Jax Beer Week is almost upon us

Last year the inaugural Jax Beer Week proved that Jacksonville is a town ready for a premier beer event. This year marks the event’s second year and finds a line-up of Tap takeovers, dinners, tastings and beer specials that is sure to please even the pickiest of beer aficionados.

While the list presented below is by no means comprehensive, you can get an idea for what is going on. Friend the Springfield Brew Crew or Jax Beer Guy on Facebook for details on new events as they become available. You can also follow Sprbrewcrew or JaxBeerGuy on Twitter.

Monday, April 1

Pele’s Wood Fire

The ever creative Chef Micah at Pele’s Wood Fire is throwing down a with a sumptuous meal paired with Bell’s Brewery beers. The Dinner features seven courses paired with seven delicious Bell’s beers.

Cost for this spectacular meal is $75 per person including tax and gratuity. Non-refundable deposit of $25 per person is required. For reservations call (904)232-8545. Only 40 seats are available, so reserve early.

Brewer’s Pizza 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Brewer’s will host a night with Grassroots Natural Market. The guys from Grassroots of Riverside will come out and drink some brews, rub elbows and pour some beers for sampling.

Tuesday, April 2

Brewer’s Pizza 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Florida Beer night with special guest Carolyn Graham from Brown Distribution. Brewer’s will be featuring taps from all of their favorite local breweries and others from all over Florida.

Beer Specials

Solids & Stripes, Mellow Mushroom – Fleming Island, and Taps – Fleming Island

Wednesday, April 3

Beer Specials

Aardwolf Brewing Co., Grape & Grain Exchange, The Grotto, Hurricanes, European Street – San Marco, Northstar Substation, Underbelly, Burro Bar, 1904, Burrito Gallery, Fionn MacCools – Landing, Olio

Thursday, April 4

Dahlia’s Pour House

The gang at Dahlia’s will be offering thirsty Jax Beer Week revelers $4 IPAs.

Bold City Brewing Co. 7:00 p.m to 11:00 p.m.

The crew at Bold City are treating their guests to a Florida Tap Takeover featuring spectacular brews from across the great state of Florida. The tap list includes:

Cask & Larder                         Black Ale (Winter Park, FL)

Big Storm Brewery                  Wavemaker Amber Ale (Odessa, FL)

Due South Brewing                  Roasted Cocoa Stout (Boynton Beach, FL)

7venth Sun Brewing                Graffiti Orange (Dunedin, FL)

Tequesta Brewing Company    Terminally Ale and Irish Red Ale (Tequesta, FL)

Cigar City Brewing                  Humidor Series IPA (Tampa, FL)

Pensacola Bay Brewing           Lil’ Napoleon IPA (Pensacola, FL)

Florida Beer Company             Gaspar’s Porter (Melbourne, FL)

Grassroots Natural Market 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Grassroots will host a Jacksonville Beer Tasting featuring Ben Davis owner and brewer at Intuition Ale Works who will bring a special cask brew. Also at the tasting will be a cask brew from Green Room Brewing in Jacksonville Beach.

Beer Specials

Intuition Ale Works, Kickbacks Gastropub, Pele’s Wood Fire, Broudy’s, Beer:30, European Street Riverside, Black Sheep Restaurant, O’Brother’s

Friday, April 5

Green Room Brewing Co. 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight

Florida Mega Tap Takeover with over 50 Florida beers. Breweries that will be represented at the event include:

Cigar City Brewing 7venth Sun Due South Brewing Swamp Head Brewing Saint Somewhere Pensacola Bay Brewery Tequesta Brewing Intuition Ale Works Pinglehead Brewing Co. Mile Marker Brewing Engine 15 Brewing Co. Cocoa Beach Brewing Three Palms Brewing Florida Beer Company And more…..

