July 2013 Beer Blast

Craft Beer Blast

July, 2013

From Larry...

The main headline on my 2013 review page is "2013 Florida's Beer Year". This is looking like a good prediction as there are new breweries opening all over Florida. Funky Buddha Brewing opened June 1st and I was able to visit a few weeks later. On my visit to the Dunedin IPA festival, I was also able to visit three new breweries in the area. One is Sea Dog Brewing, open in Florida originally from Maine. Another, 7venth Sun is a microbrewery just around the corner from Dunedin Brewing.

Meanwhile,Wynwood Brewing is getting close to opening. It should come sometime in July. MIA Brewing, nee:Most Wanted Brewery, will open in Doral sometime this September. The name change is due to a legal concern.

In this month's Florida Brewery Corner, I visit Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park, FL. I found it to be a place I would take visiting friends for a fun afternoon of beer tasting.

The "Style of the Month" for July is Wit Beer or White Beer, a Belgian style that almost disappeared from the market in the 1950s. This refreshing ale is made from unmalted wheat which accounts for the wit (white) name due to the suspended wheat proteins in it. Wits are usually brewed with spices and should have good balance between all of the ingredients.

The Brewery of the Month for July is Eel River Brewing of Fortuna, CA. Eel River is the first certified organic brewery in the country. I visited last year and enjoyed the tasting room that has local memorabilia on the walls. There were 12 beers to try along with good pub food.

July came up quickly and it is heating up here in South Florida. The Miami Heat is celebrating their second championship in a row and Independence day is only days away. When celebrating, try out some refreshing summer brews. Most breweries have one or two summer beers. Enjoy them with your BBQ. July 21st is Belgian independence day; we can celebrate the occasion with a Belgian beer. A nice cool wit would be a good start. There are many other Belgian styles out there; try something different!

Cheers,

Larry

.Style of the Month

Wit or White Beer

A Belgian style, wit beer is a wheat beer made from unmalted wheat and spices. The spices are usually coriander, curacao orange peel and 'secret' spices that each brewer adds. The secret spices became a Belgian tradition that brewers took seriously. Like other Belgian beer, wits are low in hop tastes. The spices should be discernable but well balanced. Wit beer is another style that was saved from extinction by an interested party. Peter Celis missed the light beer that had disappeared in the 1950s.In 1966 he started brewing it at his De Kluis brewery. The beer became popular and in the 1980s he was bought out by Interbrew. Later, he moved to Texas and brewed his Celis Wit now popular both here and in Belgium.

Fun Beer Links

Trumer beer machine: Good video / ad for Trumer Pilsner. Trumer is a German company; they go all out for beer! The company has been Brewing for over 400 years. See the Trumer Beer Machine.

Turning the Tables? Europeans are now thirsty for America Craft Beer. American craft brewers have inspired brewers in Europe to make bigger, bolder beers. In fact Stone Brewing is planning to build a brewery somewhere in Europe. Read the full article.

Brewery of the Month

Eel River Brewing

In 1995 Ted Vivatson and Margaret Frigon opened Eel River Brewing in an old redwood lumber mill in Fortuna, California. They had been home- brewing for years and the new brewery began to win awards for their beers. In 1997 and 1998 they won silver and gold at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. This was quite an accomplishment for a two year old brewery. To date, the brewery has won over 300 awards for different beers they brew. In 1999, the brewery became the first brewery in America to be certified organic. This was unusual back then; now there are organic brews from several different breweries, but Eel River was the first and is still one of the best. I visited the taproom and grill and found 12 brews available. Several of the brews were only available in the taproom. They also serve good pub food. The room has all kinds of local memorabilia on the walls. I was wondering about a picture that showed a flooded street where only the sign stuck out of the water. This was from when the Eel River overflowed in 1964. The picture shows a bridge of US 101 where the road below is a river of water. There are old photos of Humboldt county and the surrounding areas. Eel River brews a wide variety of organic beers and they are available along the east coast. My original review is on the 2012 review page, and the Eel River Brewing website has complete information about the brewery and a good page of Humboldt County links. The annual Hops in Humboldt beer festival is August 24th. One of these years, I will make it there.

This Month

Titanic Brewing:

Dubbel Trouble Ale, a Belgian Dubbel style ale and American Wildflower Honey Wheat, made with local wildflower honey and honey malts are on now. Several different guest beers are now on tap. Stop by to see what's pouring.

Whole Foods Coral Gables: Spotlight on Sam Adams Brewery. Sample Sam Adams seasonal brews; cheese and snacks provided. Wednesday July 17 at 7:00 in the Lifestyle center. Call 305-421- 9421 to reserve a spot. Free

New Breweries

Wynwood Brewery

The brewing equipment is installed and being tested. A distributor has been signed so the beer can be sold all around South Florida. The latest opening date now is late July. Knock on wood!

MIA Brewing Co.

The brewery will open in September in Doral and they hope to have their beer in local outlets this fall.

7venth Sun Brewery is just over two years old and brewing some really good beer. They are a microbrewery in Dunedin, FL that started in a small storefront just blocks from downtown. They have expanded into a second bay and have become a popular local spot. I visited last month and sampled some of their brews.

Florida Brewery Corner

Funky Buddha Brewing is the newest brewery to open in South Florida. they make a variety of beers; there always will be something different on tap. The new facility is a huge tasting room with the brewery in view behind it. It's a fun place with games to play, TVs and good beer to enjoy. I visited about 2 weeks after the grand opening. My review and pictures can be viewed on my 2013 review page.

Miami, Florida

Good Beer Larry