle of Salvation

Our beers are brewed and bottled in the United States.

The selection of 34 American Craft Beers from which you can mix and match follows:

From Dogfish Head Brewers in Milton, Delaware

• Dog Fish Head 120 min (12 oz) @ price of $8.99 ea (10% off retail)

• Dog Fish Head 60 min (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (43% off retail)

• Dog Fish Head 90 min (12 oz) @ price of $3.25 ea (35% off retail)

• Festina Peche (12 oz) @ price of $2.75 ea (45% off retail)
• Palo Santo (12 oz) @ price of $4.50 ea (25% off retail)

• Immort Ale (12 oz) @ price of $4.50 ea (25% off retail)
• Black and Blue (750 ml) @ price of $13.50 ea (10% off retail)

• Aprihop (12 oz) @ price of $2.75 ea (45% off retail)

From Avery Brewery in Boulder, Colorado

• The Maharaja (22 oz) @ price of $9.00 ea (10% off retail)

• The Anniversary Ale (22 oz) @ price of $8.00 ea (20% off retail)
• The Reverend (22 oz) @ price of $8.00 ea (20% off retail)
• Hog Heaven (22 oz) @ price of $8.00 ea (20% off retail)
• Salvation (22 oz) @ price of $8.00 ea (20% off retail)
• Avery White Rascal (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 (43% off retail)

From Stone Brewery Corporation in Esconidido, California

• Arrogant Bastard (22 oz) @ price of $6.50 ea (35% off retail)
• Oaked Arrogant Bastard (12 oz) @ price of $3.75 ea (25% off retail)

• Ruination IPA (12 oz) @ price of $3.75 ea (37% off retail)

• Smoked Porter (22 oz) @ price of $6.50 ea (35% off retail)

From Boulder Beer Company in Boulder, Colorado
• Mojo Risin (22 oz) @ price of $8.50 ea (15% off retail)

• Sweaty Betty (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (55% off retail)
• Hazed and Infused (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (43% off retail)

From Pennsylvania Brewery in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

• Penn Pilsner (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (43% off retail)
• Penn Hefe Weizen (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (55% off retail)
• Penn Gold (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (43% off retail)

From Left Hand Brewers in Longmont, California

• Left Hand Milk Stout (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (43% off retail)
• Sawtooth Ale (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (43% off retail)

From Oskar Blues in Lyons, Colorado
• Dales Pale Ale (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (43% off retail)
• Old Chub (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (43% off retail)

From Rogue Brewery in Newport, Oregon

• Dead Guy Ale (12 oz) @ price of $2.50 ea (37% off retail)

From Shipyard Brewers in Portland, Maine

• Shipyard Summer Ale (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (43% off retail)

• Old Thumper (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (43% off retail)

From Narragansett Brewing Company in Rochester, New York
• Narragansett (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (43% off retail)

From Indian River Beverages in Melbourne, Florida
• Native Lager (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (43% off retail)

From Belfast Breweries in Belfast, Maine

• McGovern's Oatmeal Stout (12 oz) @ price of $2.25 ea (43% off retail)

Biltmore's Cellar Club Hosts Beer Tasting

The very exclusive Cellar Club at Miami's Biltmore Hotel is hosting a "Beers Of The World tasting" on July 7th. The Cellar Club which is a member's only club that usually focuses on wine has broadened it range to start including beer tastings as well. If you want to go to the event you can become a member for either $750 for the year or $75 a month. If you know someone who is already a member you can go with them and it will only cost you $25.

Review: Weyerbacher's Blithering Idiot

I have been sitting on this Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot for about a year now. It has aged quite nicely. It poured a nice amber brown color. Not much of a head. Strong fruity malty with a slightly hoppy smell. Strong malt and fruit taste. Not very noticeable alcohol taste. The mouthfeel is not as thick and aggressive as some barley wines. Good starter if you are new to barley wines. It's not as intensely hoppy as say Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot barley wine. Finishes very smoothly with bit of a hoppy aftertaste. The 11% alcohol is barely noticeable at all. This is very dangerous for such a smooth beer. As the beer warms up a little the alcohol comes out a little more but still very faint. I will have to get a fresher Blithering Idiot and see if it's as mellow as this year old one is. I could easily drink many of these. Though I don't think that would be such a good idea.

Beer Group Meetups

Meetup.com is a website that brings like minded individuals together for a common interest. Right now in South Florida we have three active beer meetup groups. Some move from place to place and some are at one location. To get more info and to join each group you can just click on the title and it will take you to that meetup group.

