Happy Anniversary.

Though I often think of the first time we met, the good robots of Facebook Memories reminded me this morning of exactly when it was with the following post.

Ten years ago.

I had no idea we were going to meet that day, Jai Alai. My then-wife and my daughter – 5 years old at the time – decided to spend the weekend in Central Florida, and they had some shopping to do. We ended up at Waterford Lakes Town Center in East Orlando. While they perused shoe stores and clothing shops on a beautiful spring morning, I scouted out a place where we could have lunch.

Noticing a crew setting up something in an area of the expansive parking lot, I wandered over to ask a worker what was going on.

“We’re setting up a beer festival,” he said.

My interest was piqued. It was called the East Orlando Beer Festival. I found out the details and when it would start. I called my wife and told her where we would meet for lunch. Once she and my daughter arrived there, I had one question for her.

“How would y’all like to spend a few more hours here shopping?”

No arms were twisted.

Let’s back up in my life a little. We were living in Sarasota at the time, and though I had been “into” craft beer for a while, it was far from a big part of my life. I had visited a few breweries here and there and learned a bit about it, and leaned toward drinking it when it was available. Some of the guys at work were far geekier about it, and I learned a lot from them.

But my beverage of choice at the time was, I believe, Corona Light. With a twist of lime, of course.

So the idea of trying a variety of craft beers from around the country and a few from Florida certainly appealed to me. And that’s what I did that afternoon.

But back to you, Jai Alai.

That beer geeks on my team at my day job had mentioned the buzz they had been hearing about the new “Cigar City” brewery in Tampa. Being a Tampa native, the name appealed to me. I was looking forward to trying it out.

Little did I know that my chance would come that spring day a decade ago, for as I turned down a row, there was table bearing a Cigar City Brewing banner. I immediately made for it. Two dudes were behind the table serving samples of two beers: Maduro Brown Ale and, of course, Jai Alai.

I tried the Maduro first. Loved it. And oh, Jai Alai, how I wish I could say it was love at first sip. But it wasn’t. I wasn’t used to such bitterness and floral flavors and citrus and caramel all at once. Don’t get me wrong. I was intrigued. But not enamored.

As I wrote in a comment on that original post: “Many microbrews,2-3 ozs. at a time. Impressed w/ offerings from new cigar city brewery, esp. jai-alai IPA.”

It was more than your taste, though, Jai Alai. I loved your name, described on your can as so: “The merry game of jai alai provides inspiration.”

Though in my lifetime, I could count on one hand the times I visited the Tampa Jai Alai Fronton to watch the players whip that ball against the wall using the wicker cestas strapped to their arms, it was not so with my father. He went pretty much every Friday night, and when he hit a trifecta, he returned with a crisp $5 bill for each of us kids who were still living at home at the time.

Back to the beer.

Needless to say, my palate soon adjusted to the joy that is you, Jai Alai, and eventually I made it to that new brewery in Tampa. Before long, you were being bottled and I started finding you in the darndest places across the state.

Then in 2012 you made it into cans, and I made it a point to swing by the brewery to grab a sixer of that first run. I still have the (empty) cans on a shelf in my kitchen.

During this time, I started blogging and writing about craft beer, and sometimes found myself attending various festivals, conferences and events across the country. When someone asked where I was from, I told them “Florida.”

Usually their next words were, “Ah, Cigar City,” and often followed by “Jai Alai.”

Your reputation preceded you.

Over the years, for various reasons, your recipe was tweaked, but under the guidance of Cigar City Brewmaster Wayne Wambles, it would only be noticeable to the most refined of palates.

Your label changed, but it still paid homage to “the merry game” and your roots.

In 2016, I was honored to moderate a panel on “The Beer Industry in Tampa and Florida” at the Beer Now Conference in Tampa (then known as the Beer Bloggers and Writer Conference).

On that panel was Cigar City Brewing founder Joey Redner. At one point, someone asked him about expanding distribution throughout the country. His response, to paraphrase, would be that it’s difficult because first they would have to ensure that there would be representation not just in specialty beer stores and such, but also on supermarket shelves in order to make it worthwhile.

I then asked the audience – about 150 or so beer bloggers, writers, social media influencers and communicators from across the country and around the world – this question:

“If you could go to your local grocery store and buy Cigar City beer, would you?”

Everyone raised a hand.

Not long before that, Cigar City became part of a new partnership with Oskar Blues Brewing – a consortium with a few other breweries that became the Canarchy Craft Brewery Collective.

Soon, Cigar City’s offerings made their way to other states, led by you, Jai Alai. In October, it was announced that Jai Alai is “the third fastest growing top 50 craft brand in the U.S.” according to Brewbound.com.

You’re even in 12-packs!

I’m happy for your success, Jai Alai. But I hope you’ll always remember our first meeting, 10 years ago today.

