This Saturday is the perfect opportunity to get a real taste of Florida's Craft Beer Scene!  The Florida Brewer's Guild will host its annual Brewfest this Saturday March 2nd at Centennial Park in Ybor City from 2-6pm.  Only beers from Florida will be available at this event!

    Tickets are $30 and are available unitl Friday March 1st at noon if you want to attend.  You can CLICK HERE to purchase tickets online.  There will be music by the Florida Mountain Boys and over 40 Florida breweries will be in attendance pouring their beer.  Breweries in attendance are listed below...  Cheers everybody!

A1A Ale Works, 1 King St, St Augustine FL 

Alligator Brewing Co, 10 SE 2nd Ave, Gainesville FL 

Big Bear Brewing, 1800 University Dr, Coral Springs  FL

Big  River Grille & Brewing Works, Disney Boardwalk Lake Buena Vista FL

Big Storm Brewery, Tampa FL

Bold City Brewery, 2670 Rosselle  St, Jacksonville FL

Brewer's  Pizza, 14 B Blanding Blvd, Orange Park FL
       
Brewzii, 2222 Glades Rd, Boca Raton FL 700 S Rosemary Ave, West Palm Bch FL
     
Charlie & Jakes Brewery & Grille, 6300 N Wickham  Rd Melbourne,  FL 
 
Cigar City Brewing, 3924 W Spruce St,  Tampa FL

Cocoa Beach Brewing, 150 N Atlantic, Cocoa Beach FL
  
Cold Storage Craft Brewery, 4101 N Florida Ave, Tampa 
   
Due  South Brewing Co, 2900 High Ridge Rd, Boynton Beach
      
Dunedin Brewery, 937 Douglas Ave, Dunedin FL

Florida Beer Co, 2500 S Harbour City Dr, Melbourne FL
      
The  Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery, 2621 N Federal Hwy Boca Raton FL
 
Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, 1201 Brickell Ave, Miami FL

Gordash Brewing Co, 3804 SW 30th Av, Ft Lauderdale FL

Grayton Beer Co, PO Box 611381, Rosemary Beach FL
     
Green Room Brewery, 228 3rd St N, Jacksonville Bch  FL
      
Inlet Brewing Co, PO Box 1483, Jupiter FL

Intuition Ale Works, 720 King St, Jacksonville FL
    
Liquid Bakery Craft Brewery, 4179 Haverhill Rd, West  Palm Bch FL
    
McGuire's Irish Pub,  33 Hwy 98E, Destin FL
    
Native Brewing Co, 212 City View Dr, Ft Lauderdale  FL

Orange Blossom Pilsner LLC, Orlando FL
      
Orlando Brewing Partners, 1301 Atlanta Ave, Orlando  FL
    
Pegs's  Cantina & Brewery, 3038 Beach Blvd, Gulfport FL
       
Pensacola Bay Brewery, 225 E Zaragoza St, Pensacola FL

Props Craft Brewery, Ft Walton Beach, FL
     
Ragtime  Tavern Seafood & Grill, 207Atlantic Blvd Atlantic  Beach FL
       
Rapp Brewing Co, Pinellas Park FL
       
Sarasota Brewing Co, 6607 Gateway Ave, Sarasota  FL

Seven Bridges Grille & Brewery, 9735 Gate Parkway N Jacksonville  FL
      
Seventh Sun Brewing, 1012 Broadway, Dunedin FL 
        
Shipyard Emporium, 200 Fairbanks Ave, WinterPark  FL

Swamp Head Brewery,3140 SW 42nd Way, Gainesville FL
  
Tampa Bay  Brewing Co, 1600 E 8th Av, Tampa FL
      
Tequesta Brewing Co, 289 S US Hwy 1, Tequesta FL
  
Yuengling Brewing Co, 11111 N 30th St, Tampa FL

    We are excited about the new series of maps that we have put together for our friends.    We've put together 5 Orlando Beer Guide maps.  Breweries/Brewpubs, Beer Bars, Beer Bar and Grills, Beer Bottle Shops, and an Orlando Craft Beer Scene.   Please let us know what you think and if there is anything additional you'd like to see us add!  Cheers!

    While Florida's craft beer scene gets better by the week its beer laws remain unfavorable for craft brewers in the Sunshine State.  There are few things more enjoyable than taking home a fresh growler from your local brewery.    Problem in Florida is  only  32 (2 pints) and 128 (8 pints) ounce growlers can be legally sold.  Unless they play in a jug band, most beer drinkers I know don't have much use for a one gallon growler!