South Florida Beer Drinkers Meetup
The South Florida Beer Drinkers Meetup has been around for a while now and is run by Chris who works for Fresh Beer Distribution. This gives Chris a chance to get the meet up group into different venues around the South Florida area(though it has mostly been in Miami). The meetups so far have been lots of fun. The meetup has been doing a BJCP(Beer Judge Certification Program) Style Guideline tasting every other Wednesday at Abraxas on South Beach. The next less informal meetup is going to be on Wednesday, July 1st at 7pm at Town Kitchen and Bar in South Miami. Join the meet up to get all the upcoming information on the them.

The Boca Beer Lovers Meetup
The Boca Beer Lovers Meetup is another meetup in the Boca/Palm Beach/Broward area. Jonathan from Case and Keg brought this meetup together. They usually meet once a month at the Case and Keg in Boca. Their next regular monthly meetup will be on Tuesday, July 21st. Jonathan is also getting together a roadtrip for Saturday, July 25th. They are renting a bus and hitting up some great spots north of Boca. You can see more info on the road trip here. Join the meetup group and stay up to date on all of their events.

Lola's "Beer Geeks Anonymous" Meetup
Lola's "Beer Geeks Anonymous" Meetup is a meetup at Lola's on Harrison in Hollywood. It is a weekly meetup that features five all you drink samples of craft beers and all you can eat chicken wings and nachos for $18 and $3 bottles on Wednesdays. The meetup also has various other beer dinner events, bar crawls and other activities at Lola's and around Hollywood. Join the group to get all the info on upcoming events.

Michael Jackson 1958-2009

I know this is a beer blog and I promised myself I wouldn't post anything on here that didn't have to do with beer but I had to get this out. Today is quite a sad day for me. Michael Jackson had a big impact on my life. Anyone that know me personally knows that my whole life has revolved around music. Thriller was the first album and tape that I ever owned. I have fond memories of listening to Thriller on my front porch in Medford, MA. I played that tape until it wore out. I remember watching the Thriller video when it premiered and being scared shitless as a little kid and having nightmares about it but also knowing it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. I don't know one person that dislikes Michael Jackson's music. My love of music started with Michael Jackson. I don't think my life would have gone the way it has or taken me to the places I've been without him. Michael, I thank you for making great music that had such an impact on my life. I drink this Founders Double Trouble right now in your honor. Everyone should raise a glass for him tonight. You will be missed.

South Florida Road Trip- Suggestions?

I'm looking to take little road trip out of Miami and hit up some other beer spots around South Florida in Broward and Palm Counties. I know a few spots to hit but I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions of places I should for sure check out. I'm looking for bars, breweries, beer stores or anything you think people should know about in South Florida. I think this trip will be happening on Friday so if anyone would want to meet up somewhere along the way let me know. Always like to meet people who are into beer. Leave your suggestions in the comments or you can also hit me up on Twitter and Facebook.

Review: Samuel Adams Black Lager

Over the last few weeks I've been going through my fridge and finally been getting to try some beers I had been sitting on for a little bit. I got this one in a variety pack a couple months ago and after drinking it wished I had had it sooner. Once I cracked open the bottle and poured it into my Sam Adams glass it looked and acted just like I had thought it would. It poured black but not as thick as a stout. You could still get some slight glimpses of light through it. The head was a tan brown color that stayed a good two fingers high. The head lasted til the end leaving a good amount of lacing on the glass. It immediately gave off aromas of coffee, sweet malt and a very slight hops. The mouth feel is most what I wasn't expecting. It had more carbonation than I was expecting it to have. It had about the mouth feel of a watery stout with more carbonation. The tastes where just what you were expecting from the smell. A coffee taste with some chocolate and a very slight hoppiness to it. It finished very smooth with a slight hop finish that dissipates quickly leaving you wanting another sip. Overall a very enjoyable beer that I would probably suggest to someone who doesn't enjoy stout's because of them being too heavy. Stout Light.

The Abbey Brewing Co. 14th Anniversary Celebration

On Sunday, June 28th The Abbey Brewing Co. will be celebrating it's 14th year of business and what is better to celebrate with than beer. From 1pm till 1am you will be able to drink all you want of select drafts for only $25. If you don't know The Abbey this would be the perfect time to come check it out. The Abbey has been one of the longest supporters of craft beer in South Florida. They brew some great beers of their own and also have plenty of other fine beers on tap and in bottles. I went by today and they even have some special 14th anniversary shirts that they had printed up for the event so be sure to pick up one of those as well and spread the word about one of the best bars in South Florida(if not all of Florida). Come out and help them celebrate another great year of business and hopefully many more as well.