I’ll never forget.

Love,

Gerard

P.S. Want to meet me outside on the patio?

P.P.S. Any of you have Jai Alai stories you want to share? You can add them in the comments.

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Robb Larson of Grindhaus Brew Lab. Image from “Sunshine State Suds,” produced by The FLORIDA Channel

Host Rebecca Baer talks to a variety of people in the state’s brewing community, from pioneer Michael N. Bryant of Dunedin Brewery to relative newcomers such as Robb Larson and Lisa Colburn of Grindhaus Brew Lab, as well as representatives from the University of Florida’s hop research lab and The University of South Florida-St. Petersburg Brewing Arts program.

Baer even allowed me to add my two cents to the conversation, interviewing me in the beer barrel-aging cellar at Marker 48 Brewing in Weeki Wachee. (BTW, if you want to get a close look at that cellar – and more – I guide behind-the-scenes tours there most Saturdays at 3, 4 and 5 p.m.).

You can view the show at this link, or check the schedules of your local PBS stations for when it might air there.

Down in the barrel room at Marker 48 Brewing.
Image from “Sunshine State Suds,” produced by The FLORIDA Channel

“Florida Crossroads” is an award-winning, half-hour documentary series that looks at the people, places, and events shaping Florida.

The series explores a wide variety of environmental, political and social issues from across the state.

Located in the state Capitol building, The FLORIDA Channel is a public affairs programming service funded by The Florida Legislature and produced and operated by WFSU-TV.

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Image by GateHouse Media Services

I have a craft beer podcast!

We’re a few episodes in, but I’m pretty excited about it.

Background: I try to keep my day job duties separate from my beer writing, but those pesky upper-level editors at The Gainesville Sun – where I’m a lower-level editor on the news desk – found out about my side gig and asked if I would be willing to talk about craft beer as one of a new group of podcasts being launched through the gainesville.com website.

And those of you who know me are well aware that I need little excuse to ramble on and on about my passion for the craft brewing community.

Thus was born Gator Growlers

The goal is to keep these short – max of 30 minutes – and to concentrate on the community, not necessarily the liquid itself. There are plenty of other podcasts, blogs and vlogs to fill that need – plus, they won’t let me drink in the studio during working hours. Instead, the content aims to enlighten, educate and hopefully amuse the middle ground between the craft beer newbie and the hard-core beer geek.

Though broadcast from the Gainesville Sun newsroom, the podcast will not necessarily be Gainesville-centric. The content will radiate from the North Florida city to cover all of the craft beer community in Florida and elsewhere.

The first Gator Growlers podcast featured guest host Nathan Crabbe, the Sun’s opinion editor and a bit of a craft beer aficionado himself, who interviewed me so new listeners could get an idea of my background and what to expect from the podcast.

The second was just me, explaining a bit about the definitions of craft beer and craft breweries, so listeners – if there will be any – will know what I mean when the term comes up in conversations.

Now that the baselines have been established, future episodes will feature interviews with local and national craft beer personalities and delve into diverse subjects related to the world of craft beer and brewing.

You can find the first podcast here and the second one here, and subscribe to it on stitcher.com or iTunes, though it will become available on other podcast hosting platforms in the near future as well.

The podcasts will be recorded every other week, usually Thursdays, at first though when we get rolling, we might bump that up to weekly.

Any questions, comments or critiques can be sent to gatorgrowlers@gmail.com or put on the comment thread when the episodes are posted to The Gainesville Sun Facebook page.

I’m very excited about this opportunity.

Cheers!

Gerard

FLORIDA BREWERY MAP AND LIST

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The contest is now over. Please check your email if you entered.

It’s been awhile since Beer in Florida has done a giveaway, so let’s do one, especially since it has a bit of a St. Patrick’s Day theme.

Late last year and earlier this year, seven breweries across the country released special beers in conjunction with Jameson Irish Whiskey as part of the distiller’s Drinking Buddies program. These breweries aged beer in Jameson barrels, and one of them was Downtown St. Petersburg’s own Cycle Brewing, with is Buddy Shots brew.

In addition, Jameson aged some of their whiskey in stout beer barrels from a local craft brewery back home in Ireland and released those spirits under the Caskmates brand.

The good folks at Jameson sent me samples of each — as well as some swag that I’ll be giving away to some Beer in Florida fans. (NOTE: YOU MUST COMMENT ON THIS POST, NOT ON FACEBOOK, OK?) Read on to find out the rules, but first, here’s the info from Jameson regarding the program.

