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A Beverage Industry Podcast out of

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The Florida Beer Podcast is the official podcast of Florida Beer Blog, a blog covering everything beer and brewery-based in the Sunshine State. Host David Butler will be interviewing key players and cultural leaders in Florida’s brewing scene, reviewing their latest brews, and sharing industry news and events.

Most recent episodes will post here…

Pensacola's Alga Beer Co. has been going gangbusters since their opening in 2020. Now it's time to expand and create The Florida Room, described as an 80's-themed Cocktail Experience next door to the brewery itself. We spoke to Brett Reid, Alga Beer co-founder and brewer, to get details about what the Florida Room experience will be like, along with a solid rundown on what has been happening at Alga.
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Happy 2023! We are kicking off the new year releasing our interview with Dave Lester, Head Brewer at Miami's Unseen Creatures Brewing and Blending. This part of the interview will give us a good historical basis of both Unseen Creatures and Dave's history in the Miami-Dade craft beer scene. Listen in...
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Happy 2023! We are kicking off the new year releasing our interview with Dave Lester, Head Brewer at Miami's Unseen Creatures Brewing and Blending. This part of the interview will give us a good historical basis of both Unseen Creatures and Dave's history in the Miami-Dade craft beer scene. Listen in...
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All previous episodes will be listed here…

Pensacola's Alga Beer Co. has been going gangbusters since their opening in 2020. Now it's time to expand and create The Florida Room, described as an 80's-themed Cocktail Experience next door to the brewery itself. We spoke to Brett Reid, Alga Beer co-founder and brewer, to get details about what the Florida Room experience will be like, along with a solid rundown on what has been happening at Alga.
Click for Info and Audio!
Happy 2023! We are kicking off the new year releasing our interview with Dave Lester, Head Brewer at Miami's Unseen Creatures Brewing and Blending. This part of the interview will give us a good historical basis of both Unseen Creatures and Dave's history in the Miami-Dade craft beer scene. Listen in...
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Happy 2023! We are kicking off the new year releasing our interview with Dave Lester, Head Brewer at Miami's Unseen Creatures Brewing and Blending. This part of the interview will give us a good historical basis of both Unseen Creatures and Dave's history in the Miami-Dade craft beer scene. Listen in...
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In Florida's craft beer scene, few breweries have traditions as sought after and anticipated as the holiday village at 3 Daughters Brewing in St. Pete. Now encompassing 13 tables and over 300 individual houses, this is set up and maintained by Bruce Harting, military vet and grandfather to the eponymous 3 daughters. Since his son and daughter-in-law own the brewery, he has been asked to set up this rapidly growing village every year since they opened. We spoke to Bruce to get the details about this year-round project, how big it has grown, and what is coming in the future. Afterward, we chat with Brian Horne, 3 Daughters' VP of Marketing and Sales, to find out what awesome holiday beers are coming to St. Pete to enjoy while taking in all of the lights. Listen in...
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If you didn't go to the Treasure Coast Wine and Ale Trail, you definitely missed one of the most chill, enjoyable, and fun beer festivals in Florida. You also missed a great celebration of three of the most relaxing and fantastic counties in the state: Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River! That is where we are starting our podcast today, chatting with Ian Centrone from Discover Martin, Kirk Funnel from Visit Indian River, and Charlotte Bierley from Visit St. Lucie. I spoke with each of them to get a bit of flavor from their respective counties, understand the great breweries and other tourist destinations there are, and find a great place for a post-festival meal. From there, I welcomed back Pete Anderson to the podcast. He's the owner and brewer at Pareidolia Brewing in Sebastian, and a co-founder of the Treasure Coast Wine & Ale Trail itself. I spoke to Pete to get a history of the trail, the festival, and what the future looks like for craft on the Treasure Coast.
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If you didn't go to the Treasure Coast Wine and Ale Trail, you definitely missed one of the most chill, enjoyable, and fun beer festivals in Florida. You also missed a great celebration of three of the most relaxing and fantastic counties in the state: Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River! That is where we are starting our podcast today, chatting with Ian Centrone from Discover Martin, Kirk Funnel from Visit Indian River, and Charlotte Bierley from Visit St. Lucie. I spoke with each of them to get a bit of flavor from their respective counties, understand the great breweries and other tourist destinations there are, and find a great place for a post-festival meal. From there, I welcomed back Pete Anderson to the podcast. He's the owner and brewer at Pareidolia Brewing in Sebastian, and a co-founder of the Treasure Coast Wine & Ale Trail itself. I spoke to Pete to get a history of the trail, the festival, and what the future looks like for craft on the Treasure Coast.
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North Miami Brewfest 2022 is in the books! This event, hosted by the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism at Florida International University's Biscayne Bay campus, is now in it's 10th year. And if you didn't go, you missed a fantastic event. A ton of great beer, lots of incredible food, awesome seminars, and even a 360-degree camera I didn't try. Before the event started, we set up some space and had a few great conversations. Our first discussion was with Chaplin School Faculty Administrator Mohammad Qureshi and Fermentation Lab Technician Albert Rivera. We spoke about the growth of the Chaplin School and the North Miami Brewfest. We also spoke about FIU's own offerings at the event, including some of the best spent grain bread I've had. After that, just as the event really got started, I had a conversation with two Chaplin School alumni: Temple Street Eatery co-founder Alex Kuk and Cerveceria La Tropical head brewer Matthew Weintraub. We spoke about their time at FIU and the importance of being at North Miami Brewfest. Listen in...
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It's amazing exactly how varied malt can really be. It's almost the unsung flavor workhorse of the brewing experience, and I never feel it gets the love it deserves. Enter Riverbend Malt House in Asheville, NC. Riverbend has been producing fantastic standard and custom malt blends for brewers for years. To give us the details, we spoke to Florida Territory Sales Manager, Tyler Adams. Tyler's job is to spread the word of Riverbend around the sunshine state, and he gave us the full rundown of malting in general and Riverbend in particular. We even spoke about some of the fun collaborations he's been doing with Florida breweries.
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I am a big fan of regional ale trails--especially when they have the support of local tourism boards. The Treasure Coast Wine and Ale Trail is one such example, and is fully supported by Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie counties. That support extends to the Treasure Coast Wine and Ale Trail Festival coming up on Nov. 19th. It will be on the grounds of Trail founder, Summer Crush Winery, located in Ft. Pierce. We will chat with Allen Cooley from Summer Crush to learn a bit more about operating a winery on Florida's Atlantic coast, wines they are producing, and everything you need to know when it comes to the Festival. Listen in...
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One of our absolute favorite beer festivals is back this Saturday, November 12th! We're heading to the North Miami Brewfest, hosted by the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University. As this event grows, even more of the Chaplin School is participating! Today in Part 1, we are welcoming Dr. Michael Cheng, Dean of the Chaplin School, back to the podcast to talk all about this year's event, the awesome school participation, and more -- so much more, especially with the growing number of Chaplin School alumni in South Florida's rapidly growing beer scene. Then, we'll head to the event and capture more great interviews for a future episode. Listen in...
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Florida's Craft Beer industry began on Feb. 15th, 1897 with the opening of the Florida Brewery in Ybor City, Tampa. Until it's closure in the 1960's, the Florida Brewery supplied beer, namely La Tropical, to the vibrant Ybor community. After the building fell into ruin, it was obtained by and is now the home of law firm, Swope Rodante. We spoke to Dale Swope, half of Swope Rodante, about his background in Tampa and the history of the Florida Brewery, their conservation efforts, and his support of the Tampa craft beer scene. Listen in....
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We are (or were) live at Oktoberfest at the American German Club of the Palm Beaches! Decades long, this event is as popular as ever featuring authentic German beers, food, shopping, rides for the kids, and so much more. We started back with our friend Jay Vollstedt as he gave us a fantastic tour of the American German Club's richly detailed clubhouse. We also talked about how this year's Oktoberfest is going (very well) along with some of the other events coming to the Club. From there, we spoke to Christina Vollstedt about the amazing German fashion seen at the event. Christina runs the clothing store at the American German Club and keeps it well stocked with fashions directly from Germany. She gave us a full rundown of what to wear for both men and women, and I finally understand what lederhosen are. Listen in....
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Prost! It's October, so it's Oktoberfest time! And while your local brewery is almost contractually obligated to celebrate with some excellent German-style beers, Oktoberfest is so much more than that. To get the info, we spoke with Jay Vollstedt, Member Committee Chair of the American-German Club of the Palm Beaches. The club has been in existence since the late 60's, and has hosted their own authentic Oktoberfest since 1974. Jay just returned from Germany a few days ago, and was gracious enough to go over the history of Oktoberfest, what this year's event was like in Munich, and what to expect from this year's event in Lake Worth. Listen in...
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Matt Manthe is a friend to microbes. From his collegiate years studying microbiology to his time brewing from North Carolina to Boca Raton, he has developed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the critters that make beer... well, beer. For almost 5 years, he has taken his talents to Odd Breed Wild Ales in Pompano Beach, where he is able to ferment, blend, and create some of the most amazingly delicate, yet artfully refined and flavor-forward wild ales found in the US (and beyond). Listen with us today as we finish our discussion into Odd Breed, including a glimpse into releases yet to come in 2022, plus the description of his awesome kitty cat logo!
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Matt Manthe is a friend to microbes. From his collegiate years studying microbiology to his time brewing from North Carolina to Boca Raton, he has developed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the critters that make beer... well, beer. For almost 5 years, he has taken his talents to Odd Breed Wild Ales in Pompano Beach, where he is able to ferment, blend, and create some of the most amazingly delicate, yet artfully refined and flavor-forward wild ales found in the US (and beyond). Listen with us today as we continue our discussion into Matt's time in Florida and the eventual opening of Odd Breed...
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Matt Manthe is a friend to microbes. From his collegiate years studying microbiology to his time brewing from North Carolina to Boca Raton, he has developed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the critters that make beer... well, beer. For almost 5 years, he has taken his talents to Odd Breed Wild Ales in Pompano Beach, where he is able to ferment, blend, and create some of the most amazingly delicate, yet artfully refined and flavor-forward wild ales found in the US (and beyond). Listen with us today as we start our conversation into Matt's background, how he got into brewing, and how he developed his unique style...
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I have been lucky enough to watch the brewery now known as NOBO brewery grow up and evolve in Palm Beach County. Owned and operated by Tim and Steve Dornblaser, designed by Tim's architect wife Jessica , they've been an anchor in Boynton Beach's Brewery District for years. Producer Steve and I sat down with Tim Dornblaser in their newly expanded tap room to discuss craft beer in Palm Beach County in general and Boynton Beach in particular, the joys of barrel aging stouts, and location, location, location.
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We continue down Old US 41 in Bonita Springs, past the abundance of killer Mexican restaurants, and into a newer industrial park anchored by Hopsized Brewing. Hopsized is owned and operated by husband and wife team Ana Rodriguez de Vera and Darlyn Victor. Former Miami natives, Ana and Darlyn have taken Darlyn's love of beer and transformed it into a community hub. Joined once again by Bonita Springs native, Florida Man News host, and frequent Hopsized patron Joel Lounds, we speak to Darlyn and Ana about creating that meeting space for Southwest Florida, the craft beer explosion in Bonita Springs, and getting your beers sneakily entered into beer competitions...