Sunday, June 28th
The Abbey Brewing Co.
1115 16TH Street
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
1pm-1am
$25 All you can drink of select drafts

Thanks New Times

Just wanted to thank Jacob Katel from the Miami New Times for mentioning my little blog in the Short Order section online. It's always a great read so be sure to check it out and tell them South Florida Beer Blog sent you.

Savor weekend- Washington D.C./North Carolina

The last few weeks have been kind of crazy so it took me a bit to get this post up. The weekend of May 30th was the greatly anticipated Savor Craft Beer and Food Festival in Washington, D.C., at The National Building Museum. I had purchased tickets to the festival for the best man at my wedding, Alex, as a present for being in the wedding. I didn't want him to have to go by himself so I thought I would be nice and buy myself a ticket as well. After the weekend I had before in New England I wasn't sure I would be able to top it with this but I think it did.

THURSDAY

I flew into Charlotte on Thursday afternoon and was greated by this as soon as I walked off the plane-

I knew that this was going to set the tone for the weekend. I was quickly scooped up by Alex and we headed to the warehouse of the beer distributor he works for to pick up some samples for the Belgian beer tasting he was holding that night. While we were there I was also able to get a few North Carolina treat that we don't have available in FL. I was able to pick up some stuff from French Broad, Thirsty Dog, Fort Collins and a ton of other stuff. After that we headed over to Brixx Pizza to have some lunch and enjoy New Belgium's Fat Tire which I haven't had in quite a while. It was nice to see a place like Brixx Pizza have such a great selection of beers.


After enjoying the Fat Tire and getting to have one of my favorite root beers, Thomas Kempner, on tap we went to Alex's house to get ready for the tasting. I grabbed a few beers that I had brought from home out of my bag and Alex grabbed a few beers he had been saving and we headed on over to Vitner Wine Market. Jeremy at Vitner is a homebrewer and is quite knowledgeable about all the beers they carry. At Vitner you can either buy the beer or wine and take it home or for a small corkage fee you can enjoy it at the market. They have a selection of cheese and other accompaniments to enjoy in the market with your drink. About 15 people showed up for the tasting. The tasting included St. Bernardus Blanche, St. Bernardus Abt 12, Abbaye des Rocs Brune, Val Dieu Triple and Bezelbuth. All of these are available in FL and if you haven't had them yet they are some of best beers in the world. After we had finished with the tasting we stuck around and had a few beers that we had brought along. We had a great home brew that Jeremy had made. If you ever make it to Vitner and Jeremy is working ask if he has any homebrews on hand you won't be dissapointed. We followed that up with what ended up being the highlight of the evening if not the whole weeknd, Allagash's Gargamel.


This is a limited release of only 500 bottles. I am lucky enough that my mom works next door to the brewery and was able to get me some. This is an amazingly balanced sour ale. The rasberry is not too sour and the vanilla adds a nice sweetness. The thing that made this for me was the graham cracker finish. If I had any beer to introduce people to sour ales with this would be the one. After we finished up at Vitner we headed over to Brixx Pizza again for some more beers with the highlight being the Alesmith Speedway Stout. This is one of the top stouts in the world and for good reason. Great coffee aroma and nice roasted coffee and dark chocolatey taste. We headed home after that to get a quick night sleep before heading off to D.C. in the morning.

FRIDAY

Getting up at 5:30am after the night we had the night before was a bit rough but we did it. We grabbed some Starbucks and hit the road. We got about an hour into the drive when we realized we needed some gas. Unlike South Florida their aren't gas stations off of every exit. We learned that very quickly. As we finally found one off an exit the car finally gave up and ran out of gas right at the entrance to the off ramp. Once we bought a $12 gallon container to get some gas we quickly were back on the road again. We finally rolled into the DC area around 2pm and headed over to the Dogfish Head Alehouse in Fall Church, VA just on the edge of DC. I have always been impressed with Dogfish Head's beer and was greatly looking forward to trying some of the beers that I love on tap finally.


We were waited on by the bartender, Chad, who got us started with our first beer that we had been looking forward to the, 75 Minute IPA. This unfortunately was not the 75 Minute that had been brewed as a special batch but was just a mixture of the 60 Minute IPA and the 90 Minute IPA. It was still really good and even though it wasn't what we really wanted it was still a great beer. Alex and I both order some lunch. I had the Slow Roasted Roast Beef sandwich and Alex had the special Chicken Salad sandwich. Both of our meals were amazing! This was one of the best roast beef sandwiches I've ever had. Once we finished up the meal we decided to split a 120 Minute IPA. This is dangerously good on tap. Very little alcohol taste for a beer that is 18%ABV. We had decided that we were just going to take it easy and finish things off with the 120 Minute but then we started talking with the bartender Chad. Chad asked if their were any other beers that we hadn't had on tap before. He then preceded to bring us over samples of all of them. We were able to try Midas Touch, Black and Blue, Palo Santo and Immort Ale. The only one that I thought was better in the bottle was the Midas Touch but it was still very good. We finally rolled out of the Alehouse and headed toward the hotel. Once at the hotel we decided to take a quick nap and rest up for the nights activities.