JAMESON® IRISH WHISKEY PARTNERS WITH SEVEN AMERICAN BREWERIES IN A CELEBRATION OF CRAFT & COLLABORATION, TO FORM JAMESON CASKMATES® DRINKING BUDDIES®

Seven Hand-Selected Craft Breweries Across the U.S. Create Limited Edition Beers Aged In Jameson Whiskey Barrels

NEW YORK, NY — Recognizing those with a shared passion for quality and craft, Jameson Irish Whiskey continues its craft brewery partnerships with Jameson Caskmates Drinking Buddies. A collaboration with seven American craft brewers, Jameson Caskmates Drinking Buddies is the result of bringing like-minded individuals together with a common bond of creating superior quality beer and whiskey.

Returning breweries include Angel City Brewery in Los Angeles, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company in New York, Deep Ellum Brewing Company in Dallas, and Great Divide Brewing Company in Denver. Rounding out the final three collaborating breweries are Stoup Brewing in Seattle, Cycle Brewing in St. Petersburg, and Fat Head’s Brewing in Cleveland.

Inspired by the creation and end result of Jameson Caskmates, a one-of-a-kind whiskey born out of conversation and collaboration with local Irish craft brewery Franciscan Well, Jameson took a similar approach and worked with the seven local breweries by giving them Jameson barrels to age their craft beer for a select period of time. The end result? Limited edition beers featuring hints of Jameson Irish Whiskey incorporated with their already distinct craft beer flavors.

The Jameson family motto, Sine Metu, means without fear, and the Jameson Caskmates Drinking Buddies program celebrates the fearlessness of each brewer as they continue to pursue their passions. The same spirit and tradition of the family motto lives on through the creation and partnership with the seven local breweries.

“Jameson Irish Whiskey has always taken pride in celebrating those who share the same passion and focus when it comes to their craft,” said Sona Bajaria, Vice President, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Pernod Ricard USA. “Jameson Caskmates Drinking Buddies allows us to put the spotlight on these local craft brewers who ultimately embody the same spirit as our motto, Sine Metu.”

Each Jameson inspired craft beer will be available in their respective market for a limited time only.

Here are the breweries and the beer each released.

Cycle Brewing

Buddy Shots

• Color – Dark amber to almost purple in color.
• Aroma –  All malt, all day.
• Flavor – Brewed with 6 different caramel malts and just a little bit of chocolate to showcase the finer, sweeter side of the beer and the whiskey.
• ABV – 11% ABV

Angel City Brewery

ACB Imperial Irish Red Ale

• Color – A rich mahogany-hued ale.
• Aroma – Huge ripe fig and toffee notes dominate the aroma, leading into flavors of light vanilla, molasses, black cherries and a distinct peppery finish.
• Flavor – Conditioned for 5 months in Jameson Irish Whiskey barrels, this beer has an indulgent yet subtle sweetness, full body, and warming linger.
• ABV – 16% ABV

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company

• Trans-Atlantic Imperial Red
• Color – Deep auburn color with red highlights.
• Aroma – Rich and malty aroma with hints of chocolate and citrus fruit.
• Flavor – Deep and rich as the sea, the Trans-Atlantic Red’s natural taste combined with Jameson Irish Whiskey barrels gives this beer a deliciously complex flavor profile. Malt backbone, chocolate and coffee flavors highlighted by vanilla.
•  ABV – 7% ABV

Deep Ellum Brewing Company

The Fascinating Bellman

• Color – The experience is a custom crafted light smoke, wood aged, deep brown ale with ruby highlights.
• Aroma – The aroma of bittersweet bakers chocolate and warm vanilla welcome a complex flavor of toasted chestnut. The smoke character shows a history not to be forgotten that fades then returns as the glass warms.
• Flavor – Oak Smoked Imperial Irish brown ale aged in Jameson Whiskey barrels. We select fresh hops and smoke a portion of malt with Texas post oak. The resulting ale is fit for members only.
• ABV – 7.8% ABV

Great Divide Brewing Company

The Smoothness

• Color – Dark coloring.
• Aroma – Whiskey notes, chocolate, oak and leather aroma.
• Flavor – You don’t know smooth until you experience the velvety, silky feeling and dark lager taste of The Smoothness. Roasted malt, vanilla and oak flavors.
• ABV – 8.5% ABV

Stoup Brewing

Dublin Down Imperial Red Ale

• Color – Chestnut color with golden highlights.
• Aroma – Rich and bold with notes of vanilla and toffee.
• Flavor – A rich, malty red ale with notes of caramel and toasted bread. The time in Jameson Irish Whiskey barrels adds a depth of richness to the beer and added structure, bringing happiness to the palate and warmth to the belly after each satisfying sip.
• The subtle grainy sweetness of Irish malt is balanced by a strong addition of bittering hops and warming alcohol.
• ABV – 10% ABV

Fat Heads Brewing

Strange Trip Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

• Color – Aging in Jameson Irish Whiskey barrels for 6 months has pulled a subtle touch of cocoa beans, Marzipan and charred oak.
• Aroma – Inspired by flavors from an Irish Coffee.
• Flavor – A heady brew, hopped with Perle, Centennial and Simcoe. The heavily roasted creamy flavor comes from the combination of flaked barley and chocolate malts.
• ABV –  9.4% ABV

And as far as the Jameson Caskmates Whiskey:

Two heads are said to be better than one, and this whiskey adds serious weight to that argument. Emerging from a conversation between our head distiller and the head brewer of Cork’s Franciscan Well Brewery, Jameson Caskmates has been finished in stout-seasoned whiskey casks. While our triple-distilled smoothness is very much intact, notes of cocoa, coffee and butterscotch confirm the stout influence.

