Like coffee? Like beer? Yeah, so do we. Four year running now, the Great Coffee Beer Taste Test is back again! This year our competitors are: Two Henry’s, 81Bay, DuClaw, Lexington, Weyerbacher and Founders. Grab some donuts, sugar & milk… because it’s time to get wired!
When the “Bossman” speaks, you listen. Or at least that’s what we did when we got the bearded legend himself, Daniel Lannigan, on the air with us while drinking an array of his fine hoppy craft ales. And after tasting their complete product line, it’s not hard to see why they dominated our NIPA challenge. Keep dropping the “BoomSauce” on us, Daniel! We’re all about it!
Drinking the beers from Infusion with the head brewer himself, Jim Bishop. We sample all of their flavors and discuss them at their spot in Trinity, FL… soon to be know as “Brew Port Richey.”
Somewhat hidden and unassuming from the outside, this local brewing hole packs a punch with flavor. And it even has that “awe shucks” kinda history — Two friends home brew and hang out by the pool. Next thing you know they have a business and are making name for themselves in what is quickly becoming “Brew Port Richey.”
Like hops? Yeah we knew that, but do you know hops are being grown in Florida and will soon be available for purchase to be used in your home brew?? Yeah, we see you smiling.
It’s summer in Florida, which means it’s officially hot as balls… minus the brew. We put our heads together and conjured up a scheme to beat the heat with ice cream… while still drinking beer. Just imagine if we used our powers for good instead of evil?
It’s been months since we last caught up with Robb and sampled some of his delicious brew. Time to remedy that and get the lowdown on the happenings at Grindhaus from the man himself.
It’s virtually impossible to be a Bay Area craft beer fan/enthusiast/drunkard and not know who Bob Sylvester is. In this segment we drink da funk out of Tarpon Springs and get the story behind each selection. Named after all family members (including their 3-legged cat) and even including a touch of their own likes, Bob knows how to make a Belgian malt and wheat, whole noble hops and open fermentation ales. He brews simply and authentically, the way beer was brewed 100 years ago… green bottle extra credit too!
It’s virtually impossible to be a Bay Area craft beer fan/enthusiast/drunkard and not know who Bob Sylvester is. The purveyor of funk, Mr. Sylvester is to the Tampa craft beer scene what George Clinton is to music. Awful beer analogies aside, put simply, Mr. Sylvester is ready to put One Nation Under a Groove and we’re ready to join his Parliament. Saint Somewhere describes themselves as a brewery of traditional Belgian style ales using only the finest ingredients available. To everyone else, they’re farmhouse saisons done right. Testify!
Starting this Saturday, thousands of craft beer enthusiasts will be back on the Tampa Bay Ale Trail (TBAT), as the second season of the popular passport program kicks off. Launched in the spring of 2017, the Tampa Bay Ale Trail is an independently owned and operated, Tampa based small business that encourages locals and visitors alike to visit our region’s craft breweries and enjoy their great beer. This year nearly 70 breweries from Sarasota to Brooksville and east to Lakeland joined the Trail, making it one of the largest ale trails in the country. In its first year the program attracted more than 2,000 “hikers”, as the program has fondly dubbed it’s eager and passionate participants, of which more than 100 visited all 47 locations and a staggering 500 visited at least 7.
Unlike similar marketing programs, TBAT’s business model encourages repeat business to the breweries as well as incentivizing hikers to visit as many unique locations as possible. “While brainstorming how the Tampa Bay Ale Trail would work, it was paramount that the program provides real, sustainable benefit to the breweries, not just one-time visits,” stated Mike Dyer, founder of the Tampa Bay Ale Trail. “Coupon books certainly bring people in, but often just to claim a single offer and then depart forever. I wanted to develop a program that encouraged loyalty and motivated people to visit new places that they wouldn’t otherwise.”
With a Tampa Bay Ale Trail Passport, hikers earn BOGO pints from repeat visits to participating breweries, plus fun and practical incentives such as pint glasses, bottle-opener sunglasses, and stainless steel growlers, distributed at monthly events. “Instead of blindly mailing earned incentives to our hikers, we host monthly Trailhead Meetups at a participating brewery. Here hikers can claim their goods, meet fellow craft beer enthusiasts, and of course drink great beer,” added Dyer. “Craft beer and community go hand-in-hand, and I hope that the Tampa Bay Ale Trail helps foster that in some small fashion.”
The new Season 2 passports will be distributed to hikers starting this Friday, and are limited to just 2,000 copies, of which more than half have already been sold. In the coming weeks, select breweries throughout the region will have passports for sale in the taprooms, $25.00 each, of which the brewery retains $10.00 of every sale.
“Last year we had our first person, Kurt Brust, visit all 47 breweries within a month. He’s assured me he can repeat his performance this year even with 70 locations to visit. Now that’s dedication to local craft beer,” concluded Dyer.
For additional information about the Tampa Bay Ale Trail visit www.tampabayaletrail.com or connect with us via Facebook.
Media Inquiries: Mike Dyer, Mike@tampabayaletrail.com or 617.314.5030