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Old U.S. 41 drives right through the heart of the classic downtown Bonita Springs, a drag currently in the process of a well-deserved revitalization. At one end, not too far from Riverside Park, is Ceremony Brewing. Ceremony is the brainchild of Zach Smith, local and craft beer aficionado. Not only is Zach bringing along his love of a myriad of beer styles (some of which I never thought I would see in Southwest Florida), but he has also devoted a section of his tap room to one of the most complete bottle shops I've ever seen. Joined by Bonita Springs native and Florida Man News host Joel Lounds, we speak to Zach about retrofitting an historic building for brewing, bringing some wild styles to Bonita Springs, and the possibility of his beer names summoning an Elder God. Listen in...
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Welcome to Part 2 of our agave spirit exploration! After attending Mezcal Lauderdale a few months ago, we are doing a deep dive of Mexican agave spirits (that aren't tequila) that we not only sampled at the event, but are also available for YOU to try here in Florida. On the last episode, we discovered the difference between tequila and mezcal. Now, we're going to find out the difference between mezcal and bacanora with Vinateros Bacanora. They are imported into the US through Jacksonville-based Gigglewater Imports and co-owner, Chris Allison. He'll give us the rundown on bacanora and Vinateros, along with why Florida is such a great place to import spirits. From there, we finish up with Borderland Spirits and owner Michael Hurley. Borderland is the exclusive U.S. distributor of both Batuq brand bacanoras and Mazot bacanoras and palmilla as well. There's a lot of great distilling history with these brands, and Michael will walk us through it all. Listen in...
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Yes, today we Mexico! The first Mezcal Lauderdale event was held at Le Meridien Dania Beach in May, organized by the same team behind the awesome yearly FemAle Brew Fest. This event brought mezcal (and more) producers and distributors from around Mexico to sample, discuss, and celebrate! As part of the festivities, I spoke to a number of awesome distributors and will be featuring some of them on the podcast. Today, we're speaking to Dennis Barnett, partner for DC Craft Spirits, the exclusive importer of Xicaru mezcal to the US. We spoke with Dennis about the difference between mezcal and its more well-known family member, tequila, the different expressions of Xicaru available, and how they use their profits to give back to the communities making Xicaru. Listen in...
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It's part 2 of our interview with Luis & Stephanie Cortina--co-owners of king Fox Brewery in Hialeah. Producer Steve and I are going to start getting into some beers now, as Luis was (understandably) excited to share with us some of the amazing brews he is making. Listen in...
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We're back in Hialeah with the other brewery in the city--King Fox Brewery. It's a small brewery making a massive impact in the Miami-Dade brewing scene. To get a deep dive into some of the amazing (trust me, amazing) beers they are brewing, Producer Steve and I spoke to Luis & Stephanie Cortina, co-owners along with Luis' mom, Gina. We chat about Luis' preferred beers to make, growing a brewery, and some of the amazing opportunities they have had so far. Listen in...
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Collaborations are a way of life in the craft beer industry. Whether with other brewers, celebrities, or charitable organizations, it's not hard to find a local brewery with a collaboration on tap. To celebrate their one year anniversary, Dogfish Head Miami decided to brew a collaboration as well! The brewery they chose was much-lauded Athens, GA-based Creature Comforts brewing, bringing some amazing ingredients with them to brew a special collab beer due out in July. In the downtime, we spoke to Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione along with Creature Comforts CEO Chris Herron and COO Adam Beauchamp about this collaboration, the importance of collaborations in general, and more. Plus we chat with Creature Comforts about their recent collaborations with Run The Jewels and the newly released Dogfish Head Miami collaboration with former Miami Heat star Chris Bosh! Afterward, at Sam's insistence, we went up to the control room and spoke for a few with Paul Frederickson, Head Brewer at Dogfish Head Miami. We spoke about the delicious adjuncts they used for this collaboration beer while keeping the microphone out of the hands of his amazing 5-month old co-brewer. Listen in...
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We drive past the chickens of Hialeah to Unbranded Brewing on today's episode. Opened in 2020, Unbranded is the brainchild of Texas transplant, Zach Swanson. Producer Steve and I chat with Zach about bringing a bit of Texas and beer to the City of Progress. Listen in...
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To celebrate the 100th episode of the Florida Beer Podcast, the team at Florida Podcast Network chose some of their favorite clips from recent episodes: Manny Portuondo and Matt Weintraub at La Tropical talking about brewing a beer with a history of over 100 years Allan Branch from History Class Brewing about the history of Pensacola Nayana Ferguson of Anteel Tequila about creating the first black female-owned tequila brand Tom Rockhill from Right Around the Corner Arcade Brewery chatting about the Nintendo Power Glove (with the sounds of Skeeball in the background) From there, we hand the reigns over to Florida Man News host Joel Lounds! He was kind enough to record some interviews while at the recent Bonita Brew Fest in Bonita Springs! Listen to interviews with: Roger Phelps from 8 Foot Brewing Adam Kelley from Ankrolab Bill Vaughn from Bone Hook Brewing Alex Tatko from Coastal Dayz Dan Esperon from Crazy Dingo Brewing Daniel Higby from Millenial Brewing Ron Richards from Palm City Brewing and a real live Florida Man! Listen in...
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This is a special episode ahead of tomorrow's release of Beer For Bombs, a new beer release at 26 Degree Brewing in Pompano Beach. Brewed in conjunction with the Society of Professional Journalists, this beer is an exact replica of an imperial Stout from Pravda Brewing in Lviv. We spoke to 26 Degree Brewing owner Yonathan Ghersi about making the beer, Saturday's event, and how you can help donate. We'll include a donation link in the show notes. Listen in...
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We made it to Episode 100! Cheers to you for listening and being part of our community. And, join us as we keep recording all about Florida's craft beer industry (and beyond)! Today we are still in Tampa--Ybor City to be exact. We find our way to an old mayonnaise maker that is now the sprawling home of Coppertail Brewing. While surrounded by the aroma of tangerines being prepped for their newest release, we spoke to founder Kent Bailey on their home in Ybor, their place in Tampa's beer community, and the oft-repeated history of their namesake mythical monster. Listen in...
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We're back in the Grand Central District of St. Petersburg today, getting our Mario Kart on. Right Around the Corner Arcade Brewery is one of the smallest breweries in the Tampa/St. Pete area, but has one of the best brewery experiences. Tons of pinball games, old school game consoles, and really excellent beer. While my daughter played rather loud games of Skee-Ball in the back, I spoke to co-owner and brewer, Tom Rockhill, about opening a brewery and filling it with lots and lots of games. Plenty of time was spent discussing not only the joys of brewing on a small system along with how the old NES zappers are completely useless these days. Listen in...
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Big Storm Brewing in Clearwater got some pretty awesome equipment recently, so, now's as good a time as ever to check in with them! Instead of letting excess CO2 produced during fermentation simply escape, Big Storm now captures and repurposes it--limiting Big Storm's impact on the environment. We sat down with owner LG Govoni on a busy Thursday night to discuss their new CO2 scrubber, along with their recent and future expansions, and more. Listen in...
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We're starting off an awesome 5-episode Tampa Bay trip with Bastet Brewing--one of Tampa's newest breweries! Opened last year by homebrewing buddies, Huston Lett and Tom Ross, this brewery on the outskirts of Ybor City pays homage to Egyptian mythology and the cradle of civilization. Along with Johnny Crosskey from Tampa-based Craft Beer Ballers, listen to Huston and Tom as they discuss how the story of Bastet is the story of how beer saved the world! Of course, we'll also talk about getting their start brewing and finding a location in a rapidly growing real estate market. Listen in...
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Florida's Craft Beer Industry is (happily) no stranger to making great releases to support important causes. We are featuring two such beers from two North Florida breweries on this episode. First is Watchstander IPA from Jacksonville's Veterans United. This beer is brewed to support and raise awareness to The Fire Watch--a Florida organization created to end veteran suicide. We speak to president and brewmaster, Ron Gamble, about veteran suicide and the importance of Watchstander in bringing awareness to this crisis. After that, we speak to Bryan Burroughs, co-founder of Proof Brewing in Tallahassee. They are one of many breweries around the world making From San to Don--an imperial stout created by Pravda Brewery in Ukraine. We'll chat about their decision to make this beer and the importance of raising awareness to them. Listen in...
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There's a lot of fun with today's episode! Up first is Joe Dibecella--founder and owner of GroovyGuyGifts.com. If you haven't visited, it's a website full of some amazing gifts for pretty much anyone in your life. I am a particular fan of their glassware and coolers, and they've even branched out into cigar accessories! You'll hear from Joe about the founding of the site, what shoppers can expect, and some of the awesome new items they have. From there, we are going to check back in with Kevin Thomas, co-founder of 3 Mavins' Beer. Since we last spoke, they have released their second beer, grown into stores around the state, and further expanded their charity program. We'll chat with him ahead of the Pints n' Paws event in Sanford to hear about everything going on with the company. Listen in...
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We are heading down the crypto rabbit hole on today's podcast! NFTs are starting to make some significant inroads in Florida's craft beer community; so, now is as good a time as ever to talk about it. We start with our friends at The Tank Brewing in Doral. Coming up on March 17th, they are releasing a beer and NFT project with their friends at Keg Plebs. Our conversation starts with SJ and Izaac--artists that started the Keg Plebs and Plebs Passport program, along with Stefano and Mikey from The Tank to understand what an NFT is, the details on Keg Plebs, and the beer release that is coming up next month. From there, we head north to Lauderhill and Yeasty Brews. We chat with Daniel and Denielle from the brewery, plus their label artist Luis from Beard, Brews, and Food about their recent beer and NFT release from Super Bowl Sunday. Plus, we chat about future plans for more Beer and NFT releases as well. Listen in...
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Who doesn't love free beer? And who wouldn't love an app to show them where to get the free beer? That's where Craftapped comes in. Members get exclusive access to deals from around our state (and many others as well). They've been in Florida for a minute, and are always looking to expand. To learn more, we spoke to Brian Turner, partner at Craftapped, to understand more about the origins of the app and how beer drinkers (and breweries!) can get more out of using it. Listen in...
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Malt is, surprisingly, much more complicated and varied than I had originally thought! And, sometimes, a Florida brewery goes out-of-state to find just what they are looking for. That's what I learned when I spoke to Brent Manning, Co-founder of Riverbend Malt House in Asheville, NC. He had just flown back from Pensacola, doing a special 10th anniversary oyster stout with Bowigens Beer Company. So we spoke to Brent to understand the history and technique of malting, the incredible variety of flavors you can achieve, and dumping an entire cake into the mash tun at Bowigens. Listen in...