Also 17 Green Room Brewing beers on tap including:

Quetzalcoatl Many versions of the Count And much more

Engine 15 Brewing Co. 12:00 noon to 12:00 midnight

The Engine 15, Engine 15 Tap Takeover. The guys at the Engine have been working hard to make this year’s Jax Beer Week event special. What better way to do that than to take over all their taps with all their own beers – 51 of them to be precise, plus one in a firkin.

Beer Specials

Mellow Mushroom – Southside, Seven Bridges, Total Wine + More, Broudy’s – Ponte Vedra, Monkey’s Uncle, European Street – Jax Beach, Mellow Mushroom – Jax Beach, Lynch’ Irish Pub, The Brick, Royal Palm Village, Island Girl, ABC Liquor, Wine Warehouse, Poe’s

Saturday, April 6

Grand Tasting 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.

The culmination of Jax Beer Week is the Grand Tasting that will take place downtown in conjunction with Community First Saturday in front of the Times-Union Center on the Northbank Riverwalk. The tasting will feature over 30 beers including many from Florida. Also enjoy the Food Truck Skyway Crawl and live music.

Bands and performance times are:

12:30 p.m.       Canary in the Coalmine

1:30 p.m.         RickoLus

2:45 p.m.         Four Families

DJ E. Lee 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., between sets, and 3:30 p.m to 4:30 p.m.

Related articles

• Nominations open soon for Beer City USA; Let’s get Jacksonville on the ballot (sprbrewcrew.wordpress.com)
• Florida Breweries (elleswim.net)

 

Hunahpu’s Day a joyous celebration despite some issues

Thousands of hopeful beer enthusiasts lined up in the dark streets of Tampa, FL in the wee hours of the morning Saturday. Some brought chairs to make their wait a little more comfortable; at least one intrepid soul brought a hammock that he strung between two trees. The throngs were gathered at Cigar City Brewing Company, waiting for their chance to purchase the brewery’s annual Hunahpu’s Day to begin. All in line were there in hopes of procuring their allotment of Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout, an annually-released, and much sought after beer that is a mélange of chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and chili peppers.

Standing in line for a big release like Hunahpu’s is a uniquely social event. Beer aficionados are a gregarious and generous bunch. While discussing the finer points of other big release brews, it is likely that someone may open up a cooler, reach inside and pull out a bottle that is promptly opened and shared. The sharing often prompts discussion of the flavors evident and the process by which the brewer elicited them from the ingredients. It seemed that everywhere one looked people were laughing, talking, and sharing good beer.

But, even at the most joyous of beer events, things go wrong. Just after dawn, the Tampa police department appeared and announced that the line, which had spilled into the parking lot of a nearby retail parking lot, had to be condensed because the retailer had complained. This prompted the gates the Brewery to be opened sooner than expected. Once inside, more lines formed for tokens that had to be used to purchase beer, and for shirts and glasses.

And then there were the beer lines. At one point, early in the day, lines were more than two hours long. These lines were not the boisterous fun lines that had defined the pre-dawn hours of Hunahpu’s Day, these were unorganized lines marred by inconsiderate cutters who merely walked to the front of the line effectively disrespecting those who were trying to follow the rules and wait patiently. The shame of it is that it could have been avoided with better planning. A few well-placed stanchions and ropes could have cut down on the line cutting and helped things to remain better organized.

Another issue that could have been handled better was the beer servers. Many were inexperienced and slow. Many guests were handed beers that were more than half foam. Others were served beers that were only partially full. But, perhaps the biggest sin of all was understaffing. The beer trailer, were some of the best and most sought after beers were being poured had only three servers and a line that grew to more than two and a half hours long.

But, issues aside, the spirit of the event was festive. Coolers full of beer brought by attendees were enthusiastically poured for others for no other reason than to share. People discussed the finer points of their favorite beers, ate food from one of the ten food trucks on hand, and socialized. Perhaps what makes an event like this so great is the social aspect. Beer, after all, has always been a social beverage. This truth has never been more evident than at an event like Hunahu’s day.

