South Florida Local Love!

Have you been to Tucker Duke's Lunchbox in Deerfield Beach? If you enjoy enormous burgers, decadent Southern comfort food, and great craft beer (big local choices), then I advise you go ASAP! 

I'm a beer blogger, but, macaroni and cheese has a special place in my heart, so it made the cut for the blog. I had the Jalapeño Bacon Mac and Cheese. It's rich, comforting and hit the spot after an afternoon of taking my kids to SkyZone (Cool moms jump, so I was starving). I'm a fan of spicy and hot; this isn't that hot - so you don't have to worry if you're not a spicy fan. 

I paired it Wynwood Brewing's La Rubia Blond Ale. La Rubia (Blonde in Spanish), is the lightest beer from Wynwood Brewing, but it's full on flavor! I normally don't seek out "Blonde Ales", but give me Wynwood's and I'll take it anytime! It's refreshing, full flavored, complex with hints of sweetness, fruit, and a rich mouth feel. 

Speaking of a Wynwood Brewing (Miami's first craft production brewery), Happy First Anniversary! I first met the family behind Wynwood Brewing last year, before they opened. I crossed paths, and got to know the owner, family, brewer, and different staff members, via various beer events. Everyone from Wynwood Brewing has always been so kind, welcoming, and fun to be around! So when the opportunity arose to volunteer at their 1st Year Anniversary Block Party, (which included their first ever bottle release) - I signed up right away! 

I took the early shift, from 11am - 3pm, helping out with ticket distribution. 

Wristbands for days.. But they went in hours!

Congrats on the first bottle!!!! You know I got mine!

Our tent also had the bottle sales at 2pm for Wynwood Brewing's El Infante, a barrel aged Wheat Wine, that's been aging for 7 months in French Oak Petite Sirah barrels. It's part of their Shipwreck Series. Without looking at my watch, I could tell when 2pm hit. The line instantly grew down the block! I'm really looking forward to tasting El Infante, after it ages a bit more, and I'm really excited for their future bottle releases!

Irish Breakfast Imperial Stout, on top of the tap list

While I was there, you know beer sampling was involved! I had the Irish Breakfast Imperial Stout, with coffee, vanilla and whiskey. This was amazing. It was so smooth, with hints of everything I mentioned, prominently featured. 

The Gallagher! Watermelon Wheat Ale

I also had The Gallagher! Watermelon Wheat Ale. Their Beat the Meat, American Pale Wheat Ale is the foundation, and smashed watermelon is used during second fermentation stages. And get it, Gallagher the comedian smashed watermelon??? I love that there's thoughtfulness into the names as well. And, the beer was great! Thirst quenching, wheat presence, with watermelon notes; I could sip this poolside all afternoon! It hit the spot after hours of passing out tickets to fellow Wynwood Brewing enthusiasts!

I sample beers from all over - my palate does not discriminate based on geography. However, Cigar City Jai Alai (Tampa) is one of the best IPAs I've tried. It's highly sought out for trades, and is a great IPA. I love the sticky caramelness it has, and enjoy looking for the freshest dates on the bottom of the can. 

Cigar City's Invasion Pale Ale reminds me of a maltier, toned down hops version of Jai Alai. This is a fantastic choice for the beach, pool, boat - as well as Jai Alai, or any cans of good craft beer! 

Another great can I've sampled lately is Due South's Caramel Cream Ale. It's creamy, with equal hints of vanilla and caramel, without being overly sweet, and a tad bit earthy with some malty flavor. Due South Brewing, (Boynton Beach) gets it right with every beer I've tried. They're another core brewery of South Florida, that is contributing to the solid reputation of the South Florida craft beer scene. 

I love my local breweries! Until next time, cheers! 

Summer Madness!

School's out. Traffic is (slightly) better. I'm not nagging my kids over homework each night, and the NBA playoffs were on. What's this mean? It's SUMMER! This also translates to basically showing up to work each day, making sure children are fed, and doing whatever I want in between! Lucky guess, beer is involved. Here are a few recent dabbles, into my craft beer world:

Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale

This is one of my top ten favorites. It's a brown ale coming in at 5.5%, with hints of toffee, tobacco and caramel. It comes in cans, at my local Publix. Not sure which is more exciting: checking the dates on the bottom of the can, or tasting "that batch" to see if the tobacco is more prominent, or if the toffee is stealing the spotlight. It seems to vary, and each variation is delicious to me. This is one of my favorite local brews by far. 