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This one's a bit of fun, highlighting a few fantastic and completely Florida-grown brands I am sure you'll see at your nearest brewery soon. If you've ever played Drunk Jenga, but needed something a bit more portable, Dignity is for you! This deck contains hilarious challenges and dares for you and your friends to complete. We chat with founder and creator Karolina Bauza about the inspiration behind the game and where you can find it. We then switch to CBD--no stranger to the Florida craft beer community. Chill Otter is completely grown and produced in Miami-Dade County, with a growing footprint and fanbase. We speak to Chill Otter co-founder, Genesis Martinez, about the basics of CBD, their products, and their forthcoming storefront in Broward! Listen in...
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Sun King Brewing, one of the best breweries in Indianapolis, is coming to Florida! They had limited distribution here a few years ago, but this time they're setting roots down in Sarasota--at the location previously home to JDubs Brewing. Today we speak to Sun King Brewing co-founder, Clay Robinson, about their decision to make the move south, along with that this means for more Sun King in Florida. Listen in...
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It's new, it's pretty, the beer is great, and so is the food! Stormhouse Brewing opened this year in North Palm Beach. In that time, they've grown to be an anchor of the community, bringing in a now-loyal army of locals, along with the fluttering flock of snowbirds that are starting to come south for the season. We spoke to co-founder, Josh Brinzo, his brother and head brewer, Christian Brinzo, and their amazing head chef, Ray Rizard, about crafting a full beer and food menu, opening during COVID, and getting ready for those annual visitors from the north. Listen in...
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Marketing is a vital part of every business, including craft beer. Some campaigns are merely passable, and some are true works of art. To celebrate the latter, the Craft Beer Marketing Awards (colloquially known as the
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Rockets and beers are always fun! For the past few episodes, we've been recording at Loft 305, the AirBNB directly above Playalinda Brewing's original Hardware Store location in downtown Titusville. On this episode, we finally head downstairs and chat wth the main man at Playalinda, brewmaster Ron Raike. We'll chat about his considerable time in the craft beer industry on the Space Coast and beyond, creating a brewery in a 100+ year old hardware store, and running two breweries right down the street from one another. Listen in...
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It's Part 2 of our Rocky Water Brew Fest extravaganza! On this episode, we speak to Max Green, owner of currently-in-construction non-alcoholic brewery, Leader Brewing; Sanford Brewing co-owner Bo Hallowes; Dirty Oar Beer Co. co-owner and brewer Chris Hughes; and all the way from south Florida, we chat with 3 Sons Head of Operations, Dustin Jeffers, and NOBO Brewing co-owner and brewer, Tim Dornblaser. Listen in...
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What happens with you're staying on the Space Coast, but you can't get an interview because everyone's at a beer festival? You go to that beer festival, too! This is Part 1 of our LIVE report from Rocky Water Brew Fest, coming from Eau Gallie Square in Melbourne--just a few blocks away from Intracoastal Brewing. This event features the best and brightest from the Space Coast craft beer scene, plus visitors from points beyond. It's a true brewers festival. No representatives or distributors here. Listen in as we speak to Pareidolia Brewing owner and brewer Pete Anderson, Jim Scortino from Scortino and Son Brewing Supplies, Ivanhoe Park Head Brewer Eric Van Wormer, Deviant Wolfe co-owner Matt Rolfe, and Bugnutty Brewing co-owner Jon Sheldon. Listen in...
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Beer in Lake Park? Beer in Lake Park. Way up in northern Palm Beach County is the sleepy little hamlet of Lake Park. It's booming, though, and is starting to become a hub for Palm Beach County craft beer--thanks to breweries like Coastal Karma. To learn more about them, we sat down with owner and brewer Charles Chase. We talk about the awesomeness of the future of Lake Park, creating a homey and welcoming atmosphere in a brewery, and their most famous resident, brewery cat Kismet. Listen in...
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The North Miami Brewfest is coming back! This is the 4th year for the event (we're not counting last year). So, we brought back Dr. Michael Cheng, Dean of FIU's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, to talk about the event and what this year will feature. From there, we speak to Maja and Kevin from 3 Mavins. This exciting new beer company focuses on two things: 1) bringing tasty beers to Florida, and 2) giving profits back to those communities. We sat down with them recently to chat about their background in beer and the importance to their philanthropic activities. Listen in...
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We visit Prision Pals Brewing in Doral--a production brewery right in the flight path of MIA. Argentine expats, Juan Pipkin and Diego Setti, are making a wide variety of beers to distribute throughout the even wider array of Miami-Dade County and beyond. I spoke to them about the differences between the Florida and Argentinean craft beer scenes, the importance of honey beer, and how Miami is becoming more of a craft beer town than you may realize. Listen in...
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Previously, Orlando's Ivanhoe Park Brewing celebrated their anniversary, Return to Joyland, with special beer releases. This year, they're expanding the party with a beerfest on Oct. 16th! We speak to owner, Glenn Closson, about the impetus for creating a brewfest, details, and friends that will be coming to party! From there, we head to Clearwater and Big Storm Brewing--big supporters of Ales for ALS. Instead of just a beer release, this year they are creating their first Ales for ALS Beerfest on Oct. 30th! Listen to us chat with owner LG Govoni about their support for Ales for ALS, creating this year's beerfest, and how to get your tickets. Listen in...
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It's been a long, strange ride before the opening of Pensacola's newest brewery, Alga Beer Co.! Today we welcome co-founder and brewer, Brett Reid, back to the podcast to talk about the labor of love that went into opening this new location. We'll chat about the history of Alga, moving to Pensacola, and the joy of renovations. And whatever happened to Camaro Hair...? Listen in...
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Today we speak to Andrew Mendez, co-owner of Mendez Fuel in Miami. What may look like just an unassuming gas station on the outside, these special stops actually carry a high end selection of craft beer, natural wines, gourmet food, and a full service lunch counter on the inside. We'll talk to Andrew about how he and his brother decided to turn a Mobil Mart into one of Miami's best sources of craft beer, and how they got a beer of their own! Listen in...
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What's better than a cocktail kit pre-loaded with booze, ingredients, and a live mixology class? One delivered to your door! That's exactly what Mixology Mixer has with their monthly Club Mix boxes--a subscription box featuring alcohol and ingredients to make three different, exciting cocktails. Plus each box also comes with a live online class with one of their experienced mixologists who will take you through creating each recipe step by step. To learn more, we spoke to Loni Paige, who used her extensive experience planning events of all kinds and sizes to create a fast-growing and creative new drinking experience. Listen now to learn about her background, what to expect with a Mixology Mixer box, and a few sneak previews of coming boxes. Listen in...
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There's a lot of fun to be had on this episode of the Florida Beer Podcast. To begin, we speak to Shane Kiffin Ayres, brewmaster at High Springs Brewing. He's also the creator of Brewery! The Card Game, a fun new game you can get to play at brewing beer recipes with your friends. We chat with him to learn a bit more about the game and its creation. From there, we welcome Frances Antonio-Martineau, founder of the newly restarted FemAle Brew Fest coming back to Ft. Lauderdale on Sept. 18th. We'll chat with her about the growth of the event and the awesome activities happening at this year's event at the Kimpton Goodland hotel. Listen in...
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Bone Hook Brewing has grown from a little craft beer outpost in a strip mall to anchoring that mall AND anchoring southwest Florida beer. The liquid fueling that growth is the brainchild of Bone Hook's brew master, William Vaughan. We sat down with Bill to understand a little more about the intricacies of growing a craft beer brand in Naples, surviving COVID, and tattoo artists. Listen in...
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We made it to 75 episodes! Yay! This week, we are heading back to Bonita Springs. We've had an interview in this building before--back when it was the new home of Momentum Brewhouse. Now, it's the newest outpost of Naples-based Riptide Brewing: Riptide Bonita Springs! We chat again with Riptide's Owner, Kim West, and their Operations Manager, Linden Preuss, about obtaining the brand new brewery, Naples vs. Bonita Springs, and what the new production space means for the future of the Riptide brand. Listen in...
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Todd Space's background as a high school science teacher helped to further his focus and interest in brewing beer. Finally, after 16 years in Miami-Dade classrooms (and more domestically and abroad), Todd took his science knowhow and curriculum-creating skills to establish Miami's Master Brewer Academy. We chat with Todd to learn more about the MBA and how he is helping to create Miami's next generation of brewers. He's also brewing himself as part of the team that opened Est. 33 Thai Craft Brewery and Kitchen in Brickell City Centre. This exciting new Thai Fusion restaurant features a full lineup of beers to complement the tapas-style menu. We will also get a great sneak preview from Todd of Miami's first-ever Miami Beer Week this September--an event Est. 33 will be hosting. Listen in...
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Opa-locka! The name is Seminole; the architecture is Moorish; and, the beer is Caribbean! It's the home of Legacy Caribbean Craft Brewery, one of the best little breweries in Miami-Dade. Dave and Producer Steve spoke to Legacy's Founder and Brewer, Ismael Fernandez, about the history of their long-standing brewery, their incredible family history of brewing, and that awesome beer jelly. Listen in...
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We are checking in with Alan Espino, co-founder at Beat Culture Brewery in Miami. Dave loves chatting and catching up with Alan, and this episode is no different with their discussions involving hot sauce, tart ales, and the most luxurious of Cuban espresso beers. Listen in...
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Beer festivals are back! We start with an interview with Ben Graybar, founder and organizer of the Tallahassee Beer Festival happening on Aug. 28th. We chat about the history of the event, their new location in 2021, and the amazing number of beneficiaries the event will support. After that, we will chat with Colin Gerner, president and co-founder of Stache Strong. This organization is a 501(c)3 created to bring awareness and support to brain cancer research. This year, Stache Strong partnered with breweries around the US (with several in Florida) to release Stache Strong beers and continue bringing awareness to the horrors of glioblastoma. Listen in...
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Today we are back with part 2 of our interview with Plasencia Cigars VP Jose Luis Plasencia and The Tank Brewing founder Carlos Padron. We spoke to them both at The Tank Brewing and Family Cigar Shop, about the history of Plasencia, how they operate in the tobacco business today, and even their line of all-organic cigars, the first and only in the cigar industry. Make sure to go back and listen to Part 1 as well for the full interview...! Listen in...
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It's all in the family today with the Florida Beer Podcast - Cigar edition! Plasencia has been in the tobacco business since 1865. In that time, they've grown credibility, lost everything (twice), and built up a brand that is now well-renown in the luxury tobacco industry. Their U.S. operations is now based in Doral, close to their partners at The Tank Brewing and Family Cigar Shop. Today's episode is Part 1 of our interview with Plasencia VP Jose Luis Plasencia and The Tank founder Carlos Padron about the history of Plasencia, how they operate in the tobacco business today, and even their line of all-organic cigars, the first and only in the cigar industry. Listen in...
