I stopped in at Big Top Brewing Company in Sarasota, Florida. The beers I tasted were delicious. I especially enjoyed the Peach Milkshake IPA. Think a fruity peachy flavor on top of a nicely hopped IPA. Delicious to drink and easy to enjoy.
Great outdoor patio with natural gas fire pits to warm up a cool evening.
I stopped in at JDub’s Brewing Company in Sarasota, Florida. The first order of business was to place an order with the Smokin’ Momma Lora’s BBQ food truck out front. Their Buffalo Nachos were awesome.
I ordered a flight of tasters to enjoy with the food.
I loved the Raspberry IPA and The Bell Cow Milk Chocolate Porter. Both are absolutely awesome. The Raspberry IPA adds a delightful tart fruity raspberry flavor layered on top of a hoppy IPA. Wow! The Milk Chocolate Porter was chocolatey and delicious. Dessert in a glass. Great spot for a beer.
I stopped in at Ocean Sun Brewing in Orlando Florida for a beer. With a name like Sunny Day in Helles, how can you go wrong with that? It was crisp, clean, easy to drink, and all around a very enjoyable beer. The taproom was also very nice with a chill vibe. This is a great place to stop in for a beer.
I stopped in at Crooked Can Brewing Company in Winter Garden, Florida and enjoyed their Cool as a Gose Cucumber Gose. It had been a while since I’d had a nice Gose and this did not disappoint. Tart, Salty, hints of cucumber. Very drinkable. In fact, several of these would have gone down easily. And, this would pair with a pizza very well (but I’m trying to be good and not eat pizza these days).
I stopped in at Broken Cauldron Brewery and Taproom in Orlando, Florida last night. As usual, I was taking pictures for my blog postings. The owner, Jeanna, just happened to be out front and was wondering what I was doing with the pictures. She thought I was with the city government. Apparently there’s some dispute over her sign (the featured post image). Personally, I love the painted sign. My picture-taking led to a wonderful time talking with Jeanna and her husband about the brewery, their beer and their plans.
I started with Ruckus Red, their signature brew. What I learned from Jeanna is that their brewery and taproom is the tailgate spot for the Orlando City soccer club. When there are home games the brewery hosts over 1,000 people. And, the beer of choice is Ruckus Red, red ale. I can see why. I’ve enjoyed red ales before. This one is special. Its sweet (malty) and also spicy and bitter. Its a complex beer and really enjoyable to drink. Great job!
After Ruckus Red I tried the Bleed Purple Blackberry Saison and was really impressed. This beer packed a delicious tart blackberry flavor into the saison. Yummy. I’d drink this often if I were in the area more frequently. It has both sweet and tart notes.
Black Cauldron also has a nifty used beer receptacle.
Jeanna also gave me a tour of the brewery. I felt like royalty. And, in the process she shared how they use a Rinnai tankless natural gas hot water system. Using this system saves them time and money. With my background in the natural gas business I naturally perked right up when she described how this benefits them. While in the brewery she told me about the cucumber sour they had which I also tried. Delicious. Jeanna wasn’t as pleased with this and I’m sure she’ll be putting finishing touches on this recipe. With the emphasis on sours these days I find this to be a real contender.
Best wishes Jeanna. Hope our paths cross again.
I stopped in at Dead Lizard Brewing Company in Orlando, Florida to try their beers. In order to get a broad tasting experience I went with a flight and the bartender helped me decide what to try. I was looking for more cinnamon raisin flavor in the Cinnamon Raisin Anole Bourbon Nut Brown. I was also looking for more lime in Key Lime Chameleon Cream-Sic-Ale. However, both of these are really tasty and I’d say somewhat unique. Nicely done. Trippy Pippy’s Red Dread Ale is a solid red ale. Komodo Koko Dragon Stout is perhaps my favorite of the four I tasted. Smooth and rich with chocolatey notes.
I stopped in at The Waterfront Brewery in Key West, Florida. I tried the Key Lime Witness and really wanted to enjoy it. Clearly it has notes of key lime but I really wanted more. It also has other spices including pepper which added to the complexity of the beer but took away from my enjoyment of it. Not every beer is for every palate. I did enjoy the Crazy Lady Honey Blonde which was a very enjoyable blonde ale with sweetness of local honey. I also really enjoyed the Waterfront Brewery setting along the harbor walk in Key West. Great stop!
I stopped in at Kelly’s Caribbean Bar Grill and Brewery in Key West, Florida. Kelly’s has the distinction of being the southernmost brewery in the continental United States. Since it was happy hour I enjoyed $2 pours of their three flagship beers, Southern Clipper wheat, Havana Red, and Key West Golden ale. Of the three I enjoyed the Havana Red the most. If you’re in Key West and walking around Duval Street, Kelly’s is only a block away on Whitehead and worth a stop. It is also located in the original Pan Am Airlines headquarters building, which is historically cool as well.
I stopped in at Bold City Brewery in Jacksonville, Florida and enjoyed a pumpkin ale. Just right on the pumpkin flavor. This also marked the eighth and final stop on the Jacksonville Ale Trail – #jaxaletrail. So I then headed to the Jacksonville Visitors Center and claimed my koozie and t-shirt.
I stopped in at Intuition Ale Works in Jacksonville, Florida and enjoyed Tall, Dark + Cherry. I was hoping for more cherry flavor, but it did deliver as a chocolate stout with hint of cherry. Of course, you wouldn’t want the cherry to be overpowering any way.
I’ll also mention that several years ago while on business in Jacksonville I had the opportunity to stop by and was given a private tour by the owner which was totally cool.
I Stop For Hops 