I
had a chance to go to FL for a conference, and my folks offered to watch the
kids so that the kids could go with me.
So we added a few days over Memorial Day weekend to check out the Tampa
area, a place that had famous beer stops as well as some new up-and-coming
destinations. So we had an easy direct
flight from Albany, picked up the rental car (a short lived VW Bug, more on
that later), and headed up to Dunedin for lunch at the Dunedin Brewpub (http://www.dunedinbrewery.com/).
Dunedin
Brewpub has a solid selection of brews, a cool beachcomber vibe, and great
food. Jenn got the fish tacos (a trend
that was to last all week) with a Hemp & Orange Wit, while I had nachos
with smoked chicken and their 79 Shilling on cask, brewed with vanilla. It was really hot, so we enjoyed the AC (they
do AC really well in the South) and several glasses of water before we headed
out to explore around town. My buddy Jeff
had suggested to stop by 7venth Sun Brewing (http://www.7venthsun.com/), a little stop with
some fantastic beers. The folks were
cool and informative, talking about other new pubs in the area. They are known for their Time Bomb Session
IPA, a full-flavored, easy drinking IPA that was 4.5% ABV and brewed with Citra
and Nelson hops. Jenn liked their
Graffiti Orange Creamsicle Wheat, but my favorite was their Or It Gets the Gose
Again, a Cucumber Gose that was perfect on this hot day. It had a huge nose of cucumber, but almost
none on the tongue. Awesome!
We
drove out to Clearwater Beach, seemingly with everyone else in the area. The traffic was terrible, and instead of
fighting to find a spot here we went just a bit south to Sand Key Park. It was beautiful, but real hot, so I changed
into my bathing suit and hopped in to the Gulf.
While it was great to get wet, it still was steaming. When we got back on the road, the car must have
developed an oil leak because the oil light was on solid. The car rental company had us drive the car
15 miles to the airport to trade it in.
We made it (barely), but we were now out of whack. Luckily for me we had passed by RateBeer’s
best beer restaurant in FL for 2013, Cajun Café on the Bayou (http://cajuncafeonthebayou.com/). This place was on a creek, reportedly full of
turtles and gators, and had great Creole and Cajun cuisine. They also prided themselves for great local
beer, and we were both thirsty. So Jenn
got her Creamsicle beer again (she really did like that one), while I tried a
collaboration with Green Bench and 7venth Sun called Second Stage, a
deliciously sour Berliner Weisse that was 2.8% ABV. I loved the selection of fruit beers and
sours that were available since they we brimming with flavor, low alcohol, and
perfect for thirst quenching on hot days (did I say it was hot?).
I
chose a Mexican restaurant in Gulfport for dinner, Peg’s Cantina (http://www.pegscantina.com/), and we had
reservations to sit outside in the garden.
The place brews their own beer, and I felt right at home after ordering
a sampler to go with our chips and dips (salsa, guac, and creamy chipotle) and
my Mahi tacos. To keep with today’s
theme, I loved their Codename Shakefield Berliner Weisse, although their
Derailleur Imperial IPA was damn good too.
For Jenn, she got the sangria (awesome!) to go with her Yardbird burrito,
essentially a chicken BLT in a wrap. We
were glad we had reservations because the place got packed. We were enjoying the evening so much, we
didn’t even take pity on those waiting for a table. I got the key lime pie (what else in FL)
while Jenn went for the brownie ala mode.
It was the perfect ending for the day, but we needed to get to bed to
get ready for the next day.
I
had gotten Jenn to the Sox vs. Rays game the next day, and we had high hopes
for the day. The Rays ballpark is cool,
with an outdoor pool for some Devil Rays (I always like the old name best). The people were friendly and the food was
good. Unfortunately the Red Sox lost their 10th game in a row,
losing 8-5 and having several players ejected from a shoving match. Jenn had enough at that point, so we walked
back to the hotel, stopping at Green Bench (http://greenbenchbrewing.com/), Cycle Brewing, and
the World of Beer on the way back. Green
Bench specialized in saisons and IPAs, and both were available in different
varieties. They also offered other folks
beers, the most notable was Rapp’s Bacon Smoked Berliner (sour bacon?) that
raised a few eyebrows.
Jenn
let me pick our dinner stop, so we headed north to Cigar City Brewpub (http://cigarcitybrewpub.com/) to sample their
beers and enjoy the food. They are
affiliated with the brewery, but brew their own beers (sort of like Portsmouth
and Smuttynose). My favorite was the Gin
and Juice, a beer brewed with juniper berries, but they were all top
notch. Jenn enjoyed her swordfish tacos
while I got the Ropa Vieja, a Caribbean flank steak that was so tender it makes
my moth water just thinking about it. I
even got a bottle of their Alexander and the Grapes to go, an Imperial IPA
brewed with Muscat grapes. Although the
Red Sox let us down today, it was still a lot of fun.
The
next day we packed up to head over to Orlando, but I had one more essential
stop to make: Cigar City Brewing (http://cigarcitybrewing.com/). Cigar City is one of the premier breweries in
the country, and their range of brews is astounding. Their taproom is topnotch, offering about 15
different drafts and bottles to go.
Although I love their fruit beers and their barrel aged projects, my
favorite today was their Puppy’s Breath Porter, a bold interpretation of the
style. They also offered some cans from
the Brew Bus, a group that brew their own and offer tours of FL breweries. It was a great stop, but our adventure needed
to continue, so we thanked the staff and got on the road east.
So
ended the vacation part of our FL excursion.
I love the Tampa coast, and besides our car mishap and the Red Sox
choking, it was a great trip. I’d love
to come back someday. – 15834
“From man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world.” – Saint Arnoldus
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