Caskmates is a head-turning, modern Irish whiskey.

• Nose: crisp orchard fruits like green apples and pears, mild pot still spices
• Taste: Subtle touch of hops and cocoa beans, Marzipan and charred oak
• Finish: Long and sweet with Milk Chocolate and Butterscotch

Unfortunately, the Cycle bottles for sale at the taproom are long gone, according to the brewery, though there may be a keg or two tucked away in local craft beer bars. The Caskmates whiskey is still available in liquor stores around the area.

WHAT ABOUT THE GIVEAWAY?

What I have to give away is this:

Two T-shirts, one Extra Large and one Medium (Note: The sizes seem to run small, especially for a XXL dude like me).  The T-shirts have the Jameson logo on front, and the logos of the seven breweries in the program on the back.

Two Jameson Whiskey tote bags. They are bags to tote things in.

If you wish to enter, here are the rules.

• Leave a comment on the post here (NOT ON FACEBOOK). Your email is required, but don’t worry: it won’t be shared or used in any other nefarious way. And I’ll have to contact you if you win.
• Say in the comment which size T-shirt you would want, or if you would like to win a tote bag.

I’ll run this through Tuesday, March 21, at 6 p.m., at which time I’ll use the Random.org service to choose a winner. The winner will be notified by email and have 24 hours to respond with a shipping address. If I don’t hear back by then, another winner will be chosen.

As I mentioned above, Jameson Irish Whiskey provided this swag through its marketing arm, but the company has no involvement in this giveaway.

Slainte!

Gerard

FLORIDA BREWERY MAP & LIST

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The growth of the small brewery industry continues to proceed at a dizzying pace. The Brewers Association announced at the end of November that the number of breweries in the United States passed the 5,000 mark, with 99 percent of those being small and independent breweries.

More than 2,000 are in planning.

But what about in Florida? As regular readers of this blog know, I’ve maintained a Florida Brewery Map and List here since 2012, and just completed a major update of it.

As of January 24, 2017. there are 215 216 217 218 operating breweries in the Sunshine State, with 38 37 on their way to opening. (EDIT: Yes, the number keeps changing as I tweak the list/map based on feedback)

Two hundred and fifteen sixteen seventeen eighteen.

Yep, we’ve cracked the 200-brewery mark, and then some.

Though I updated the list and map periodically, this is the first major update since July 2016, when there were 184 operating breweries and 37 on the horizon.

Inevitably, a few have closed along the way, but openings still outnumber those by a large margin.

Could we hit 300 breweries by the end of 2017? It would not be a surprise if we did.

Here are the criteria I use for a brewery to be included on the map:

• The brewery or brewpub must produce beer on its premises. This means you will not find companies such as The Abbey Brewing Co. in Miami Beach, which contracts its beer at other breweries.
• Size doesn’t matter. Whether a brewery makes tens of thousands of barrels per year, or one a week, as long as it can sell and serve to customers, whether on premise or strictly through distribution, it counts.
• It includes two brewpubs – Karibrew in Fernandina Beach and Marco Island Brewery – whose brewing processes are completed on site but started elsewhere.
• In the case of a brewery like Barley Mow Brewing Company in Largo, there is the original brewery/taproom and another location that is production only, without a tasting room, though they have recently opened The Raven brewpub, which will have on-premise brewing in the future. All three locations are listed, with a note that The Raven has not started brewing on premise.
• It does not include BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse locations, which does not brew at any of its restaurants. The chain is one of the brewing partners at BrewHub, the operation in Lakeland that offers brewing and marketing services for other breweries, and contracts at some out-of-state breweries as well. (BrewHub is on the map.)
• Cideries and meaderies are not included, though I might create a separate section for them in the future.

To be included, a brewery or brewpub must have a physical address – it would be hard to map it otherwise – and if not yet open, it needs to have made solid steps such as ordering or installing equipment, or starting the regulatory process. A website or Facebook page is ideal, though not required. Most have them and are linked. Be sure to check that link before you visit for any details, such as operating hours or special events.