In the end, Cigar City distributed more than 10,000 bottle of the Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout. All of the wristbands they promised to hand out were distributed before the end of the line was reached, but at the end of the day, there were still bottle of the brew left for those who did not have a wristband and waited until after 5:00 p.m. The event, even with issues, was a successful celebration of craft beer that attracted folks from as far away as Sweden. If that is not an indicator of the reach and popularity of craft beer, nothing is.

 

 

Hunapuh will not be the only beer sought at Cigar City Brewing this weekend

Cigar City Brewing has become something of a legend in Florida and around the country. This past October at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colo. the Tampa brewery attracted long lines of rabid fans eager to taste their beers. This weekend, throngs of fans, even more rabid than those in Denver, will be camped out at the brewery’s gates. But, the masses this weekend will be seeking something specific; Cigar City’s Hunapuh’s Imperial Stout. This potent brew is a concoction of Cacao Nibs, Madagascar Vanilla Beans, Ancho Chilis, Pasilla Chilis and Cinnamon.

The folks at Cigar City aren’t resting on their laurels by just offering their much-sought-after annual release, though. No, these mad geniuses also plan to have dozens of other brews available to what will likely be a huge crowd of beer lovers congregated to enjoy great beer and great times.

The list, published earlier this week, contains beers from Cigar City and dozens of other noteworthy breweries. Anyone that leaves this celebration without having tasted at least one amazing brew is not trying very hard. The semi-complete list follows.

THE USUAL SUSPECTS
Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout
Jai Alai IPA
Maduro Brown Ale
Hotter Than Helles Lager
Florida Cracker White Ale
Invasion Pale Ale
Cervezas Frescas Series Guanabana Ale
Cubano Espresso Brown Ale
Dos Anos Kumquat Berliner Weisse
Ghost Stories Braggot
Hornswoggled Irish Red
Humidor Series Double American Black Ale
Humidor Series India Pale Ale
Patio Tools Dry Irish Stout (NITRO)
Torcedores Series Josh Brengle’s Double IPA

JASON’S TREATMENTS
Almond Biscotti Double Cream Ale
Blueberry Muffin Brown Ale
Chickory Dickory Choc Brown Ale
Chocolate Cherry Almond Scotch Ale
Chocolate Raspberry Lager
Cucumber Lager
Dry-Hopped IPA
Dry-Hopped Pale Ale
Galaxy IPA
Habanero Mango IPA
Hazelnut Coffee Brown Ale
Hopped Up Johnnie Imperial Stout
Humidor Series Dry-Hopped Double IPA
Humidor Series Smoked Habanero IPA
Peaches & Cream Lager
Right Side Up Pineapple Lager
S’mores Brown Ale
Tropical White Oak Jai Alai IPA
Vanilla Maduro Brown Ale
Whiskey Irish Stout
White Oak Jai Alai IPA

AGED BEERS
2010 Bourbon Sea Bass
2011 Apple Brandy Warmer Winter Winter Warmer
2011 Bohr Imperial Stout
2011 Bohr/Dirac Blend
2011 Dos Costas Oeste aged on Grapefruit Wood
2011 Dos Costas Oeste aged on Lemon Wood
2011 Dos Costas Oeste aged on Spanish Cedar
2011 Oak-aged Dirac Imperial Stout
2012 Batch 1000 – Kalevipoeg Baltic Porter
2012 Cognac Imperial Sweet Stout
2012 Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale
2012 Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout
2012 Leon Barrel-aged Barley Wine
2012 Snack Attack!

