Grape & Grain Exchange hosting tasting of Highland collaboration brew

The bustling area of town known as San Marco has long been a destination for great food and wine. But, a new establishment is adding craft and import beer to the mix. Robert Smith, a self-proclaimed “foodie” who has been in the restaurant business since 1987 has opened a new concept for the Jacksonville area with his Grape and Grain Exchange in San Marco Square.

The shop is a hybrid of a package store and a bar. Patrons can choose a bottle of craft or import beer from the cooler and either take it with them or drink it on premises from a clean class presented by the bartender/cashier. But, do not mistake this for one of those package store/bars that are sprinkled around the area and take on a seedier look, this establishment is high-class all the way. The interior is features clean lines, and subdued decorating. Wooden shelves display the small-batch spirits, fine wines, and craft beers that are available and a bookcase in the back of the store contains recipe books that Smith refers to for more esoteric drink requests.

Soon, that bookcase will also serve as the portal to the first speakeasy in the Jacksonville area since perhaps the days of Prohibition. Smith, ever vigilant of hot trends around the country, wants to take advantage of the craft cocktail bars and speakeasy movement that is sweeping the nation. Combine that with the craft beer craze and Smith thinks he has come up with a winning combination.

Tomorrow night, Friday, January 25, Smith will play host to Highland Brewing Company and 7venth Sun Brewing Company for a special tasting of a collaboration between the two breweries. Called Trailblazer, the brew is a 7.7% ABV Belgian-style porter made with raisins in the boil as well as almonds, cacao, and dried cherries in the fermenter. The tasting is $10 and includes tastes of all of Highland’s year round beers as well as one of the first pours of Trailblazer.

The tasting begins at 6:00 p.m. and does not require a ticket. Grape and Grain Exchange is located at 2000 San Marco Blvd.

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Bars vie for the title of Great American Beer Bar

Earlier this year the folks at Craft Beer brought the Beer City USA contest to determine the best beer city in the country. The hotly contended challenge ended up in a tie with Ashville retaining its crown for the fourth year even while sharing it with Grand Rapids. Now the same evil geniuses who ran that contest have opened the Great American Beer Bar competition. This time the contest seeks to find the best beer bars in each of five regions in the United States.

The website narrowed down some 3,300 nominations to just the 10 most suggested in each of the regions. Now it is up to you to decide which of the remaining bars will earn the title of one of the country’s Great American Beer bars. Voting for the honor is open to the beer-loving public through September 20.

Florida is represented by RedLight Redlight in Orlando. The popular beer bar is lauded for its smart draft selections and extraordinary cellar list.

Cast your vote on the Craft Beer website at: http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/news-and-events/news/show?title=vote-now-great-american-beer-bars-finals.

 

World of Beer coming to Tinseltown

Florida beer bar chain World of Beer has filed plans to put in a Jacksonville location in the Tinseltown area. The plans call for the new bar to be built in the former Starbuck’s location at 9700 Deer Lake Court, No. 1. The nearly 3,000 square foot location will join the already crowded beer-centric area near Mellow Mushroom, Tilted Kilt, and Miller’s Ale House.

The typical World of Beer location serves upwards of 30 brews on tap and hundreds of bottled beers. World of Beer’s philosophy is to be welcoming to the hophead as well as the novice beer drinker. It places emphasis on beer increasing the beer knowledge of its patrons in a warm, inviting, and friendly atmosphere.

Based out of Tampa, World of Beer has quickly expanded since opening its first store in 2007. South and Central Florida have had outlets for several years already. Earlier this year rumors were circulating that the chain was eyeing the former Fuel building in Five Points. Today’s news would seem to refute that.

The company’s website states that the Jacksonville location should be open in November.

 

Atlanta’s The Fred speakeasy a hidden gem

During Prohibition, speakeasies were relatively common; hidden from the sight of the authorities, they provided the average Joe and the upper crust with a place to get a stiff drink during a time when stiff drinks were, well, prohibited. Over the past few years, the idea of exclusive clubs has had a bit of a renaissance. In cities all around the world, there are clubs were only those who know how to get in are allowed to enter.

In Atlanta, that is the idea around the enigmatically named, The Fred. technically part of the Taco Mac chain, The Fred is far from a sports beer and wing bar. Instead it is a lavishly appointed man cave reminiscent of the most opulent New York steakhouses. One can almost imagine that many high-powered deals were brokered in one of the hideout’s plush booths.