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It's an all-spirits episode of the Florida Beer Podcast! We can't live on beer alone.... So, we start with LS Cream Liqueur, based in Montreal and produced here in Jacksonville. It's a liqueur based on the Haitian staple Cremas, and we speak to LS founders Myriam Jean-Baptiste and Stevens Charles about how their Haitian backgrounds influenced their desire to develop and produce one of the best cream liqueurs you'll ever have. From there, we go south of the border with Anteel Tequila. They're the first black female-owned and operated tequila brand, and it's now available in Florida. We chat with co-founder Nayana Ferguson who, along with her husband Don, created and distributed three fantastic varieties of tequila, with more great flavors to come. Finally, we're back in Tampa with Dark Door Spirits. Co-founder Matt Allen shines a light into this new distillery, including their vodka released to benefit local bartenders adversely affected by the pandemic. We also talk about their experience turning local craft beers into spirits, including a spirit made from Crooked Thumb's IPA and a recent collaboration with Motorworks Brewing. Listen in...
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It's a monster episode of the Florida Beer Podcast today! First, we speak to Allan Branch, co-founder of History Class Brewing in Panama City, Florida. The brewery was created in part to honor the incredible (and sometimes unknown) history of the city and surrounding area. From there, we talk with Leaven Brewing in Riverview about the most important place for breweries to advertise--social media. Located near Tampa, co-founder and social media guru Jillian Lynch shares how they started their channels (in particular Instagram) and what she posts. Finally, Producer Steve and I head to LaBelle Brewing, deep in the heart of Hendry County, to speak to founder Dan Peregrin and head brewer Corey Purcell about being the first brewery in Hendry County. Listen in...
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We have an exciting sizzle reel for you with bite-sized highlights from Gerard's first Fresh Mix episodes, beginning with a welcome from Dave Butler of the Florida Beer Podcast and the Florida Beer Blog. Listen in for clips from Gerard's first Fresh Mix guests--Scotty Firester (a.k.a.
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This is a quickie episode, as we are gearing up for Grand Central Beer Day 2021! We gave our friends at Right Around the Corner Arcade Brewery, John McMahon and Tom Rockhill, a call to understand a bit more about the event and what beers to expect. Everything kicks off THIS Saturday, April 10th; so go check it out! Listen in...
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I have waited a long time for this episode--four years to be exact! That's how long ago I met Manny Portuondo, torchbearer for La Tropical. At the turn of the century, La Tropical was Cuba's biggest beer, and enjoyed a monstrous market share before the island was engulfed in turmoil. After years of work, Manny has finally revived his family's identity in a huge new facility. Join Producer Steve and I as we sit down with Manny and head brewer Matthew Weintraub. We talk about resurrecting the ghost of a 100+ year old beer, bringing the Cerveceria and Jardines to life in Wynwood, and why they're already looking to the future. Listen in...
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Not too long ago, two Broadway actors and craft beer podcasters created a beer to help fund a program for out of work theatre professionals around the country. That program is The Actors Fund, the show is The Happy Hour Guys, and that beer is Curtain Up--a hazy IPA bursting with citric hop goodness. Three breweries in Florida are slated to release the beer, and the first is Tampa's Bay Cannon Brewing. We'll chat with co-founder Matthew Juaire about the reason behind making the beer and giving back to this vibrant arts community. From there, we head to Naples with a visit to Riptide Brewing. Since our last visit, they've had new ownership and a whole new refresh: new logo, new interior, new beer garden, and especially new beers. We sat down with co-owner Kim West in that wonderful beer garden to discuss what it was like taking over an existing brewery, changes they made, and their big plans for the future. Listen in...
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Here's our second of back-to-back episodes in Miami-Dade County! Homestead is a bit of a drive. I am firmly aware of this. Regardless, it is worth the trip to go down to Schnebly Winery and Miami Brewing Co., a full service tropical oasis right before heading into the Keys. They have it all: tropical wines, beers, two restaurants, and plenty of space... and iguanas. Don't forget the iguanas! We spoke to owner Pete Schnebly about his start in New York, building a winery and brewery, and some of the interesting legal hurdles he and his compatriots have dealt with over the years. And had a few beers, of course. Listen in...
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We are back in 2021! And let's really have some fun today, shall we? This is our first of back-to-back episodes in Miami-Dade County, and there's a lot to get through. We start with Ceiba--a new mead, wine, and cider producer coming to the Bird Road Art District. We chat with co-founder and head Sean McClain about sourcing honey and fruit in Miami-Dade, marketing their products to a decidedly different audience, and the fun things they have in their future. From there, we present the final in our pre-COVID interviews with Focal Beer Cafe. Formerly known as Bousa Brewing, the company underwent a complete ownership and vision change, coming through with an interesting business concept. Back in Feb. 2020, before the pandemic hit, we spoke to Head Brewer Carlos De La Rosa and Brand Ambassador Roy Moreno about the change, their concept, and the fantastic artwork that was going up on the walls when we spoke. Listen in...
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We start in Miami speaking to Beat Culture Brewing co-owner Alan Espinosa about some of the legal differences between mead and beer in the Sunshine State. Next, we go north to Black Flamingo Brewing. Owner/brewer Manny Jannes has been bringing his family culture and South Florida's Hispanic influences to his beers. Finally, we end in the Grand Central district of St. Petersburg, FL. and Grand Central Brewhouse, the newest brewery to open in this fast-growing hub of Florida beer. Listen in...
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Funky Buddha Brewery in Broward County's Oakland Park has grown into one of the largest regional breweries in the state of Florida, and it was only natural they would throw their hat into the ring when it came to hard seltzers. To get more information, we spoke to Funky Buddha founder Ryan Sentz to get a feel for these new seltzers, their creation, and where they will be expanding the product line in 2021. We also spoke about their partnership with the Florida Panthers, who recently got a new jersey as part of the NHL's Retro Reverse jersey line, and how that inspired them to re-release the original recipe of their signature Floridian hefeweizen. I never knew it existed. Listen in...
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You read that right, a beer diet! Well, how do you build a solid, robust diet that will allow you to drink beer without gaining the stereotypical
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The Hard Seltzer craze starts us off today, as we check in with Ft. Myers Brewing and their Spkyd line of seltzers. They recently took home Best Seltzer from 2020 Seltzerland, so we'll chat with Co-founder Rob Whyte about the win, creating the seltzers, where you can find them, and his favorite flavor. After that, we're going into the vault again, this time to Ocoee and Toll Road Brewing. Duane Morin is one of three co-founders in this small but mighty West Orange outpost of Florida Craft Beer, and we spoke to him in Feb. 2020 about the location, styles, and fitting the absolute most equipment into that little car garage. Listen in...
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This week, we start with vodka, straight from Miami! Bernard Smalls is the creator of BALT Vodka, a 7-times distilled, gluten-free, South Florida strawberry-flavored vodka that is out of this world. He created it to celebrate the friends he lost to gun violence in Miami Gardens, and we'll talk to him about those experiences, the creation of BALT Vodka, and where you can find it. After that, we're going into the vault, back to St. Augustine in Jan. of 2020. We spoke to Doug and Courtney Murr, owners of the recently reopened Dog Rose Brewing in St. Augustine's Lincolnville neighborhood. Listen to them as we chat about Doug's considerable time brewing in the Nation's Oldest City, brewing for tourists vs. brewing for locals, and those tour trains that keep passing by. Listen in...
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In our series of current Florida legislative candidates, we'll be talking to Rep. Nick DiCeglie from Brooksville, who worked hand-in-hand with Brooksville's Marker 48 Brewing during the recent closures. We chatted with him about their work and how he feels the 2021 legislative session may go for Florida craft beer. From there, we'll talk with Tank co-founder Carlos Padron about working with The de Moya Foundation. This non-profit organization places people with special abilities with companies that have open positions they need filled, such as local breweries. And, one of those breweries that has worked with them has been The Tank Brewing in Doral; so, we'll learn about how the experience has left a positive effect on the whole crew. Listen in...
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We start with Big Storm Brewing, the massive multi-site brewery along Florida’s Gulf Coast. They just purchased Big Blue Brewing in Cape Coral, so we’ll talk to owner LG Govoni about plans for the space, making hand sanitizer, their recent Belgian-style beer releases, and more. Much, much more. Then we head to Miami, where Concrete Beach Brewery is closing their doors after 5 years. Sort of, they are being remade into the new Dogfish Head Miami. Listen in...
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Florida State primaries are now over, and we now know the big matchups that will be decided in November. One of the most contentious districts is house District 15, comprising Downtown Jacksonville and currently represented by Wyman Duggan. Since he is up for reelection, we spoke to Rep. Duggan about the effect of current laws on breweries and craft beer bars, his views on how the Florida legislature can support craft beer, and all of the great breweries he represents. Two of his constituents were also on the call, Susan and Kevin Miller, the mother and son team behind Bold CIty Brewing. We'll chat about how COVID-19 has affected them and their two Jacksonville locations, trends they are seeing in Jacksonville craft beer, and about everyone's recent conversation with Division of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears. Listen in...
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Here on the Florida Beer Podcast, we are going to be getting a bit political. For our first interview, we are speaking to current Florida State Representative Heather Fitzenhagen, currently running for Florida Senate in her home city of Ft. Myers. From there, we head to Fat Tap Beer Bar and Eatery in Oakland Park, a bar and restaurant with one of the most amazing tap lists I have ever seen. We'll chat with owner Robert Robayna to learn more about the history of Fat Tap, the troubles of getting good kegs after the major shutdowns, and those amazing field trips they've been taking recently. Listen in...
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Welcome to COVID-19 Episode 14 of the Florida Beer Podcast, powered by Floridabeerblog.com. We are going around the state to speak to brewers and others in the industry to see how the quarantine has affected them and what they are doing to survive in this temporary new normal. Florida breweries are struggling to survive, and many have been affected by changing guidelines being delivered from Tallahassee. To make sense of everything we spoke to Sean Nordquist, Executive Director of the Florida Brewers Guild. He'll tell us all of the legal intricacies occurring with breweries right now, along with what you can do to help. Follow us on social media and subscribe to get the latest episodes the moment they come out. Tell your friends, and Drink Florida Craft! Listen in...
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Welcome to COVID-19 Episode 12 of the Florida Beer Podcast, powered by Floridabeerblog.com. We are going around the state to speak to brewers and others in the industry to see how the quarantine has affected them and what they are doing to survive in this temporary new normal. Not only are we dealing with the current quarantine, but there is also a tremendous wave of social change and activism spurred on by recent tragic events. But are businesses reacting to those events out of interest in the movement, or out of a sense of requirement? Khris Johnson, co-owner and head brewer of Green Bench Brewing in St. Pete posed that very question recently, and was kind enough to join us on the show to discuss this, reaching out to St. Pete's overlooked communities, weathering the quarantine storm, and slowly reopening. Follow us on social media and subscribe to get the latest episodes the moment they come out. Tell your friends, and Drink Florida Craft! Listen in...
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The current pandemic quarantine has hit the hospitality industry pretty hard, but there have been a number of organizations that have come forward to create benefits to help affected workers. Two such programs come from Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. We spoke to Michael Cheng, Dean of the Chaplin School about those benefits programs, how other departments at FIU have come forward to help as well, and the future of the the program's two best-known festivals, South Beach Wine and Food Festival and North Miami Brewfest. Listen in...