My friend John had been taking part in the Beer Advocate pubcrawl for most of the day and they were ending at the sold out Lupulin Reunulin at R.F.D. bar in downtown Washington D.C. Alex and I headed down to meet up with John at R.F.D. and just enjoy the beer selection at the bar. When we got there John hurried us into the the back room to the Lupulin. We were waiting for people to ask us to leave but all that happen was that we were given beers and told to enjoy. This was a great event. Not only did we get to have great beers but they were also presented by the brewers. We got to try the following beers:

Dogfish Head- Hoppy Onion(special experimental beer)
Lost Abbey- Carnevale
Avery- Mahahraja
Allagash- Hugh Malone
Vintage 50- Head Knocker
Port Brewing- 3rd Anniversary Pale
Russian River- Consecration
Dogfish Head- Palo Santo Marron
Avery- Mephistopheles
Vintage 50- Wee Heavy 2002


It was great to hear all these brewers talking about their beers and to see how they all had a great affinity for each other and the beers they create. It was also very cool to see other brewers that were in town for Savor there supporting each other. Greg Koch from Stone, and Ken and Brian Grossman from Sierra Nevada were in attendance and from time to time would get on the mic to give their thoughts on what the other brewers were talking about. One of the highlights was getting to hear Ken Grossman talk about starting Sierra Nevada and the inspiration he got from Anchor Brewing. The event was the perfect place to actually get to talk to the brewers in a relaxed atmosphere. The audience got to ask questions as well which ranged from humorous(Asking about the brewers martial status) to very business(how they plan to keep make their products with great ingredients while keeping the price reasonable). The whole event was very informative and a great time. Once we had finished up the event Alex and I headed out to check out the White House at night. I must tell you this is the way to see Washington. It is nice and cool outside and you don't have to deal with any crowds. After we walked around for a bit we headed back to the hotel for a good night sleep for the main event of Savor the next day.

SATURDAY

We started the day off rather late by heading over to Chevy Chase Wine and Spirits. We were told this was the place to check out to pick up some individual bottles of stuff. They had some great finds that I haven't been able to get in Florida. I picked up some stuff from Troeg, Founders, Brew Dog and River Horse.


After Alex and I had finished raiding Chevy Chase we grabbed some lunch before we started our afternoon of checking out our nations capital in the daylight. It has been probably 10 years since the last time I had checked out the sites in D.C. It is still as impressive as the first time I saw it. You forget about all this countries great history until your are actually standing infront of the Declaration Of Independance and the Bill Of Rights. Once we had finished seeing the sites we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the main event of the evening, the Savor Craft Beer and Food festival. We jumped on the metro and headed to the National Building Museum for what was sure to be an eventful night.


After a short wait in line we grabbed our tasting glasses and programs and headed out on to the floor. We headed straight for the Firestone Walker table to checkout their beers. We tried both the Union Jack IPA and the Double Barrel Ale. Both were great and paired well with the Mini Sirloin Sliders. The beer selection on the floor was beyond belief. The food pairings for the most part were great as well. The oyster bar had some of the best oysters I've ever had. Huge, fresh and succulent. Their were a lot of beers that had a ton of buzz around them, that I had been looking forward to having, that didn't quite live up to the hype. I was pleasantly surprise by a bunch of beers that I had never heard much about. The highlights of the evening were:
-Arcadia Cocoa-Loco Triple Chocolate Milk Stout- one of the the best milk stouts I've ever had but unfortunately the brewery has no plans to distribute to Florida
-Blackfoot River Single Malt IPA- This beer has the great smokiness from the single malt with that nice warmth you get from a good single malt scotch. This is different then just being stored in scotch barrels.
-The Bruery's Saison Rue- A great representation of a well rounded saison
-Captain Lawrence Xtra Gold American Triple- One of the smoothest triples I've ever had. The 10% alcohol is untraceable.
-Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale- With all of the extreme beers available at Savor this was a great change. This is a beer I could drink every day... if it was just available in Florida.
-Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold- This was another nice change for the palete. A nice dry crisp lager. Another beer that would be a good session beer.
-The Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme- Angel Share was the big hype of Savor but I enjoyed this much more. This was a nice barrel aged sour ale.
-Moon River Rosemary Swamp Fox IPA- This was the biggest surprise of Savor. I never thought a beer made with rosemary would work this well. The rosemary worked well with the hops in the IPA. This would be great paired with a nice roast.