To gain access to The Fred, one must first know where it is. While it is not exactly a secret – a search of the Internet will provide its location – it is in a rather non-descript and obscure location. Upon finding the door emblazoned with a stylized logo and complete with a peephole, a potential guest must press a red button to request entry. The door remains locked from the inside otherwise. The bartender will come to the door and request your admission credentials (a valid Brewniversity card from Taco Mac with at least 13 entries) and show you inside.

If you come during daylight hours, plan to stand for a second to let your eyes adjust. The light levels in The Fred are low and intimate and the colors are dark and rich. On either side of the space are comfortable booths complete with plush cushions and pillows and a curtain that can be pulled for privacy. Further back the bar is surrounded by a curved, dark wood ceiling. The feeling is cozy, comfy, relaxed, and sexy.

Behind the bar is an assortment of taps. By Taco Mac standards, there are only a few taps, but what they have is generally good. Some of the selections on during our visit included 21st Ammendment Hop Crisis, Abita Satsuma Wit, and the ever-present Guinness. If you prefer bottles, The Fred has an interesting list to peruse via iPads that also contain the food menu.

Other articles on The Fred wax rhapsodic about their burger – a Kobe beef cheeseburger topped with fried mac ‘n cheese. We did not go that route, though. Instead we ordered the Guinness Cheese Dip, served with soft pretzel pieces. When the dip arrived it was attractively plated on a long wooden board, the pretzels were cut into bite-sized pieces and toasted for a wonderful texture and crunch. The dip was rich with Guinness beer and packed a bit of a spicy kick that we really enjoyed.

Though we only stayed for a one beer and the dip. Our visit was extremely enjoyable. If you have the means and would like to try an upscale and exclusive-feeling spot, definitely give The Fred a try. But, keep in mind their slogan, “If you know, you know.”

 

European Street taps new Lagunitas brew

Beer drinking and storytelling are two activities that go hand-in-hand. Barstools are full of storytellers that spin fantastic yarns over cold brews on a daily basis. But, a beer new to the Jacksonville area and now tapped at the Park St., San Marco, and Jacksonville Beach locations of European Street has the story to tell this time. And Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale from Lagunitas Brewing Co. has quite a story to tell.

The label on the bottle of the beer hints that the story is not one that sits well with Tony Magee, the owner and brewmaster at Lagunitas. In tiny type on the edge of the label his diatribe says, “From the first day of the first congress at the moment of the passage of the first law, we became weaker.

The extra-large B. Franklin said it well that you can tell the strength of a society by the paucity of the pages in its book of laws – Tax laws, civil law, criminal law, Statutes and Bills. Laws that make large and small criminals of us all.”

The label refers to the 2005 investigation and subsequent shut-down of the brewery for 20 days the next January that resulted from complaints of parties on breweries premises. The parties were said to include food, beer, loud music, and – perhaps most damning – marijuana usage.  The investigation took place over two-months with investigators going to the weekly parties undercover to see for themselves what was going on.

According to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control public information officer John Carr, officers attended parties over an eight-week period to determine whether partygoers were dealing in drugs. During a St. Patrick’s Day party at the brewery the officers revealed their investigation by showing their badges and arresting one employee and patron.

Punishment came to the brewery in the form of a 20-day shut-down in January of 2006, which Magee used to install a planned new bottling line.

Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale is called “especially bitter ale” to commemorate the bust and shut-down of the brewery. Later Magee, not none for his quiet demeanor, said, “This beer, I wanted it to be a knuckle sandwich. It’s big, it’s bitter and it’s angry. It’s unrepentant, and it’s unforgiving.”

And Magee, is right in those characterizations. The brew weighs in with 10.1% ABV and 74 IBUs. Popular beer rating website Beer Advocate gives the brew an 89 out of 100 points. One reviewer on the site left comments referring to the beer as, “Barleywine-like strength with well-kilned grains and citrus hops.” Another said, “Interesting. Both the hops and toasted malt appear upfront, then the bitterness hits on the finish.”

But, drinker beware, a few pints of this brew could lead to a few of your own stories. Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale is available until supplies are exhausted at European Street.