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Welcome to COVID-19 Episode 11 of the Florida Beer Podcast, powered by Floridabeerblog.com. We are going around the state to speak to brewers and others in the industry to see how the quarantine has affected them and what they are doing to survive in this temporary new normal. When preparing for a recent episode of the Sunshine State Happy Hour, we were approached by Jacksonville brewery Main and Six, who wanted to chat a bit about beers in the Bold New City of the South. So, of course, we had to bring them in! Owner and brewer Dennis Espinosa joins us for today's episode to chat about their expansion and the difficulties they face as they prepare to open. Listen in... Follow us on social media and subscribe to get the latest episodes the moment they come out. Tell your friends, and Drink Florida Craft!
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We are starting to see signs of life coming back, but South Florida isn't ready to reopen just yet. On today's episode, we reach out to Carlos Padron, lawyer and owner of The Tank Brewing in Doral to see what they are doing to get ready for a potential reopening. We also want to understand a little about how this is affecting their on-premise cigar store La Familia, and the release of their new beer Lo-Ca. Listen in...
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Pensacola is starting to dig its claws in as another exploding hotspot of Florida craft beer. One reason is Perfect Plain, the craft brewery nestled deep in Pensacola's downtown. Their owner, D.C. Reeves, sat down to speak to us about how they are changing their business model to suit the quarantine, plus take out options and their relationship with other breweries in the City of Five Flags. We also spoke to him about his work as a Pensacola small business incubator and some of the difficulties he sees all small businesses in the area going through. We also spoke about his book, The Microbrewery Handbook; Craft, Brew, & Build Your Own Microbrewery Success. It's available now at MicrobreweryHandbook.com and wherever books are sold. Listen in...
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Miami Brewing Co. and their sister winery, Schnebly Redland's Winery, are located in the Redlands area of Homestead. We chat with owner Pete Schnebly about how they're doing right now, renovations to their incredible brewery/winery/restaurant operation, and how they came to their decision not to be open at this time. Listen in...
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It is no secret that my family and I are big fans of St. Augustine, and watching their rebirth as a neat little craft beer hub in Florida has been amazing. Leading that charge is the largest brewery in our nation's oldest city, Ancient City Brewing. We sat with co-owner Greg Tuttle to understand the fate of their distribution networks, two taprooms, and how this tourism-dependent community is faring. Listen in...
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We welcome JoAnn Elardo, owner of Cape Coral's award-winning Wicked Dolphin rum distillery, to today's show. She and her team have been hard at work producing as much hand sanitizer as they can to keep Lee County safe. We chat with her today to understand what it takes to make the hand sanitizer at the distillery and at their brewpub Big Blue Brewing, how much COVID-19 has affected their community, and difficulties they are facing in the production of their needed hand sanitizer. Listen in...
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Jose Herrera is our interview for today, co-owner and co-founder of Islamorada Beer Co. Their original tap room and pilot brewery is located in Islamorada, with the main production facility in Ft. Pierce. With so much distance between them and the current blockade of tourists coming into the Keys, we speak to Jose about everything he and his team are doing to get by. And pre-made cocktails. Listen in...
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We head to our state capitol of Tallahassee today, speaking to Proof Brewing co-owner, Byron Burroughs. Byron gives us the lowdown in what's going on in Tally and how he and his team at Proof are adjusting to this temporary new normal. Listen in...
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We're in Riverview today, going to social media heavyweights, Leaven Brewing. Owners KJ & Jillian Lynch called us from the road, as they headed back to the brewery with a fresh batch of empty crowler cans to help satiate the beer consumers of Tampa. We talk to them about some of the recent challenges they've been facing and how they've tackled them, all while documenting everything on Instagram (which is a hoot to follow). Listen in...
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Today we go to Coral Springs and Big Bear Brewing, the recent winner of the 2020 Best Florida Beer competition. Our conversation is with Head Brewer Jeff Evans and his assistant, Shane Davis, as we chat about how their restaurant operations have changed and filling growlers for the first time in the restaurant's 20+ year history. Jeff is also a Coral Springs firefighter; so, we also spoke at length about that Fire Rescue has to do with suspected cases of COVID-19 and what you need to do to stay safe. Listen in...
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As we are now in our first week of our Coronavirus-induced quarantine, breweries around the state have felt a significant impact on their current and future business. To get an understanding as to what is going on, we called Mike Harting, current President of the Florida Brewers Guild. In this conversation, we check in to see how Florida's breweries and brewpubs are doing with the current economic situation and what Mike has done at his own brewery in St. Pete. And, as the co-owner of 3 Daughters Brewing in St. Petersburg, Mike shares how COVID-19 is affecting his own business. Listen in...
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Welcome to another episode of the Florida Beer Podcast, as we prepare for another festival! This time it's the renown FemAle Brew Fest on March 21st. This one is notable as it only allows breweries with female ownership or female staff on the brewing team. We then spend most of our time in the delightful Vero Beach at the mettled and storied Walking Tree Brewery. I've written about them before, and it's funny to see how things have grown there. Listen in...
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Episode 37 is a big one, and we are all over the place today. We start in Tampa, West Tampa to be specific, at the relatively new Bay Cannon Brewing. It's the first brewery in a section of the city still relatively untouched by craft beer, and I discussed that pionnering with Adrienne Juaire, Marketing Manager and Joanna Reilly-Brown, Event Manager (on top of their day jobs, being moms, and kinda being incredible at everything they do). We discussed everything from creating the brand, to finding the location, to the beers on tap. From there, we head across the state and the I-4 corridor to downtown Melbourne and Hell 'n Blazes Brewing. They set up shop years ago in a wonderful old 120+ year building and have a fnatiastic lineup of foods and taps. Setting up shop in their bank vault bonus room (and listening to plenty of footsteps from overhead), we spoke to brewmaster Todd Furbeck and head chef Drew Campbell about the history of their location, craft beer on the Space Coast, and food pairing events. There are a lot of great episodes coming up, so subscribe to us today! We are found everywhere quality podcasts are found, plus on social media at floridabeerblog. if you can, rate us 5 stars and help us reach out to more people! Listen in...
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This is going to be quite the busy episode of the Florida Beer Podcast, so hang in there... We start in Boca Raton, close to where the 2nd Annual Best of the Belgians Beer Fest is going to be held on Sat., Feb. 8th. This event celebrates Belgian and Belgian-style beers with a rather impressive list of breweries, domestic and direct from Belgium as well. It is put on by Boca Ballet Theatre and Barrel of Monks, and proceeds go to support the Ballet Theatre. To get some more info, we chat with Barrel of Monks co-owner and brewmaster Bill McFee to learn more about the festival, the beneficiary, and whether Westvleteren will appear. From there, we go across the state to Safety Harbor, to an interview I've been wanting to do for some time. It's the home of Crooked Thumb Brewing, rapidly growing and making big bounds in the Pinellas Co. and Tampa Bay beer scene. We chat with Travis Kruger, co-founder of Crooked Thumb, to learn a bit more about their expanding footprint, that name, and the kitties that run around the tap room. Listen in...
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It's a special Episode 35 of the Florida Beer Podcast today! We are heading to Ybor City in Tampa once again to learn a little more about one of their newer breweries, Zydeco Brew Werks! Heavily inspired by New Orleans, this brewery and full-service restaurant features a full bar, mind-blowing food, and some really fantastic beers made by Head Brewer, Paul Rutherford. Paul and I sat down in their barrel-aging room along with the rather colorful duo of Johnny Crosskey and Kevin Hess, the men behind the Tampa-based podcast Craft Beer Ballers. (Some of you may recall I was on that show once. That was an interesting interview.) Together, the four of us talk Ybor, craft beer, and Tampa, along with a sudden guest appearance by Zydeco owner J. Paul Pepin. Listen in...
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Welcome to the first episode of 2020! Today we go Haus hunting in the Tampa Bay area, so come along! First is our initial visit to Barriehaus Brew Co., recorded only a few days before their opening! This new brewery in Ybor is decidedly lager forward, and we sat down with co-owners and husband and wife team Brittany and Jim Barrie about all of the fun things they did to open and what they hope to achieve once they are up and running (which they are now, obviously). After that, we hop across the bridge to Clearwater and the incredibly awesome Grindhaus Brew Lab. Like movies? Beers named after icons like Bruce Campbell? Old seats from a defunct roller skating rink? Grindhaus is your place! Listen to our interview with co-owner and brewer Robb Larson about this amazing brewery. Listen in...
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Today's episode follows a brewer from her Florida roots to landing all the way in Washington! We're talking to Leslie Shore, lead brewer at Reuben's Brews in Seattle. She's from the Florida west coast, and honed her excellent production brewing skills at Darwin Brewing in Bradenton before making the trek to the Pacific Northwest. On this episode we chat about her Florida upbringing, learning how to brew in an around the Tampa Bay area, her production time at Darwin, the Seattle beer scene, and the driving force of female brewers. Listen in...
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We head to southwest Florida! First up is a visit to Southern Fresh Farms in Ft. Myers, the home of Crazy Dingo Brewing. Stu Paasche and his partner have been homebrewing for several years and have opened a space at this small farm just off I-75. We spoke to Stu about the long history of Crazy Dingo and everything going on with their new space. Then we head north to Cape Coral and Eight Foot Brewing, owned and operated by husband and wife team Roger and Alex Phelps. Roger is getting buzz as a master of mixed fermentation; so we spoke with him about bringing such inventive styles to a city not necessarily known for its beer culture. Listen in...
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If you want to open a brewery, Tavares has a deal for you! The City of Tavares currently has an RFP out for a new brewery downtown. And on today's show, we chat with Bob Tweedie, Director of Economic Development for the city on why they want a brewery, what they hope to achieve, and everything about Seaplane City. Then, we get ready for this month's North Miami Brewfest with a trip to Lincoln's Beard Brewing! If you ever wanted to see our 16th president on a penny farthing, here is the place to do it! We chat with their brewing team about beer tourism in Miami and keeping things light and fun. Listen in...
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It's almost time for the North Miami Brewfest, hosted by and benefitting the Claflin School of Hospitality at Florida International University! This year it will be happening on Nov. 16th from 3-6 PM, and it's one of my favorite beer festivals in the state. Listen in...
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David Butler’s Florida Beer Podcast has been recently featured in Forbes Magazine! David’s been doing his Florida Beer Blog for 5 years now. Or, you may recognize him from having been a Roaming Reporter on Finding Florida episode 19a. Now, you can learn more about David Butler and how he got started in this featured interview!
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We have an interesting time chatting with Jeremy Joerger from JDubs Brewing in Sarasota! If you've ever met him, you know. If not, here you go... We also have a TON of news from around the state. Openings! Closings! Beerfests! Anniversaries! Special Releases! Things! Listen in...
