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Craft Beer Blast
March 2014
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From Larry...
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Florida has become home to so many craft beer events that it's hard to keep track of them all. The beer festival season kicks off at Jupiter in January and there seems to be a festival almost every weekend. Here in Miami, the spring beer festival Sprung! happens this weekend at Peacock Park in Coconut Grove. Recently, there have been several other festivals just here in South Florida. A local distributor has an event calendar with lists for several different areas of Florida. Even that list probably missed a few things. Beer tastings and dinners have been around for years; there is a new generation of drinkers that want to attend. BJ's Brewhouse is having an IPA tasting and dinner at our local restaurant and several others in the chain nationwide. BJ's has stepped up their game on the craft beer side and there is something for everyone on the extensive menu. The brews are made in several locations and they have discovered the virtues of stronger, bolder beer. Wynwood Brewing is collaborating with a popular local restaurant, OTC, for a beer dinner event. The list gets longer and the fun continues. Try a beer event near you soon.
The "Style of the Month" for March is Gose. A German wheat beer style from Leipzig, Gose is enjoying a renaissance both in Germany and in the US. Gose has a slightly sour taste with coriander spiciness and saltiness.
The Brewery of the Month of March is Wachusett Brewing of Westminster, Mass. A 20 year - old regional brewery, Wachusett brews a wide variety of beers. The tour was fun and the people are too. When in New England look for their brews around the region.
All back issues of The Blast are available on the Media / Archive page.
Enjoy spring seasonal brews that are just coming out and support local breweries whenever possible.
Cheers,
Larry
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 Style of the Month
Gose
A German style from around Leipzig, Gose is a light straw color, made with barley and unmalted wheat. Traditionally, it was spontaneously fermented; modern breweries introduce only pure yeast strains. Gose should have very little hop bitterness, and malt sweetness is low. A spiciness is achieved by the addition of coriander and a slight saltiness is present. Lactic acid character adds a refreshing sourness. Some brewers serve Gose with various flavored and colored syrups to balance out the lactic acid flavors. Gose is usually enjoyed fresh, carbonated, cloudy and with yeast character. The style is enjoying a revival in Germany and among American Craft brewers.
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Sprung! Spring Beer Festival this Weekend!
Miami's spring festival will feature over 150 beers including many spring and summer styles. Held in Peacock Park in the heart of Coconut Grove, Sprung offers plenty of fun and music all day long. There will be beers that are new to Florida and Florida breweries offering their brews for the first time in South Florida. The game area and bar offer bar games and full beers of that new beer you enjoyed at the festival. Tickets are available on-line at a discount. I recommend the VIP area; it has different beers, seating and catered food. For more see the website: igotsprung.com
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Brewery of the Month
Wachusett Brewing Co.
Wachusett Brewing celebrates 20 years of brewing this year. In 1993, he company was formed by three college friends. They had visited New England and some of the first east coast craft breweries. With an attitude of "we can do this", they introduced Wachusett Country Pale Ale the next year. The three designed the equipment, brewed, sold, delivered and anything else required of a startup brewery. Today their brews are distributed all around the region. They still stick to their original idea of brewing and selling the freshest highest quality beers possible. I first tried their IPA in 2006. I enjoyed it and wanted to find out more about the source of one of the better bottled IPAs I had enjoyed. I didn't see it again as it is only available in New England. Last year I read of an Imperial IPA called Larry and found out that it was from Wachusett. Since a Boston trip was being planned, I made sure that Wachusett was on the itinerary. I went and got the full Saturday tour where the entire brewery is toured. I was able to try most of their regular beers but there was no Larry available. Fortunately, some was available just down the road. For more on the visit see the 2013 review page.
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Locally...
White Star IPA is back and it is joined by Two Brothers Outlaw IPA . Two Bros. is new to the Florida market. The guest tap list varies; New Belgium Fat Tire and Sixpoint Brewery's Resin DIPA are on.
BJ's Brewhouse in the Falls has an IPA beer tasting and dinner on Monday March 10th at 7PM. This sounds like a winner with 5 courses, 2 palate cleansers and a special introduction of BJ's Goliath Imperial Red Ale, a special bottled brew available that night only. Call 305-251-4935 for more about it and to reserve your spot. Website
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New Breweries
Wynwood Brewery and OTC Miami are hosting a beer pairing dinner. Appetizers will start the evening, followed by a 3 course dinner. Find out more on the Wynwood webpage. Or call OTC at 305-374-4612. for more info.
MIA Brewing Co.; Construction continues and they hope to open Spring 2014. See MIA's Facebook page to follow construction progress on the brewery and where MIA will be pouring beer.
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Florida Brewery Corner
Rapp Brewing Co.is a new brewery in Seminole, FL. in the Tampa Bay area. I saw them at a festival a few years ago before the brewery had opened. They are now open and have more than 15 beers available. They brew a Gose which is the style of the month. I plan to visit the next time I'm in the area. Recently, The Blast's guest reviewer Jeff Pearl was there. His thoughts are on the GBL 2014 review page.
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© Larry Goeser
Miami, Florida Good Beer Larry |
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