    Sixty four ounce (4 pints) growlers are the norm in most every other state.    The Florida Brewer's Guild has been actively petitioning the Florida legislature to amend the container size restriction on beer.  On February 12,  2013,  Representative Katie Edwards filed HB 715  which, if passed, would allow the sale of 64 ounce growlers in the Sunshine State!  A senate companion bill is expected to be filed in the next couple of days.
 

    You can help by letting your local representatives know that you and your friends support amending Florida's beer container laws.  We've also heard that some Orlando craft beer establishments will be sponsoring some opportunities for locals to help.  Please stay tuned to Orlando Beer Guide for details in the next couple of days!

    I met Dave at Redlight Redlight at 9:30 in the morning so that we could load the car up with beer and get to Deland by eleven. We were both exhausted because we had bartended until very late the night before, and neither of us were used to being up before noon on a Saturday. Nevertheless, the Deland Craft Beer Festival had usurped the role once occupied by The Great Orlando Beer Festival (before it went the way of the dodo) as the most diverse beer event in Central Florida, and I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to represent Redlight Redlight and participate in what had become a much anticipated February tradition.

    An extra long wait for bagels and coffee had us on the road later than I would have liked, but as we sped unimpeded down the never congested stretch of road known as I-4, I took the extra time to warn Dave about the dangers of alcohol consumption. It isn’t just that my good friend has
been known to tie it on every now and then (haven’t we all), it’s that working these beer festivals gives one access to a nearly bottomless supply of beer, plenty of time to indulge, and a population of people who encourage that very behavior. As we drove circles around the quaint shops and restaurants of downtown Deland looking for parking, Dave promised me that his heart and liver
were in the right place. Fearing I’d appear hypocritical, I didn’t mention that over the last few years I habitually left Deland barely standing on my own two feet.

    Despite our late start, we were among the first few vendors to arrive. Not only were we equipped with a case of Patte de Singe, a collaboration between Saint Somewhere in Tarpon Springs and Redlight Redlight’s very own Brent Hernandez, Cigar City brewing company had provided us with cans of their Maduro Brown Ale, Jai Alai IPA, Florida Cracker, and Hotter than Helles. As we sorted out our stock, we greeted Todd and Vinnie, the Deland Craft Beer Festival’s promoters, met up with other vendors, and settled into a long but enjoyable day of pouring and discussing Florida’s finest beer.

    The festival had yet to open its gates when the appearance of my good friend (for the sake of anonymity we’ll call him Shmorgan) proved to make the day more eventful than I had anticipated.
Wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, dark sunglasses, shorts, and flip-flops, he sauntered in looking like Kato Kaelin on the set of Beach Fever. Though it was well before noon, he was polishing off his second beer of the day and snatched a can of lukewarm Florida Cracker from our booth, cracking it open before it had even hit the ice bucket. Ever the lovable instigator, I’ve never
had a bad time when Shmorgan was around.

    After a pep talk from the events coordinators explaining the festival’s rules and emphasizing education of craft beer over an excuse for binge drinking, the gates were opened and the patrons began to pour in. Dave and I emptied can after can of Cigar City beer while the Patte de Singe
proved even more popular than we anticipated. The farmhouse ale brewed with tamarind, sage, and Cantillon yeast was gone in under two hours, but don’t worry if you missed out; we still have plenty at Redlight Redlight.

   

     
    Working at a beer festival is a little bit like bartending in overdrive. Dave and I filled and refilled tiny three ounce glasses without having to worry about the pesky business of exchanging money. While we tended to answer the same questions about beer over and over again, the repetition was broken up by visits from some of our favorite Redlight Redlight regulars and old friends in the beer
business who, already a generous crew, are always extra giving during craft beer festivals. With Chuck from Dogfish Head dropping off bottles of aged World Wide Stout and Raison D’Extra and Jason from Bell’s handing out gift bags of Hopslam and the brand new Smitten Rye Ale, Dave
and I found it difficult to retain sobriety with some of the best and most difficult to find beers tempting us. Meanwhile, Shmorgan would disappear for an hour at a time only to return with
his arms full of bottles he had pilfered from other booths, a perk of being in the Orlando beer scene as long as he has. Not that we were ungrateful when he showed up with a bottle of Terrapin’s ever-coveted peanut butter, chocolate porter known as Liquid Bliss.

