Craft Beer Blast

February, 2013

The Florida beer scene is growing each month!   At Jupiter, I met several brewers who are opening new breweries. It is quite a process and can take 6 months to a year just to get all the permits. Wynwood is a good example of all the things that can stand in your way when starting a brewery. See their blog to read more. Local brewer Johnathan Wakefield is going to open soon. He has a Facebook page where you can see what he is doing while working on building J Wakefield Brewing.

The "Style of the Month" for February is American Pale Ale. This citrusy, hoppy British style was the force behind the early days in the craft beer business. It has also converted many drinkers of light industrial lagers into drinkers who now enjoy flavorful ales.

The Brewery of the Month for January is Fifty Fifty Brewing in Truckee, CA. They are on the west side of Lake Tahoe. With access to all of the great outdoor activities Tahoe has to offer, Fifty Fifty is a great place to enjoy a few local craft beers and great food. In the winter, they brew several high gravity brews along with barrel aged beers and the Eclipse series of strong beers.

In 2013, my mission of spreading the word about craft beer continues. I will teach classes, host tastings, beer and food pairings and do whatever it takes to advocate for craft beer. You can count on the 'Blast" to keep you informed of local and regional happenings.

Cheers,

Larry

Style of the Month 

American Pale Ale

Pale Ale, originally a British style, is now  made all around the world. American Pale Ale (APA) is characterized by a citrusy hop character balanced with malts. APA was one of the first styles brewed at micro breweries starting in the late 1970's. In 1976 Jack McAuliffe opened New Albion Brewing in Sonoma county, CA. This was the beginning of the craft beer revolution that we still are experiencing. Jack provided inspiration for Ken Grossman to start his brewery, Sierra Nevada Brewing. New Albion only lasted a few years but the influence of what Jack started is still with us. This month, Jack's New Albion Ale has been released for the first time in nearly 40 years. The 'new' beer is brewed by Samuel Adams and will be available nationwide. It's a limited release so if you want to try a piece of beer history look for it soon. My own journey to drinking good beer was also started by a Pale Ale. After years of 'light' beers, I tried Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale, and the rest is history!

     Brewery of the Month

    Fifty Fifty Brewery

Fifty Fifty Brewing is a place for everyone; whatever you are in the mood for they can provide it. Their motto: "We appreciate the dedication to the perfect beer with deference to strict style guidelines, but if it tastes good, it is good. That's it!" I like that motto; they do have a wide variety of beers and everything we tried was good. There were 3 barleywines on tap last August. They also are barrel aging beer and have a great menu. Truckee is on the California side of Lake Tahoe; if you are in the area it's worth a visit. My review is on the 2012 Review page. After a fun day outdoors, Fifty Fifty is the perfect place to finish up your day. It's the season now so they stay open longer and have more beers available. While in the area be sure to visit the old downtown area of Truckee; it's a slice of the old west. Enjoy! 

  Jupiter Craft Brewers  

Festival / Field of Beers 

Wrap up 

The Jupiter weekend events remain the best in South Florida. Friday night at the Field of Beers, I went to all 16 stations and saw many craft beer folks from all over. There are pictures on the GBL FB page.The Saturday festival didn't disappoint either; perfect weather and a great local crowd. Many new Florida breweries are coming on and they were represented here. Wynwood, Green Room and Orchid Island to name a few. Local homebrewers were there too. My review will be up soon on the new 2013 review page.