Other maps and lists out there are based on different criteria. The Florida Brewers Guild lists those breweries and brewpubs that are members. Others list breweries that haven’t made any steps toward opening other than filing as a business entity, sometimes years ago, with no progress since. There are some fine sites out there with maps of limited local areas, and I appreciate their creators allowing me to use them to research.

This map is a labor of love for me because I am passionate about my home state and its craft beer community. Friends and fans of this site offer invaluable help in tracking down some of these, and I am extremely grateful. I feel it is the most accurate listing of its type out there, but it has become a LOT of work because of the research involved.

I do get a little financial help via sponsorships, but if you feel it is of value to you, I would not object if you were to drop a little change to help using the “Donate” button on the right column of this page.

Speaking of sponsors, huge thanks go out to  Florida Fun Shuttle, Ye Olde Brothers Brewery,  Marker 48 Brewing, Tampa Bay Brewing Company, JDub’s Brewing Company, Coppertail Brewing Company, Dahlia’s Pour House, and St. Pete Brewing Company.

Any brewery or related business interested in becoming a sponsor can drop a line to gerard@beerinflorida.com, and I’ll send the details.

As always, I appreciate any feedback if I missed a brewery, have one listed as open that has closed – or vice versa – or made any other errors. Send me an email or leave a comment below.

Cheers!

Gerard

FLORIDA BREWERY MAP AND LIST

Florida Brewery Map & List

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Crudely done and unofficial photo illustration by Gerard Walen

Tucked in the midst of a long list of provisions to a transportation bill passed by the Florida Legislature is an add-on that should prove to be a real boon to local craft breweries.

The list attached to CS/CS/HB 7061 — Transportation includes this line:

Requires the FDOT to install directional signs for certain breweries on the rights-of-way of interstate highways and primary and secondary roads, subject to certain requirements and requires a brewery that requests a directional sign to pay certain costs.

That’s right, soon local breweries will be able to erect those blue (or maybe green or brown) signs, currently available to local wineries, on roadways to direct craft beer tourists to their taprooms.

Here’s a more complete explanation from the 2016 Florida statutes:

563.13 Florida brewery directional signs; fees.—Upon the request of a brewery licensed under s. 561.221(2) or (3) which produces a minimum of 2,500 barrels per year on the premises, is open to the public at least 30 hours per week, and is available for tours, the Department of Transportation shall install directional signs for the brewery on the rights-of-way of interstate highways and primary and secondary roads in accordance with Florida’s Highway Guide Sign Program as provided in chapter 14-51, Florida Administrative Code. A brewery licensed in this state which requests placement of a directional sign through the department’s permit process shall pay all associated costs.

The statute remains in the final stages of completion, so a few details still need to be worked out.

“We’re waiting to hear back about what ‘available for tours’ means,”  said Kent Bailey, Florida Brewers Guild president and founder/owner of Tampa’s Coppertail Brewing Co. “Would one tour a month qualify?  Or do you have to do multiple tours per day?  We’re not sure.”

Another detail that remains to be worked out is the cost for breweries to have the signs installed, said Josh Aubuchon, who as the FBG general counsel is the point man for the guild’s interaction with the Legislature.

“The estimate was about $250 per sign,” he said,  “and the road signs can be placed on the rights-of-way of interstate highways and primary and secondary roads.”

That estimate is in line with the current cost of the signs for a certified Florida Farm Winery, in addition to an “annual permit fee (that) shall not exceed $50.”

“Each of the seven districts of DOT will handle the signs in their local area,” Aubuchon said.  “The timetable for placement will vary based upon the area – I would imagine the Tampa area will be crowded – and the number of signs requested.”

The official applications from the state remain to be created, but Aubuchon said he’ll have some forms  “to get the ball rolling instead of needing to wait for the final forms”

“Once we get those, I imagine there are quite a few breweries that are going to be clamoring to get their applications in.”

Any brewery owners interested in filling out an initial application or seeking more information should contact Aubuchon at Joshua.Aubuchon@hklaw.com.

I’ll share any developments as they become available.

Florida Brewery Map & List

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Florida breweries have had a slew of awards and recognition in just the past few days, and the timing couldn’t have been better because the 2016 Beer Bloggers & Writers Conference was in town.

First the big one. In the recently concluded 2016 U.S. Open Beer Championship, Florida-based breweries took home a whopping 27 medals across 93 style categories. Based on the number of medals won, Tampa’s Cigar City Brewing was No. 3 in the Top 10 Breweries list, with Brew Bus Brewing, also of Tampa, not far behind at sixth.

You can see the complete list here.

Meanwhile, the uber-popular SeriousEats.com website recently concluded its Great American Beer Brawl 2016, in which readers could vote on what they felt was America’s greatest beer city. And guess who came out on top? That’s right, Tampa.