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We find out more about the Champions Beer Fest, coming to Pembroke Pines on Oct. 19th. It's put on by the Customer Sales & Support division of Carnival Cruise Lines, hosted by Virginia Sinicki from The KVJ Show on 97.9 WRMF, and benefits Little Smiles of Florida. Along with Virginia, we'll be talking to James and Aloysius from Carnival to learn more! From there we head to Boynton Beach to chat with Due South Brewing and Wicked Dolphin Rum about their recent collaboration of beer. And rum. And beer rum. And rum beer. There's a lot going on here. Listen in...
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We travel deep in the heart of St. Petersburg to 3 Daughters Brewing, one of Florida's largest breweries. We chat with co-owner, Mike Harting, about beers, ciders, and so much more. Then, we take a trip over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to Bradenton--the home of Motorworks Brewing. Sales & Marketing Director, Barry Elwonger, sits with us to talk about future plans and fermenting a beer... in a car... outdoors... in their beer garden. Listen in...
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We travel to Doral and meet with Carlos Padron, the owner of the Tank Brewing Company. In the episode, we talk cigars, beer, and the culture of south Florida. Listen in...
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If you listened to last week's episode (a BONUS!), you heard the audio from our live podcast from the recent Palm Beach Summer Beer Fest. On today's episode, I went into the belly of the beast, doing some small touch-up interviews with several south Florida breweries that were at the event. Afterwards, we went 3 minutes across the street to the relatively new Royal Palm Brewing, a brewery that gets pretty busy after events at the Palm Beach Fairgrounds. My friend and occasional field producer/photographer Steve Pekala and I sat down with co-owners and brothers George and Geoffrey Shetka to discuss being the first brewery in Royal Palm Beach and making the experience family-friendly. Listen in...
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This is a little different from my regular episodes... A few weeks ago I was invited to do a live broadcast from the Palm Beach Summer Beer Fest with Kevin Rolston, host of the KVJ Show on 97.9 WRMF, and Tiffani Whiteleather from DAS Craft Beer & Pizza in Riviera Beach. The video was streamed live on Facebook, but the audio was never released as a podcast. So, here is that audio! We spoke to reps from local breweries Barrel of Monks and Due South, among others. Listen in...
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We visit 26 Degree Brewing in Pompano Beach and chat with co-owner and brewer, Greg Lieberman, to get a feel for one of Florida's least-known, yet best breweries. From there, it's a quick jaunt south on I-95 to Culture Brewing, where we chat with co-owner, Alan Espino, to understand the inspiration behind one of the Magic City's hottest new breweries. Listen in...
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We have an exclusive interview with LJ Govoni, co-owner of Big Storm Brewing. I met with him at their flagship production brewery in Clearwater to discuss the brewery's locations in Clearwater, Odessa, and Cape Coral, and how each are growing and producing their own special beers. We also discuss the ice cream and coffee in the Clearwater location, cooperage in the brewing industry, labeling and iconography, and so much more. Listen in...
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Our first episode episode on the Florida Podcast Network finds Jaime and Glenn from FPN chatting with myself and Dustin from SaltWater Brewing in Delray Beach. We talk about new beers, how their brewery and tap room building is made of hard-as-concrete Delray Pine, and those E6PR six-pack rings seen everywhere on social media. We've got a very full news section, including four new brewery openings here in Florida! From there, we chat with Laura from Playalinda Brewing in Titusville. They are about to expand distribution down the Atlantic coast to Broward County and over to Collier County. We'll learn about the beers they are sending out and a full rundown of the first places you'll be able to go to experience Playalinda Brewing. Listen in...
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David Butler's Florida Beer Podcast has been recently picked up by the Florida Podcast Network! As you're about to hear, this is going to be a VERY exciting partnership. David's been doing his Florida Beer Blog for 5 years now. Or, you may recognize him from having been a Roaming Reporter on Finding Florida episode 19a. Now, with him joining the Network, we'll work to take his show to the next level! And, we now have an official launch date! The Florida Beer Podcast will be joining Florida Podcast Network with it's 21st episode on the Fourth of July!!
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Pensacola's Alga Beer Co. has been going gangbusters since their opening in 2020. Now it's time to expand and create The Florida Room, described as an 80's-themed Cocktail Experience next door to the brewery itself. We spoke to Brett Reid, Alga Beer co-founder and brewer, to get details about what the Florida Room experience will be like, along with a solid rundown on what has been happening at Alga.
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Happy 2023! We are kicking off the new year releasing our interview with Dave Lester, Head Brewer at Miami's Unseen Creatures Brewing and Blending. This part of the interview will give us a good historical basis of both Unseen Creatures and Dave's history in the Miami-Dade craft beer scene. Listen in...
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Happy 2023! We are kicking off the new year releasing our interview with Dave Lester, Head Brewer at Miami's Unseen Creatures Brewing and Blending. This part of the interview will give us a good historical basis of both Unseen Creatures and Dave's history in the Miami-Dade craft beer scene. Listen in...
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In Florida's craft beer scene, few breweries have traditions as sought after and anticipated as the holiday village at 3 Daughters Brewing in St. Pete. Now encompassing 13 tables and over 300 individual houses, this is set up and maintained by Bruce Harting, military vet and grandfather to the eponymous 3 daughters. Since his son and daughter-in-law own the brewery, he has been asked to set up this rapidly growing village every year since they opened. We spoke to Bruce to get the details about this year-round project, how big it has grown, and what is coming in the future. Afterward, we chat with Brian Horne, 3 Daughters' VP of Marketing and Sales, to find out what awesome holiday beers are coming to St. Pete to enjoy while taking in all of the lights. Listen in...
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If you didn't go to the Treasure Coast Wine and Ale Trail, you definitely missed one of the most chill, enjoyable, and fun beer festivals in Florida. You also missed a great celebration of three of the most relaxing and fantastic counties in the state: Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River! That is where we are starting our podcast today, chatting with Ian Centrone from Discover Martin, Kirk Funnel from Visit Indian River, and Charlotte Bierley from Visit St. Lucie. I spoke with each of them to get a bit of flavor from their respective counties, understand the great breweries and other tourist destinations there are, and find a great place for a post-festival meal. From there, I welcomed back Pete Anderson to the podcast. He's the owner and brewer at Pareidolia Brewing in Sebastian, and a co-founder of the Treasure Coast Wine & Ale Trail itself. I spoke to Pete to get a history of the trail, the festival, and what the future looks like for craft on the Treasure Coast.
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If you didn't go to the Treasure Coast Wine and Ale Trail, you definitely missed one of the most chill, enjoyable, and fun beer festivals in Florida. You also missed a great celebration of three of the most relaxing and fantastic counties in the state: Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River! That is where we are starting our podcast today, chatting with Ian Centrone from Discover Martin, Kirk Funnel from Visit Indian River, and Charlotte Bierley from Visit St. Lucie. I spoke with each of them to get a bit of flavor from their respective counties, understand the great breweries and other tourist destinations there are, and find a great place for a post-festival meal. From there, I welcomed back Pete Anderson to the podcast. He's the owner and brewer at Pareidolia Brewing in Sebastian, and a co-founder of the Treasure Coast Wine & Ale Trail itself. I spoke to Pete to get a history of the trail, the festival, and what the future looks like for craft on the Treasure Coast.
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North Miami Brewfest 2022 is in the books! This event, hosted by the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism at Florida International University's Biscayne Bay campus, is now in it's 10th year. And if you didn't go, you missed a fantastic event. A ton of great beer, lots of incredible food, awesome seminars, and even a 360-degree camera I didn't try. Before the event started, we set up some space and had a few great conversations. Our first discussion was with Chaplin School Faculty Administrator Mohammad Qureshi and Fermentation Lab Technician Albert Rivera. We spoke about the growth of the Chaplin School and the North Miami Brewfest. We also spoke about FIU's own offerings at the event, including some of the best spent grain bread I've had. After that, just as the event really got started, I had a conversation with two Chaplin School alumni: Temple Street Eatery co-founder Alex Kuk and Cerveceria La Tropical head brewer Matthew Weintraub. We spoke about their time at FIU and the importance of being at North Miami Brewfest. Listen in...
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It's amazing exactly how varied malt can really be. It's almost the unsung flavor workhorse of the brewing experience, and I never feel it gets the love it deserves. Enter Riverbend Malt House in Asheville, NC. Riverbend has been producing fantastic standard and custom malt blends for brewers for years. To give us the details, we spoke to Florida Territory Sales Manager, Tyler Adams. Tyler's job is to spread the word of Riverbend around the sunshine state, and he gave us the full rundown of malting in general and Riverbend in particular. We even spoke about some of the fun collaborations he's been doing with Florida breweries.
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I am a big fan of regional ale trails--especially when they have the support of local tourism boards. The Treasure Coast Wine and Ale Trail is one such example, and is fully supported by Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie counties. That support extends to the Treasure Coast Wine and Ale Trail Festival coming up on Nov. 19th. It will be on the grounds of Trail founder, Summer Crush Winery, located in Ft. Pierce. We will chat with Allen Cooley from Summer Crush to learn a bit more about operating a winery on Florida's Atlantic coast, wines they are producing, and everything you need to know when it comes to the Festival. Listen in...
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One of our absolute favorite beer festivals is back this Saturday, November 12th! We're heading to the North Miami Brewfest, hosted by the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University. As this event grows, even more of the Chaplin School is participating! Today in Part 1, we are welcoming Dr. Michael Cheng, Dean of the Chaplin School, back to the podcast to talk all about this year's event, the awesome school participation, and more -- so much more, especially with the growing number of Chaplin School alumni in South Florida's rapidly growing beer scene. Then, we'll head to the event and capture more great interviews for a future episode. Listen in...
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Florida's Craft Beer industry began on Feb. 15th, 1897 with the opening of the Florida Brewery in Ybor City, Tampa. Until it's closure in the 1960's, the Florida Brewery supplied beer, namely La Tropical, to the vibrant Ybor community. After the building fell into ruin, it was obtained by and is now the home of law firm, Swope Rodante. We spoke to Dale Swope, half of Swope Rodante, about his background in Tampa and the history of the Florida Brewery, their conservation efforts, and his support of the Tampa craft beer scene. Listen in....
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We are (or were) live at Oktoberfest at the American German Club of the Palm Beaches! Decades long, this event is as popular as ever featuring authentic German beers, food, shopping, rides for the kids, and so much more. We started back with our friend Jay Vollstedt as he gave us a fantastic tour of the American German Club's richly detailed clubhouse. We also talked about how this year's Oktoberfest is going (very well) along with some of the other events coming to the Club. From there, we spoke to Christina Vollstedt about the amazing German fashion seen at the event. Christina runs the clothing store at the American German Club and keeps it well stocked with fashions directly from Germany. She gave us a full rundown of what to wear for both men and women, and I finally understand what lederhosen are. Listen in....