GUEST BEERS
21st Amendment Brewery
Bitter American

7venth Sun Brewing
Belge d’Or
Chelsea Grin
Graffiti Orange

Anderson Valley Brewing Company
Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrel Stout

Angry Chair Brewing Company
Split Dessert Ale
Camille Blueberry Berliner Weisse
Raspberry Berliner weisse

Ballast Point Brewing
Habanero Sculpin

Barley Mow Brewing
C-Dub Rauchbier (collab with Florida Beer)

B. Nektar Meadery
Evil Genius
Necromangocon
Zombie Killer

Bell’s Brewery, Inc.
Expedition Stout
Hopslam Double IPA
Third Coast Old Ale

Blue Point Brewing Company
No Apologies Double IPA

Bold City Brewery
1901 Roasted Red Ale aged in Woodford Reserve Bourbon Barrels

BrewDog
Bashah (collab with Stone)

Cask & Larder
Gratzer
Imperial Sunshine Porter

Cigar City Brewpub
Jamonera Belgian Porter

Cold Storage Craft Brewery
Betchy Brown Ale

Dogfish Head Brewery
World Wide Stout

The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery
Milk Stout

Due South Brewing
Island Hopper Double IPA
Dessert Inn Rye IPA (collab with Cigar City Brewpub)

Dunedin Brewery
Subtropical Farmhouse (7venth Sun & CCB collab)
Rye Heart (Terrapin collab)

Founders Brewing
2011 Imperial Stout
All Day IPA

The Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery
Pineapple Hop Gun
Starfruit Berliner

Gravity BrewLab
Grodzilla Smokey Sour Ale
Kobra Kai Thai Chili Berliner Weisse
Aguanile Rum Barrel-aged Cortadito Porter
Smokey O’Hoolahan Barrel-aged Irish Dry Stout
What’s Puckerin’ Gilbert’s Grape

Green Flash Brewing
Candela Rye Barley Wine (collab with CCB)
Hop Head Red
Palate Wrecker
Surf’s Up IPA

Green Room Brewing
Double Overhead Double IPA

Half Acre Beer Company
Baume Hopped Rye Stout
Space India Pale Ale

Highland Brewing
2 Knuckle Dunkle

Intuition Ale Works
I-10 IPA

J Wakefield Brewing
Dr. Zarkov Sour Ale
Emmit Fitz-Hume Cabernet Sauvignon Berliner
Master Blaster Porter
Mate Bliss Brown
Miami Madness
Rebengas Fruta Bomba Berliner

Florida Beer Key West
Southernmost Wheat

Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company
Southern Gentleman Bourbon Barrel-aged Pecan Nut Brown Ale

The Lost Abbey
Deliverance

Pinglehead Brewing Company
Ghost Chili Mind Drive Imperial Porter
Black Hops India Black Ale

Port Brewing Company
Wipeout Double IPA

Proof Brewing Company
Batch 26 Imperial Stout

Shorts Brewing Company
Key Lime Pie

Swamp Head Brewery
10-10-10
Pappy Brings the Funk

Terrapin Beer Company
Double Chocolate Bourbon Barrel-aged Moo-Hoo

The Bruery
Autumn Maple
White Oak
Smoking Wood

Three Floyds Brewing
Czech Booty Kamp Pilsner
Gumballhead American Wheat Ale
In the Name of Suffering Black IPA
Michiana Power Pale Ale
Sand Pebbles American Brown Ale
Supa Rice Ronin of Death Rice Ale
Zombie Dust Pale Ale

Uinta Brewing
Sea Legs Baltic Porter

Westbrook Brewing
Cap’n Skoon’s Ballistic Baltic Stout

SPECIAL BEERS, ALL TAPPED AT 1pm.
EACH DRAFT STATION & THE TASTING ROOM WILL ONLY HAVE ONE OF THESE BEERS.
Cigar City Brewing Bourbon Barrel-aged Cherry Cordial Imperial Sweet Stout
Cigar City Brewing Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Brown Ale
Funky Buddha Last Snow Porter
Gravity Brewlab Caligula Blushed (wild ale openly fermented in a clay vessel)
J. Wakefield Brewing DFPF Floridaweisse
Three Floyds 2011 Bourbon Barrel-aged Vanilla Dark Lord Imperial Stout