And not by just a few percentage points, but by a LOT. Final results: Tampa, 24.1%, followed by Portland, 9.4%; Denver, 7.9% and San Diego by 7.5%. Of course, the organizers were a bit skeptical that there may have been some manipulation involved. They posted this:

Surprising all of us, but certainly none of the Tampa residents who ​surely did not vote more than once or ​launch some sort of internet campaign to get all their friends to do likewise, it’s Tampa in a landslide!

I deny any knowledge.

You can see the final results here.

Finally, but probably not finally because I likely forgot something, Southern Living Magazine listed Cigar City Brewing among the “South’s Best Breweries.” I can’t argue with that.

EDIT: As suspected, I had left out another honor for Florida’s craft beer community. Draft Magazine released its annual list of America’s Best Beer Bars, and in the Southern Region, three Florida pubs made the cut: Kickbacks Gastropub/Goozlepipe & Guttyworks in Jacksonville; Mr. Beerys in Sarasota; and Orlando’s Redlight Redlight.

#BBC16

From left, panelists Eric Criss of the Beer Industry of Florida; Joey Redner, founder of Cigar City Brewing, and Mark DeNote of FloridaBeerNews.com. On the far right is yours truly, Gerard Walen, moderator of
“The Beer Industry in Tampa and Florida” discussion on the first day of the 2016 Beer Bloggers Conference. (Photo by Carol Dekkers).

Meanwhile, at the Marriott Tampa Waterside in downtown Tampa, about 150 or so beer bloggers, beer writers and beer industry folks were gathered together for the 2016 Beer Bloggers & Writers Conference, myself included.

Did we learn things? Yes! Did we drink lots of great beer? Yes! Did we learn about and explore the booming craft beer industry in the Tampa Bay area and Florida? Yes! Were some Pokemon captured? Yes! Did everyone’s liver survive? That remains to be seen.

The attendees have already started blogging and posting about the experience and the area. Rather than try to recount it all myself, I suggest that you search for the #BBC16 hashtag on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and look for links to the stories.

The word about our craft beer community will now be heralded far and wide. Breweries and taprooms should expect a bump in the number of visitors this tourist season.

Big props to all the sponsors, including Visit Tampa Bay, JJ Taylor Distributing Florida, CraftBeer.com, Visit St. Petersburg-Clearwater and many more. A special shoutout to the Marriott Tampa Waterside, which went above and beyond as hosts – and they really, really “get” craft beer.

The next Beer Bloggers & Writers Conference will take place Aug. 3-6 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

One of my big takeaways from the conference, however, is that people like to look at pictures. So the rest of this post will be only photos from the event.

Cheers!

I found this session to be a highlight, even though I’m not much of a sour beer fan. (Photo by Gerard Walen)

Stan Hieronymus, a living legend in the beer world, gave the keynote speech on Saturday. (Photo by Gerard Walen)

Travis Kruger of Crooked Thumb Brewery in Safety Harbor pours at the Live Beer Blogging session on Saturday afternoon at the JJ Taylor warehouse. (Photo by Gerard Walen)

Cigar City Brewing dug deep into the cellar for what they shared at Live Beer Blogging. (Photo by Gerard Walen)

Selfie with Troika Brodsky, executive director of the St. Louis Brewers Guild, and Elle Brodsky of the nonprofit Yoga Buzz. These crazy kids met at a Beer Bloggers Conference and tied the knot a few years later. (Photo by Gerard Walen)

No, I am THEIR groupie. To the left is Ashley Routson. Green Flash Brewing representative, author of “The Beer Wench’s Guide to Beer” and aka The Beer Wench. On the right is Julia Herz, craft beer program director at the Brewers Association and University of South Florida alumnus. We’re tooling about town in the back of the Brew Bus. (photo by Carol Dekkers)

Post conference, Carla Jean Lauter, aka The Beer Babe, slams down one of her favorites after a brewery visit. (Photo by Gerard Walen, who is just kidding)

FLORIDA BREWERY MAP AND LIST

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I try to keep the list and map updated in a timely manner, but the last time I wrote one of these posts was in August,  when the count was 152 operating breweries in the state, with 33 on their way to opening.

That number has now reached 175 operating breweries as of this date and, again, 33 slated to start brewing in the near future.

(UPDATED on 7/21/16: 184 operating breweries; 33 on the way)

(UPDATED on 6/5/16: 180 operating breweries, 37 on the horizon)

Add those numbers together, and that’s more than 200 – which could be how many breweries are open here by the end of this year.

Will some close? Probably. There’s been a small wave of consolidations and closings over the past few months, but the rate of new brewery openings still far outpaces any losses.

The 33 breweries-yet-to-open cited above includes only those with physical addresses. There are at least that many more – that I know of – still looking for real estate and/or moving through the licensing bureaucracy at local, state and federal levels.