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Prost! It's October, so it's Oktoberfest time! And while your local brewery is almost contractually obligated to celebrate with some excellent German-style beers, Oktoberfest is so much more than that. To get the info, we spoke with Jay Vollstedt, Member Committee Chair of the American-German Club of the Palm Beaches. The club has been in existence since the late 60's, and has hosted their own authentic Oktoberfest since 1974. Jay just returned from Germany a few days ago, and was gracious enough to go over the history of Oktoberfest, what this year's event was like in Munich, and what to expect from this year's event in Lake Worth. Listen in...
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Matt Manthe is a friend to microbes. From his collegiate years studying microbiology to his time brewing from North Carolina to Boca Raton, he has developed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the critters that make beer... well, beer. For almost 5 years, he has taken his talents to Odd Breed Wild Ales in Pompano Beach, where he is able to ferment, blend, and create some of the most amazingly delicate, yet artfully refined and flavor-forward wild ales found in the US (and beyond). Listen with us today as we finish our discussion into Odd Breed, including a glimpse into releases yet to come in 2022, plus the description of his awesome kitty cat logo!
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Matt Manthe is a friend to microbes. From his collegiate years studying microbiology to his time brewing from North Carolina to Boca Raton, he has developed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the critters that make beer... well, beer. For almost 5 years, he has taken his talents to Odd Breed Wild Ales in Pompano Beach, where he is able to ferment, blend, and create some of the most amazingly delicate, yet artfully refined and flavor-forward wild ales found in the US (and beyond). Listen with us today as we continue our discussion into Matt's time in Florida and the eventual opening of Odd Breed...
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Matt Manthe is a friend to microbes. From his collegiate years studying microbiology to his time brewing from North Carolina to Boca Raton, he has developed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the critters that make beer... well, beer. For almost 5 years, he has taken his talents to Odd Breed Wild Ales in Pompano Beach, where he is able to ferment, blend, and create some of the most amazingly delicate, yet artfully refined and flavor-forward wild ales found in the US (and beyond). Listen with us today as we start our conversation into Matt's background, how he got into brewing, and how he developed his unique style...
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I have been lucky enough to watch the brewery now known as NOBO brewery grow up and evolve in Palm Beach County. Owned and operated by Tim and Steve Dornblaser, designed by Tim's architect wife Jessica , they've been an anchor in Boynton Beach's Brewery District for years. Producer Steve and I sat down with Tim Dornblaser in their newly expanded tap room to discuss craft beer in Palm Beach County in general and Boynton Beach in particular, the joys of barrel aging stouts, and location, location, location.
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We continue down Old US 41 in Bonita Springs, past the abundance of killer Mexican restaurants, and into a newer industrial park anchored by Hopsized Brewing. Hopsized is owned and operated by husband and wife team Ana Rodriguez de Vera and Darlyn Victor. Former Miami natives, Ana and Darlyn have taken Darlyn's love of beer and transformed it into a community hub. Joined once again by Bonita Springs native, Florida Man News host, and frequent Hopsized patron Joel Lounds, we speak to Darlyn and Ana about creating that meeting space for Southwest Florida, the craft beer explosion in Bonita Springs, and getting your beers sneakily entered into beer competitions...
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Old U.S. 41 drives right through the heart of the classic downtown Bonita Springs, a drag currently in the process of a well-deserved revitalization. At one end, not too far from Riverside Park, is Ceremony Brewing. Ceremony is the brainchild of Zach Smith, local and craft beer aficionado. Not only is Zach bringing along his love of a myriad of beer styles (some of which I never thought I would see in Southwest Florida), but he has also devoted a section of his tap room to one of the most complete bottle shops I've ever seen. Joined by Bonita Springs native and Florida Man News host Joel Lounds, we speak to Zach about retrofitting an historic building for brewing, bringing some wild styles to Bonita Springs, and the possibility of his beer names summoning an Elder God. Listen in...
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Welcome to Part 2 of our agave spirit exploration! After attending Mezcal Lauderdale a few months ago, we are doing a deep dive of Mexican agave spirits (that aren't tequila) that we not only sampled at the event, but are also available for YOU to try here in Florida. On the last episode, we discovered the difference between tequila and mezcal. Now, we're going to find out the difference between mezcal and bacanora with Vinateros Bacanora. They are imported into the US through Jacksonville-based Gigglewater Imports and co-owner, Chris Allison. He'll give us the rundown on bacanora and Vinateros, along with why Florida is such a great place to import spirits. From there, we finish up with Borderland Spirits and owner Michael Hurley. Borderland is the exclusive U.S. distributor of both Batuq brand bacanoras and Mazot bacanoras and palmilla as well. There's a lot of great distilling history with these brands, and Michael will walk us through it all. Listen in...
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Yes, today we Mexico! The first Mezcal Lauderdale event was held at Le Meridien Dania Beach in May, organized by the same team behind the awesome yearly FemAle Brew Fest. This event brought mezcal (and more) producers and distributors from around Mexico to sample, discuss, and celebrate! As part of the festivities, I spoke to a number of awesome distributors and will be featuring some of them on the podcast. Today, we're speaking to Dennis Barnett, partner for DC Craft Spirits, the exclusive importer of Xicaru mezcal to the US. We spoke with Dennis about the difference between mezcal and its more well-known family member, tequila, the different expressions of Xicaru available, and how they use their profits to give back to the communities making Xicaru. Listen in...
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It's part 2 of our interview with Luis & Stephanie Cortina--co-owners of king Fox Brewery in Hialeah. Producer Steve and I are going to start getting into some beers now, as Luis was (understandably) excited to share with us some of the amazing brews he is making. Listen in...
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We're back in Hialeah with the other brewery in the city--King Fox Brewery. It's a small brewery making a massive impact in the Miami-Dade brewing scene. To get a deep dive into some of the amazing (trust me, amazing) beers they are brewing, Producer Steve and I spoke to Luis & Stephanie Cortina, co-owners along with Luis' mom, Gina. We chat about Luis' preferred beers to make, growing a brewery, and some of the amazing opportunities they have had so far. Listen in...
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Collaborations are a way of life in the craft beer industry. Whether with other brewers, celebrities, or charitable organizations, it's not hard to find a local brewery with a collaboration on tap. To celebrate their one year anniversary, Dogfish Head Miami decided to brew a collaboration as well! The brewery they chose was much-lauded Athens, GA-based Creature Comforts brewing, bringing some amazing ingredients with them to brew a special collab beer due out in July. In the downtime, we spoke to Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione along with Creature Comforts CEO Chris Herron and COO Adam Beauchamp about this collaboration, the importance of collaborations in general, and more. Plus we chat with Creature Comforts about their recent collaborations with Run The Jewels and the newly released Dogfish Head Miami collaboration with former Miami Heat star Chris Bosh! Afterward, at Sam's insistence, we went up to the control room and spoke for a few with Paul Frederickson, Head Brewer at Dogfish Head Miami. We spoke about the delicious adjuncts they used for this collaboration beer while keeping the microphone out of the hands of his amazing 5-month old co-brewer. Listen in...
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We drive past the chickens of Hialeah to Unbranded Brewing on today's episode. Opened in 2020, Unbranded is the brainchild of Texas transplant, Zach Swanson. Producer Steve and I chat with Zach about bringing a bit of Texas and beer to the City of Progress. Listen in...
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To celebrate the 100th episode of the Florida Beer Podcast, the team at Florida Podcast Network chose some of their favorite clips from recent episodes: Manny Portuondo and Matt Weintraub at La Tropical talking about brewing a beer with a history of over 100 years Allan Branch from History Class Brewing about the history of Pensacola Nayana Ferguson of Anteel Tequila about creating the first black female-owned tequila brand Tom Rockhill from Right Around the Corner Arcade Brewery chatting about the Nintendo Power Glove (with the sounds of Skeeball in the background) From there, we hand the reigns over to Florida Man News host Joel Lounds! He was kind enough to record some interviews while at the recent Bonita Brew Fest in Bonita Springs! Listen to interviews with: Roger Phelps from 8 Foot Brewing Adam Kelley from Ankrolab Bill Vaughn from Bone Hook Brewing Alex Tatko from Coastal Dayz Dan Esperon from Crazy Dingo Brewing Daniel Higby from Millenial Brewing Ron Richards from Palm City Brewing and a real live Florida Man! Listen in...
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This is a special episode ahead of tomorrow's release of Beer For Bombs, a new beer release at 26 Degree Brewing in Pompano Beach. Brewed in conjunction with the Society of Professional Journalists, this beer is an exact replica of an imperial Stout from Pravda Brewing in Lviv. We spoke to 26 Degree Brewing owner Yonathan Ghersi about making the beer, Saturday's event, and how you can help donate. We'll include a donation link in the show notes. Listen in...
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We made it to Episode 100! Cheers to you for listening and being part of our community. And, join us as we keep recording all about Florida's craft beer industry (and beyond)! Today we are still in Tampa--Ybor City to be exact. We find our way to an old mayonnaise maker that is now the sprawling home of Coppertail Brewing. While surrounded by the aroma of tangerines being prepped for their newest release, we spoke to founder Kent Bailey on their home in Ybor, their place in Tampa's beer community, and the oft-repeated history of their namesake mythical monster. Listen in...
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We're back in the Grand Central District of St. Petersburg today, getting our Mario Kart on. Right Around the Corner Arcade Brewery is one of the smallest breweries in the Tampa/St. Pete area, but has one of the best brewery experiences. Tons of pinball games, old school game consoles, and really excellent beer. While my daughter played rather loud games of Skee-Ball in the back, I spoke to co-owner and brewer, Tom Rockhill, about opening a brewery and filling it with lots and lots of games. Plenty of time was spent discussing not only the joys of brewing on a small system along with how the old NES zappers are completely useless these days. Listen in...
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Big Storm Brewing in Clearwater got some pretty awesome equipment recently, so, now's as good a time as ever to check in with them! Instead of letting excess CO2 produced during fermentation simply escape, Big Storm now captures and repurposes it--limiting Big Storm's impact on the environment. We sat down with owner LG Govoni on a busy Thursday night to discuss their new CO2 scrubber, along with their recent and future expansions, and more. Listen in...
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We're starting off an awesome 5-episode Tampa Bay trip with Bastet Brewing--one of Tampa's newest breweries! Opened last year by homebrewing buddies, Huston Lett and Tom Ross, this brewery on the outskirts of Ybor City pays homage to Egyptian mythology and the cradle of civilization. Along with Johnny Crosskey from Tampa-based Craft Beer Ballers, listen to Huston and Tom as they discuss how the story of Bastet is the story of how beer saved the world! Of course, we'll also talk about getting their start brewing and finding a location in a rapidly growing real estate market. Listen in...
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Florida's Craft Beer Industry is (happily) no stranger to making great releases to support important causes. We are featuring two such beers from two North Florida breweries on this episode. First is Watchstander IPA from Jacksonville's Veterans United. This beer is brewed to support and raise awareness to The Fire Watch--a Florida organization created to end veteran suicide. We speak to president and brewmaster, Ron Gamble, about veteran suicide and the importance of Watchstander in bringing awareness to this crisis. After that, we speak to Bryan Burroughs, co-founder of Proof Brewing in Tallahassee. They are one of many breweries around the world making From San to Don--an imperial stout created by Pravda Brewery in Ukraine. We'll chat about their decision to make this beer and the importance of raising awareness to them. Listen in...