    By the the time we were rounding into four o’clock, I was looking forward to the home stretch and the end of another successful year when Dave swiped a glass of beer into Shmorgan’s lap and everything went downhill from there. Shmorgan attempted to rinse the dark beer out of what he claimed were his only pair of pants by dumping a glass of frigid, icy water onto his crotch. The now tipsy patrons scrambled to get their hands on any beer remaining as they saw their day of limitless drinking coming to an abrupt conclusion. We met their drunken revelry with equal enthusiasm shaking up cans of Hotter than Helles, which never seemed to explode the way we wanted them to. As I danced with middle-aged women to the Talking Heads, Dave was pouring beer down the open, eager throats of party goers who had probably had enough already, and Shmorgan explained unconvincingly to whomever would listen that he hadn’t actually peed in his pants.

 
    “You guys are so wasted!” someone shouted at me.

    “Not me,” I said looking around. I could only speak for myself. It’s noble of the Deland Craft Beer Festival to discourage binging, but the last hour of these things always seems to turn into an out and out Bacchanal. At least I, for once, was seeing it clear-eyed. Shmorgan had been indulging in a steady diet of Florida Cracker the entire day, and even Dave’s moderate but steady consumption had caught up with him. Drunkenly he accepted invitations to multiple after-parties he had no intention of attending offered to him by inebriated individuals whose clothes were stained various hues of gold, amber, and brown.

    I let Dave sleep off his intoxication on the drive back to Orlando. Shmorgan had hitched a ride with some mutual friends. He’d bounce back like he always does, as easy-going and good-natured whether he’s sober, drunk, or red-eyed and hungover. It was nice to know that I could face the perils of the Deland Craft Beer Festival or any beer festival and still make it back to town in once piece. I felt good knowing I could practice a little self-control when I chose to. Perhaps next year I’ll
make Dave drive and try to match Shmorgan can for can, or have I outgrown such antics? Maybe I’ll get drunk this weekend. Maybe I’m drunk right now.

       Our friends at Tap & Grind are celebrating their One Year Anniversary on Valentine's Day!  Bring your Valentine or group of friends for all you can drink specialty kegs and complimentary food for just $25 a person.  

     The evening will feature and Old School keg party with hand pumped kegs and red solo cups.  Some geat beers will be flowing from Due South, Green Flash, and Swamp Head!  Complimentary food will be provided by Pete's Cuban American Cafe.  Looks Like it will be an awesome time!  Cheers!
  

    Local beer enthusiasts should start making plans now for Cigar City's annual Hunahpu release and extravaganza will take place on March 9th, 2013.  About 5,000 beer lovers attended last years event and one can only assume that this year's event will be even bigger and even more fun!
 

    
    You can check out the Official Hunahpu page for details on lodging and the lineup of guest and Cigar City beers that will be on tap.  The 2013 edition of Cigar City's Hunahpu's Day will be one of about 150 beer related events that are scheduled to take place as part of the 2013 Tampa Bay Beer Week.  The week long celebration of the Tampa Bay area's craft beer scene is scheduled to take place next month from March 2nd to March 10th. 

    I know what you are thinking...  We need one of these weeks here in Orlando right.  Maybe soon?

    We've been hearing a lot of good things lately about Belle Isle Yacht Club on South Orange Avenue.  Don't let the name fool you.  This place has nothing to do with Yachts or Clubs!  What it does have is a solid selction of beer.  We received the note below earlier this week and wanted to pass it along to our Orlando Beer Guide Friends.  Cheers!

    "Hello OBG, I want to tell you about a great craft beer bar that seems to keep falling through the cracks. Its the Belle Isle Yacht Pub. Its been open since September 2010. Its located at 7521 S. Orange ave. They have live music including Skart from the SuperVillans, Thomas Wynn and the Believers, Tom O' keef, and many more local musicians. This friday would be a great day to check them out.

    They have about 130 bottles not including domestic beers and 11 on draft. Right now they are featuring Black Ops from Brooklyn Brewery, Dogfish 120 min, along with some great seasonals like wake and bake , palate wrecker, and always a diverse draft line. They specialize in transitioning people from domestic to great craft beer. many homebrewers frequent, along with larger brewers like Tom from OBP.

    Please go check them out. i will leave you with one more tidbit.... Sake Bombs. No one does them as well as them. Thanks. Stay thirsty."