Will we hit the 200-brewery mark by the end of 2016? It’s entirely possible.

Here are the criteria I use for a brewery to be included on the map:

• The brewery or brewpub must produce beer on its premises. This means you will not find companies such as The Abbey Brewing Co. in Miami Beach, which contracts its beer at other breweries.
• Size doesn’t matter. Whether a brewery makes tens of thousands of barrels per year, or one a week, as long as it can sell and serve to customers, whether on premise or strictly through distribution, it counts.
• It includes two brewpubs – Karibrew in Fernandina Beach and Marco Island Brewery – whose brewing processes are completed on site but started elsewhere.
• In the case of a brewery like Barley Mow Brewing Company in Largo, there is the original brewery/taproom and another location that is production only, without a tasting room. In such cases, both locations are listed.
• It does not include BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse locations, which does not brew at any of its restaurants. The chain is one of the brewing partners at BrewHub, the operation in Lakeland that offers brewing and marketing services for other breweries, and contracts at some out-of-state breweries as well. (BrewHub is on the map.)
• Cideries and meaderies are not included, though I might create a separate section for them in the future.

To be included, a brewery or brewpub must have a physical address – it would be hard to map it otherwise – and if not yet open, it needs to have made solid steps such as ordering or installing equipment, or starting the regulatory process. A website or Facebook page is ideal, though not required. Most have them and are linked.

Other maps and lists out there are based on different criteria.  The Florida Brewers Guild lists those breweries and brewpubs that are members. Others list breweries that haven’t made any steps toward opening other than filing as a business entity, sometimes years ago, with no progress since. There are some fine sites out there with maps of limited local areas, and I appreciate their creators allowing me to use them to research.

This map is a labor of love for me because I am passionate about my home state and its craft beer community. Friends and fans of this site offer invaluable help in tracking down some of these, and I am extremely grateful. I feel it is the most accurate listing of its type out there, but it has become a LOT of work.

I do get a little financial help via sponsorships, but if you feel it is of value to you, I would not object if you were to drop a little change to help using the “Donate” button on the right column of this page.

Speaking of sponsors, huge thanks go out our newest ones: Florida Fun Shuttle, Brewlando Tours, Ye Olde Brothers Brewery and Marker 48 Brewing.

Continued thanks to sponsors Tampa Bay Brews Cruise, Tampa Bay Brewing Company, JDub’s Brewing Company, Coppertail Brewing Company, Dahlia’s Pour House, and St. Pete Brewing Company.

Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor can drop a line to gerard@beerinflorida.com, and I’ll send the details.

As always, I appreciate any feedback if I missed a brewery, have one listed as open that has closed – or vice versa – or made any other errors. Send me an email or leave a comment below.

Cheers!

Gerard

FLORIDA BREWERY MAP AND LIST

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Beer geeks will find some details lacking in the announcement – such as brewhouse size, whether the entire process will take place on board, or how the brewers will deal with the inevitable rough seas while brewing – but it’s still pretty exciting.

One of the renderings provided by Carnival shows a respectable line of fermenting tanks behind the glass.

Here’s the release:

Carnival Cruise Line Partners with CONCRETE BEACH BREWERY to Create a Craft Brewery on the New Carnival Vista

Carnival Vista’s RedFrog Pub & Brewery is the first craft brewery on a cruise ship in North America

MIAMI (March 28, 2016) — When guests on Carnival Cruise Line’s newest, largest and most innovative ship, Carnival Vista, raise a pint in the RedFrog Pub & Brewery, they will have a choice of three distinctly flavored hand-crafted beers brewed right on board in the first brewery at sea in North America.

Carnival Vista’s RedFrog Pub & Brewery is the result of a unique collaboration between Carnival and Miami-based Concrete Beach Brewery.

Concrete Beach is an Alchemy & Science brand, an independently operating subsidiary of The Boston Beer Company. Alchemy & Science is home to other such popular breweries around the country, including Angel City Brewery in Los Angeles and Coney Island Brewing Co. in Brooklyn, N.Y.  Each of these breweries produces beers specifically inspired by and brewed to be representative of their respective locales. The resulting examples include such beers as Tropic of Passion, a passion fruit wheat beer from Miami, Angel City IPA from L.A., and Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner from New York.

Similarly, Concrete Beach is working closely with Carnival to create original recipes and source and select the finest ingredients to produce three distinctive craft beers that will be brewed and served on board Carnival Vista.  Those beers will include ThirstyFrog Port Hoppin’ IPA, ThirstyFrog Caribbean Wheat and FriskyFrog Java Stout.

“We’ve been working for months with these talented partners who have helped us create three exciting and unique craft beers for Carnival Vista and we anticipate our guests are going to absolutely love them,” said Eddie Allen, Carnival’s vice president of beverage operations.