Related articles

• Hunahpu’s Day is coming, be prepared (sprbrewcrew.wordpress.com)
• 5 New Big Stouts You Should Seek Out (drinks.seriouseats.com)

 

Rare brews featured at Deland Craft Beer Festival

Deland, Fla. Is a small town northeast of the bustling hub of Florida’s tourist mecca Orlando. It is a sleepy town that boasts just over 27,000 people, is home to Stetson College, and is the county seat of Volusia County.  But, this weekend, Deland’s quaint downtown historic district’s population will swell with an influx of beer-lovers seeking to quench their unswerving desire for fresh, new beer at the Deland Craft Beer Festival. This year’s festival celebrates its fourth year and is bigger and better than ever.

The event is not just a drinking affair, though. This beer festival includes beer-making demonstrations, breakout sessions, an art auction, beer cars, food vendors, and of course lots of beer. Breakout sessions this year will discuss topics such as the effect of prohibition on modern beer culture in America, the state of craft beer in Florida, and the future of cans in the craft beer industry. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in a Skype session with the brewers from Southern Tier Brewing Company.

But, for many, the highlight of the event will be the rare, cask, and vintage beers that will be served. Each year, the organizers come up with an amazing array of hard-to-come by brews that make the knees of beer geeks go weak. The exact brews that will show up in this section of the festival is not known at the moment, but rest assured that there will be several real gems.

The event takes place in Deland’s Artisan Alley and begins Saturday, February 9 and 1:00 p.m. Tickets are $37 and may be purchased online at: www.delandcraftbeerfestival.com.

Watch the “Gallery” page on www.JaxBeerGuy.com or follow @jaxbeerguy on Twitter for live photos and Tweets.

Keep up to date on all the beer happenings and news going on in town by joining our newsletter mailing list at the ALL NEW www.JaxBeerGuy.com.

Related articles

• Jupiter Beer Festival kicks off 2013 Florida beer festival season (sprbrewcrew.wordpress.com)

 

Jupiter Beer Festival kicks off 2013 Florida beer festival season

The 2013 craft beer festival season officially kicks off next week with the Jupiter Craft Brewers Festival Saturday, Jan. 26. Now in its seventh year, the festival will feature over 200 beers from 73 breweries. But, if you plan to attend, you may want to plan on arriving at Roger Dean Stadium early since all 1,500 online tickets are sold out and only 1,500 additional tickets will be available the day of the event at the door.

Created in 2007 by Fran Andrewlevich the head brewmaster of Brewzzi a duo of American-Italian eateries in South Florida, the focus of the event is on brews from Florida. That is not to say that some of your other favorites will not be there – Blue Point, Dogfish Head, Brooklyn, and Highland will all be there. But, so will Florida brewers like Bold City Brewing from Jacksonville, Cigar City Brewing from Tampa, and Swamp Head Brewing from Gainesville.

Attendees at the festival will also enjoy entertainment from local musicians and the return fo the popular Silent Disco.

In addition to the beer festival, the organizers will feature for the second year Craftoberfest a German-themed celebration of beer, food, and music that will take place across the street from the main event. So, if you are not able to score tickets to the Festival, take heart. You can still attend the party at Craftoberfest for free. The event will feature a pay-per-beer beer tent, live oompah music from Sonnenschein Express, and German-style food. The festivities will take place at the Abacoa Theater from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The festival is actually the culminating event for the annual South Florida Craft Beer Week that features beer dinners, tap takeovers, and plenty of tastings. Beer Week events are spread out from Jupiter to Miami and there is sure to be something that will catch every beer-lover’s attention. For an updated list of all the events going on, follow this link.

Tickets for the Jupiter Craft Brewers Festival are $35 at the door and will go on sale shortly before the gates open tot he event. All attendees must prevent a valid, government-issued ID for admission to the event. The festival hours are 1:00 to 5:30 p.m.

Keep up to date on all the beer happenings and news going on in town at the ALL NEW www.JaxBeerGuy.com.

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