It was great to be able to have the chance to try all of these beers that you have been hearing about for so long. Some held up to the hype and others were slightly disappointing. Over all the people I got to speak with and beer and food were all a great combination. No other beer festival I've ever been to even remotely compares to this. This is a group of people who truely care about the beer and not just getting drunk. I would give Savor two big thumbs up and would recommend it to anyone else that loves good craft beer to take the trek up to Washington D.C. for it.

The whole weekend was a ton of fun. I wanted to thank Alex for making it a great weekend and to John for helping to get us into Lupulin. Nothing better then enjoying good beers with good friends.

Beer Events Calendar

I have now added a Beer Events Calendar at the bottom of the page. I will be trying to update the calendar as frequently as possible with any new events I hear of. If you know of any going on around South Florida be sure to get in touch with me and let me know and I will add them to the calendar.

New Beers for June

Here are the new beers that should be available this June in FL. Make sure to ask your local stores to order it if they don't have it.

-Stone 13th Anniversary
-Dogfish Head Festina Peche
-Full Sail Grandsun of Spot
-Highland Cattail Peak
-Ommegang Ommegeddon
-Smuttynose Farmhouse Ale
-Terrapin Gamma Ray
-Weyerbacher Zotten
-North Coast Barrel-Aged Rasputin XII
-Full Sail Limited LTD 03 Lager
-Sierra Nevada Anniversary Ale
-Bells Batch 9000
-Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu
-Allagash Interlude
-Sierra Nevada Kellerweis
-Weyerbacher Riserva
-Dogfish Head Sahtea

If you have seen any of these yet please leave a comment and let others know where they can find them.

Help to stop the raising of taxes on beer

This week the US Senate is considering a proposal that could raise the federal excise tax on beer as a way to offset the cost of health care reform. This could raise the tax on 4.5%ABV beers up to triple what they are now and beers with higher ABV rates up even more. Since a lot of craft brewers make beers that are over 4.5%ABV, this would hurt a lot of them and us, in that they would either A) have to raise their prices which means more expensive beer for us, B) they wouldn't be able to afford to make the great craft beers that they do now or C) would hurt the amount of money they are making now thus, hurting jobs at the brewery. I don't think we want any of these things to happen. Florida Senator, Bill Nelson, is on the Senate Finance Committee and is one of the people introducing this proposal. We need to let Senator Nelson know that this proposal is not going to help the American people but will hurt small businesses and their employees. You can contact Senator Bill Nelson by either calling his office at (202) 224-5274 or by emailing him here. Though you won't actually get to talk to Senator Nelson, they do log all calls and emails. His staffers report what he has gotten the most calls about and are there to focus largely on just that. The more calls and emails the better. When you call or email make sure to touch on these points:

ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE TO SMALL BREWERS - EXCISE TAXES

Small brewers are small Main street businesses, typically employing 10 to 50 employees.

• Small brewers represent only 4% of the entire U.S. beer market by volume, with 95% of them being very small businesses (producing 15,000 barrels or less per year).

We strongly oppose proposals to increase the excise tax on beer.

• Proposals to increase and equalize the tax among all types of alcohol will tax small brewers at the highest rates because their specialty, gourmet and innovative beers typically have higher alcohol contents.
• Brewers already pay a disproportionately higher share of taxes compared with other products – federal, state and local taxes represent over 40% of the retail price for beer while the same taxes equal nearly 24% of the price for all other purchases.

Higher taxes will worsen the economic recession – resulting in less competitive products, reduced sales and revenues, lost jobs and, for some small brewers, business closures.

• $1 per case excise tax increase will typically cost the consumer at least $1.69 due to successive mark-ups as the case moves from brewer to wholesaler to retailer.
• Many small brewers are already struggling to deal with the consequences of the 2008 spike in ingredient and operational costs.

Club Yard House?

When I lived up in Gainesville their was a Publix near the UF campus that whenever I went I swear people were dressed up like they were going out to a club so we would always call it Club Publix. Thus when I went to the Yard House in Coral Gables Thursday night I was greeted by a line at the door with a door man letting people in. People were dressed like they were going to a nightclub not to a restaurant. It was great to see the Yard House doing so well so shortly after it had opened but when you want to just go to get a good beer and not have to stand in a line or be crammed in with a bunch of people it looks like the Yard House isn't the place to go on a Thursday night. I will have to just hit up the Yard House earlier in the day. I hope that the people that are going are enjoying the great beer selection and will help get other bars and stores in the area to carry these beers.