Allen noted that the brews were specifically designed with Carnival Vista guests in mind.  ThirstyFrog Port Hoppin’ IPA offers aromatic, floral and hoppy notes with passion fruit and citrus overtones while ThirstyFrog Caribbean Wheat is an unfiltered lager with aromas of bananas and spices.  The third beer, FriskyFrog Java Stout, is a take on a traditional stout, rich and creamy with hints of coffee.

“It was an honor to be a part of this one-of-a-kind project, and we feel like we created a great variety that is sure to please guests,” said Jon Carpenter, Concrete Beach Brewery Brewmaster. “It’s common for vacationers to want to test out the local beer and Carnival Vista has taken the concept of local, and applied it to the decks of their ship.”

The beers to be featured on Carnival Vista further build upon a greatly expanded selection of craft beers across the entire Carnival fleet. U.S.-based Carnival ships already serve Concrete Beach Brewery’s Rica Wheat IPA, Angel City Brewery’s Pilsner, Coney Island’s Hard Root Beer and 1609 Amber. On a regional basis, Carnival ships sailing from Miami feature Concrete Beach Stiltsville Miami-style Pilsner, while Long Beach, California–based ships offer Angel City Brewery IPA and cruises departing from New York City are stocked with Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner.

The line also offers beers brewed either locally in homeports or within the homeport state on ships sailing from New Orleans, Galveston, Baltimore and Tampa, as well as ships that sail to Alaska and Hawaii.

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By Jack Payne
Special to Beer in Florida 

Jack Payne

The hunt for the next great Florida agriculture success story is unfolding in both Apopka and Wimauma. The storybook ending the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences hopes to write is one in which our state becomes a major hops producer.

That would provide a local supply to match the explosive growth of the craft brewing industry. Along the way, it would create jobs, increase growers’ and brewers’ profits, and give Florida beer devotees a chance to drink local.

Like so many previous success stories, it starts with science. Specifically, this story is set in a new hops yard in Apopka at the Mid-Florida Research and Education Center and the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma. Both are run by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Our protagonists are environmental horticulturalists Brian Pearson in Apopka and Zhanao Deng in Wimauma, and plant physiologist Shinsuke Agehara in Wimauma.

Brian Pearson inspecting hops. (Photos courtesy of University of Florida).

Pearson started working on hops in his lab as a personal experiment before turning it into a trial of four hops varieties.

Deng’s work as a breeder of sterile lantana is so respected that his varieties are being tested in Africa for its potential to repel malaria-carrying mosquitoes. He’s game to test it as a repellent to Zika-virus-carrying bugs as well if there’s a call for it.

Florida brewers import their hops all the way from Washington State and foreign countries because we can’t grow good hops in Florida – yet. The subtropical climate and local pests and diseases conspire against it.

It’s a heavy lift to overcome those obstacles. If it were easy, it would have been done years ago in tandem with the launch of Florida’s craft brewing industry. As Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

The hops project is an example of how UF/IFAS sometimes swings for the fences. That comes at a cost. You have to have the stomach for striking out. Again, Edison described the innovator’s predicament well when he said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Environmental horticulturist Zhanao Deng.

Pearson, Deng, and Agehara will be taking a few hundred swings at once, thanks to local brewers’ donations of rhizomes (those are “root bulbs” to those not familiar with their availability from brewing suppliers) and equipment.

A hit, if it comes, won’t happen immediately.

But 20 years ago a thriving Florida blueberry industry didn’t seem all that likely either. Our breeders changed that. Florida growers now produce more than $75 million worth of blueberries annually – more than 95 percent of it in UF/IFAS-created varieties.

The hops experiments are also an example of how our research agenda is crafted with the input of the communities we serve.

Simon Bollin, the Hillsborough County agribusiness development manager, helped identify the opportunity. There are about 20 breweries in Hillsborough County and more than 60 in the greater Tampa area.

The Hillsborough County Agriculture Economic Development Council quickly realized that the value-added production potential for local farmers from hops was promising, but the AEDC needed proof of concept. That is where the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast REC and Mid-Florida REC came in. It has a team of scientists that is essentially the discovery and innovation arm of agriculture throughout the area.

Bollin brought brewers and breeders together, and they decided hops were worth a try. Bollin arranged for the donations of plant material and equipment. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences is lending its support through a $158,000 grant.

We have high hopes for hops, just as we do for peaches, pomegranates, and olives. You just can’t know ahead of time which crop will figure in the next success story. We just know that UF/IFAS scientists are likely authors of it, and right now they’re scribbling away in Hillsborough.

Jack Payne is the University of Florida’s senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and leader of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. He can be reached at jackpayne@ufl.edu or  follow him on Twitter @JackPayneIFAS.

FLORIDA BREWERY MAP AND LIST

 

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