I would not have left early, my Heat



Oskar Blues Deviant Dales IPA
16 ounce tallboy can. Pine, hops, citrus and a beautiful copper hue. This is a fabulous, big-bodied IPA. I've never had an Oskar Blues I didn't like: Old Chub Scotch Ale, Ten Fidy Stout, Pale Ale; I love them all! They're one of my favorite breweries. I savored this while watching the Heat playoffs. That's all I've got to say about that. 

Bison Brewing Organic Chocolate Stout

Pure chocolate, shining through roasted freshness. Organic to boot. This is one of my regular bottles, that make it into the "Make your own 6-pack" at Total Wine. Anyone that loves chocolate, and stout, should try this one. 

 

 

Stone Enjoy By 07.04.14 Double IPA

I love bold beers. Whether it's a red, brown, stout, pale ale or IPA, if it's bold, I'll probably enjoy it. That is exactly what I did with Stone's Enjoy By 07.04.14. First of all, it was the last one Total Wine had. Actually, it was the display bottle. I was so happy I got it. Even the cashier said "Oooo... you're lucky". She's smart. This brew is so fresh, as if it was just made yesterday. With 11 types of hops, and 9.4% ABV, as all Stone beers: it's not for wussies. Just saying. I didn't even want to finish drinking it. It's that good. Stone is my favorite brewery, and has never disappointed me. 

 
Due South Brewing UXO

This American Imperial Red Ale, was created as a tribute to (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) EOD technicians that have served in the military. Mike Halker, Founder and Head Brewer at Due South (Boynton Beach), is a former EOD tech. I'm a military brat, so I have a special place in my heart for anything military. It's what I grew up with. This brew has a 8% ABV, a malty foundation, citrus tones, and a barleywine-esque feel, and it got even better as it warms. A portion of the proceeds get donated to the EOD Warrior Foundation, a group that helps active duty and veteran wounded, injured, or ill EOD Techs and their families, as well as offers assistance to families of wounded and fallen EOD soldiers. Even better. 

 
Until next time, cheers, and happy summer!

Road Trippin' to Palm Beach and Broward Breweries!

After 8 months of integrating studying, into my world of intense project workloads, raising children, and day to day life: I passed the PMP Exam June 2nd! This warranted a trip to the cellar, for a 2013 Bourbon County Brand Stout, and my autographed-by-Stone-CEO-Greg Koch w00tStout! This was a huge personal accomplishment, and these special beers fit the bill perfectly!

To help ease the pre-exam jitters, I hit the road to enjoy some local South Florida breweries. 

Stop #1 - Due South Brewing, Boynton Beach

I took the 2PM VIP tour, that comes with samples, Q&A and a pint glass for only $10! Mike, the Operations Manager was knowledgeable, courteous and passionate about his craft (no pun intended)!

The Beers:

-Caramel Cream Ale - a favorite. Creamy, malty, with the perfect balance of caramel notes. 

-Category 3 IPA - Great IPA! Smooth and crisp. Citrusy, yet not too sweet. 

-Cafe Ole Espresso Porter - Hola, te amo mucho! 
This is my other favorite Due South staple! I enjoy the roastiness and superb espresso, brewed in this beauty of a beer!

-Mexican Standoff - Hora le.. (I used to love in Cali, what can I say?) This one was very spicy, but not too much that you can't taste the cocoa, vanilla and cinnamon notes. I enjoyed this, but would need to share. I can't hang with a full glass. 



Bourbon Barrel Mariana Trench posing in a glass

Drumroll... My new favorite from Due South Brewing, is... Bourbon Barrel Mariana Trench Imperial Stout! Layer, upon layer of lusciousness. Thank you for the people who didn't pick up their bottles, because I got one to bring home. Their loss, was my gain!

The atmosphere and staff at Due South was warm and inviting, and you can feel the camaraderie of the staff, along with a family feel. I can't wait to go back! Awesome place!

Stop #2 - Saltwater Brewery, Delray Beach


Let me start by saying, I love the building, and decor! It's beautifully decorated with handsome woodworking, and subtle beachy shore touches throughout. The common theme of beers all named accordingly, makes it very interesting. I love the ocean and the beach, so I was really excited about a place that combines two of my passions.


Selfie at Saltwater, since the chandelier and wood is so cool

Flights included the following:

-Chocolate Mayday Imperial Porter

-Watch This Belgian Barley Wine

-Stinger Double IPA

-Bonafied Blonde Belgian Blonde

-Mola Mola Imperial Nut Blonde

-Raspberry Reef Pale Ale

-Bourbon Barrel Watch This

-The Black Current Strong Ale

The only ones I enjoyed, were the Raspberry Reef Pale Ale, and the Belgian Blonde. In full beer blogging disclosure, all of the darker beers reminded me of salt, or meat. Not sure if my palate was overflowing from the amazingness of Due South, but I would drink those two again, and am open to try new ones. 



Stop #3 - Funky Buddha, Oakland Park (1st Anniversary Party)
All of the beer geeks, snobs, nerds, brewers and hoarders were there for this special anniversary party! Initially, I wasn't planning to attend, since I was being low key, avoiding crowds and many, many beers, in preparation of my exam, but, it's Funky Buddha, and it's a party. How could I not? So off to Oakland Park it was! 
The beers:
-Funky Buddha Humble Braggot (Mead/beer hybrid) - Orange peels, raisins and honey oh my!

-Cigar City Double Barrel Hunahpu's Imperial Stout My first Hunahpu ever. I was a Huna virgin, and I get it. This shit is good. Apple brandy and rum barrels, cinnamon and vanilla beans, cacao nibs and chiles. This was a treat indeed, and I was thrilled when I was told some was left!

It was great running into a lot of my beer friends! I'm so glad I ended up there, and am heading back soon to drink from my snifter!

Burgers, Atlanta and Tap and Grinding with the Craft Brewjas!

It was a typically humid South Florida Sunday morning, when a caravan of beer geeks from Orlando's Tap & Grind, arrived at Funky Buddha in Oakland Park. Craft Brewjas' were there to greet them, and kick off the 1st Reverse Tap Takeover! Supporting local places is an important job, and we were happy to do it! After sippin' on some of the great brews like: a blood orange IPA, (think beer mimosa), and No Crusts (PB & J Porter), the crew (without me unfortunately) trekked up to Due South Brewing in Boynton Beach, to take them over next! It was a great show of local support from Orlando's Tap & Grind, and South Florida's Craft Brewjas! I think we should hit the road to Orlando next!

Project Management doesn't stop, so off to Atlanta I went for an extremely quick, yet time-enough-for-a-craft-beer-outing trip! I was literally at the airport to come home, 24 hours after I landed. That's OK! Still time for exploring the craft beer scene! As soon as I knew I was going, I made dinner plans with one of my BFFs who lives there. Her being the sweet friend she is, picked out the perfect spot. Fabulous (she eats nowhere less), with an extensive craft beer selection, (because she knows I'm a beer nerd) and good food (cause a girls gotta eat)! Tap 1180 was the spot. Throw in another fab girlfriend, and ya got a Tuesday night downtown with the ladies. I am so excited to share that I finally tasted a Goose Island Matilda. It was superior and decadent, like Belgian velvet in a glass... No wonder Instagram goes crazy with trades on this. I get it. I couldn't be in a new town, without trying something local! So my next beer was a MNB Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale. I'm a sucka for scotch ales. They're one of my favorite styles. I give this one a B+. It doesn't top Claymore's, or Old Chub's Scotch Ale, but it was close, smooth and delicious. *Notable Hotlanta spot for my next trip: Sweetwater has it's very own pub at Delta's terminal. Yes please! I will be sure to fly Delta when I go back.

 
Breaking News!! West Broward has a new craft beer spot! They also have bomb ass burgers, and bomb ass mac' and cheese! Let's give a warm Pembroke Pines welcome to...Burger and Beer Joint! 

-Yes, it's the same one as in Miami Beach. 
-Yes, it's not all the way in Miami Beach, or east of 95! It's right here, in my hood.

Did I mention they have 59 taps? They have 59 taps. Pretty good stuff too! In my flights I sampled and sipped (since some I've already 'sampled'): Bells Kalamazoo Stout, Capital Hop Cream, Green Flash IPA, Bell's Two Hearted Ale, Lagunitas IPA and Florida Avenue's Lager and Blueberry. I'm normally not a big fruity beer chic, however, this one had bold flavors so I accept it. Throw in the cool pin-up/retro/red wall with album cover decor, and classic rock playing - you've got a new local place for the beer nerds of the west, and the visiting beer nerds from the north, south and east! I'll see ya there..