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There's a lot of fun with today's episode! Up first is Joe Dibecella--founder and owner of GroovyGuyGifts.com. If you haven't visited, it's a website full of some amazing gifts for pretty much anyone in your life. I am a particular fan of their glassware and coolers, and they've even branched out into cigar accessories! You'll hear from Joe about the founding of the site, what shoppers can expect, and some of the awesome new items they have. From there, we are going to check back in with Kevin Thomas, co-founder of 3 Mavins' Beer. Since we last spoke, they have released their second beer, grown into stores around the state, and further expanded their charity program. We'll chat with him ahead of the Pints n' Paws event in Sanford to hear about everything going on with the company. Listen in...
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We are heading down the crypto rabbit hole on today's podcast! NFTs are starting to make some significant inroads in Florida's craft beer community; so, now is as good a time as ever to talk about it. We start with our friends at The Tank Brewing in Doral. Coming up on March 17th, they are releasing a beer and NFT project with their friends at Keg Plebs. Our conversation starts with SJ and Izaac--artists that started the Keg Plebs and Plebs Passport program, along with Stefano and Mikey from The Tank to understand what an NFT is, the details on Keg Plebs, and the beer release that is coming up next month. From there, we head north to Lauderhill and Yeasty Brews. We chat with Daniel and Denielle from the brewery, plus their label artist Luis from Beard, Brews, and Food about their recent beer and NFT release from Super Bowl Sunday. Plus, we chat about future plans for more Beer and NFT releases as well. Listen in...
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Who doesn't love free beer? And who wouldn't love an app to show them where to get the free beer? That's where Craftapped comes in. Members get exclusive access to deals from around our state (and many others as well). They've been in Florida for a minute, and are always looking to expand. To learn more, we spoke to Brian Turner, partner at Craftapped, to understand more about the origins of the app and how beer drinkers (and breweries!) can get more out of using it. Listen in...
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Malt is, surprisingly, much more complicated and varied than I had originally thought! And, sometimes, a Florida brewery goes out-of-state to find just what they are looking for. That's what I learned when I spoke to Brent Manning, Co-founder of Riverbend Malt House in Asheville, NC. He had just flown back from Pensacola, doing a special 10th anniversary oyster stout with Bowigens Beer Company. So we spoke to Brent to understand the history and technique of malting, the incredible variety of flavors you can achieve, and dumping an entire cake into the mash tun at Bowigens. Listen in...
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This one's a bit of fun, highlighting a few fantastic and completely Florida-grown brands I am sure you'll see at your nearest brewery soon. If you've ever played Drunk Jenga, but needed something a bit more portable, Dignity is for you! This deck contains hilarious challenges and dares for you and your friends to complete. We chat with founder and creator Karolina Bauza about the inspiration behind the game and where you can find it. We then switch to CBD--no stranger to the Florida craft beer community. Chill Otter is completely grown and produced in Miami-Dade County, with a growing footprint and fanbase. We speak to Chill Otter co-founder, Genesis Martinez, about the basics of CBD, their products, and their forthcoming storefront in Broward! Listen in...
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Sun King Brewing, one of the best breweries in Indianapolis, is coming to Florida! They had limited distribution here a few years ago, but this time they're setting roots down in Sarasota--at the location previously home to JDubs Brewing. Today we speak to Sun King Brewing co-founder, Clay Robinson, about their decision to make the move south, along with that this means for more Sun King in Florida. Listen in...
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It's new, it's pretty, the beer is great, and so is the food! Stormhouse Brewing opened this year in North Palm Beach. In that time, they've grown to be an anchor of the community, bringing in a now-loyal army of locals, along with the fluttering flock of snowbirds that are starting to come south for the season. We spoke to co-founder, Josh Brinzo, his brother and head brewer, Christian Brinzo, and their amazing head chef, Ray Rizard, about crafting a full beer and food menu, opening during COVID, and getting ready for those annual visitors from the north. Listen in...
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Marketing is a vital part of every business, including craft beer. Some campaigns are merely passable, and some are true works of art. To celebrate the latter, the Craft Beer Marketing Awards (colloquially known as the
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Rockets and beers are always fun! For the past few episodes, we've been recording at Loft 305, the AirBNB directly above Playalinda Brewing's original Hardware Store location in downtown Titusville. On this episode, we finally head downstairs and chat wth the main man at Playalinda, brewmaster Ron Raike. We'll chat about his considerable time in the craft beer industry on the Space Coast and beyond, creating a brewery in a 100+ year old hardware store, and running two breweries right down the street from one another. Listen in...
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It's Part 2 of our Rocky Water Brew Fest extravaganza! On this episode, we speak to Max Green, owner of currently-in-construction non-alcoholic brewery, Leader Brewing; Sanford Brewing co-owner Bo Hallowes; Dirty Oar Beer Co. co-owner and brewer Chris Hughes; and all the way from south Florida, we chat with 3 Sons Head of Operations, Dustin Jeffers, and NOBO Brewing co-owner and brewer, Tim Dornblaser. Listen in...
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What happens with you're staying on the Space Coast, but you can't get an interview because everyone's at a beer festival? You go to that beer festival, too! This is Part 1 of our LIVE report from Rocky Water Brew Fest, coming from Eau Gallie Square in Melbourne--just a few blocks away from Intracoastal Brewing. This event features the best and brightest from the Space Coast craft beer scene, plus visitors from points beyond. It's a true brewers festival. No representatives or distributors here. Listen in as we speak to Pareidolia Brewing owner and brewer Pete Anderson, Jim Scortino from Scortino and Son Brewing Supplies, Ivanhoe Park Head Brewer Eric Van Wormer, Deviant Wolfe co-owner Matt Rolfe, and Bugnutty Brewing co-owner Jon Sheldon. Listen in...
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Beer in Lake Park? Beer in Lake Park. Way up in northern Palm Beach County is the sleepy little hamlet of Lake Park. It's booming, though, and is starting to become a hub for Palm Beach County craft beer--thanks to breweries like Coastal Karma. To learn more about them, we sat down with owner and brewer Charles Chase. We talk about the awesomeness of the future of Lake Park, creating a homey and welcoming atmosphere in a brewery, and their most famous resident, brewery cat Kismet. Listen in...
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The North Miami Brewfest is coming back! This is the 4th year for the event (we're not counting last year). So, we brought back Dr. Michael Cheng, Dean of FIU's Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, to talk about the event and what this year will feature. From there, we speak to Maja and Kevin from 3 Mavins. This exciting new beer company focuses on two things: 1) bringing tasty beers to Florida, and 2) giving profits back to those communities. We sat down with them recently to chat about their background in beer and the importance to their philanthropic activities. Listen in...
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We visit Prision Pals Brewing in Doral--a production brewery right in the flight path of MIA. Argentine expats, Juan Pipkin and Diego Setti, are making a wide variety of beers to distribute throughout the even wider array of Miami-Dade County and beyond. I spoke to them about the differences between the Florida and Argentinean craft beer scenes, the importance of honey beer, and how Miami is becoming more of a craft beer town than you may realize. Listen in...
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Previously, Orlando's Ivanhoe Park Brewing celebrated their anniversary, Return to Joyland, with special beer releases. This year, they're expanding the party with a beerfest on Oct. 16th! We speak to owner, Glenn Closson, about the impetus for creating a brewfest, details, and friends that will be coming to party! From there, we head to Clearwater and Big Storm Brewing--big supporters of Ales for ALS. Instead of just a beer release, this year they are creating their first Ales for ALS Beerfest on Oct. 30th! Listen to us chat with owner LG Govoni about their support for Ales for ALS, creating this year's beerfest, and how to get your tickets. Listen in...
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It's been a long, strange ride before the opening of Pensacola's newest brewery, Alga Beer Co.! Today we welcome co-founder and brewer, Brett Reid, back to the podcast to talk about the labor of love that went into opening this new location. We'll chat about the history of Alga, moving to Pensacola, and the joy of renovations. And whatever happened to Camaro Hair...? Listen in...
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Today we speak to Andrew Mendez, co-owner of Mendez Fuel in Miami. What may look like just an unassuming gas station on the outside, these special stops actually carry a high end selection of craft beer, natural wines, gourmet food, and a full service lunch counter on the inside. We'll talk to Andrew about how he and his brother decided to turn a Mobil Mart into one of Miami's best sources of craft beer, and how they got a beer of their own! Listen in...
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What's better than a cocktail kit pre-loaded with booze, ingredients, and a live mixology class? One delivered to your door! That's exactly what Mixology Mixer has with their monthly Club Mix boxes--a subscription box featuring alcohol and ingredients to make three different, exciting cocktails. Plus each box also comes with a live online class with one of their experienced mixologists who will take you through creating each recipe step by step. To learn more, we spoke to Loni Paige, who used her extensive experience planning events of all kinds and sizes to create a fast-growing and creative new drinking experience. Listen now to learn about her background, what to expect with a Mixology Mixer box, and a few sneak previews of coming boxes. Listen in...
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There's a lot of fun to be had on this episode of the Florida Beer Podcast. To begin, we speak to Shane Kiffin Ayres, brewmaster at High Springs Brewing. He's also the creator of Brewery! The Card Game, a fun new game you can get to play at brewing beer recipes with your friends. We chat with him to learn a bit more about the game and its creation. From there, we welcome Frances Antonio-Martineau, founder of the newly restarted FemAle Brew Fest coming back to Ft. Lauderdale on Sept. 18th. We'll chat with her about the growth of the event and the awesome activities happening at this year's event at the Kimpton Goodland hotel. Listen in...
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Bone Hook Brewing has grown from a little craft beer outpost in a strip mall to anchoring that mall AND anchoring southwest Florida beer. The liquid fueling that growth is the brainchild of Bone Hook's brew master, William Vaughan. We sat down with Bill to understand a little more about the intricacies of growing a craft beer brand in Naples, surviving COVID, and tattoo artists. Listen in...
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We made it to 75 episodes! Yay! This week, we are heading back to Bonita Springs. We've had an interview in this building before--back when it was the new home of Momentum Brewhouse. Now, it's the newest outpost of Naples-based Riptide Brewing: Riptide Bonita Springs! We chat again with Riptide's Owner, Kim West, and their Operations Manager, Linden Preuss, about obtaining the brand new brewery, Naples vs. Bonita Springs, and what the new production space means for the future of the Riptide brand. Listen in...
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Todd Space's background as a high school science teacher helped to further his focus and interest in brewing beer. Finally, after 16 years in Miami-Dade classrooms (and more domestically and abroad), Todd took his science knowhow and curriculum-creating skills to establish Miami's Master Brewer Academy. We chat with Todd to learn more about the MBA and how he is helping to create Miami's next generation of brewers. He's also brewing himself as part of the team that opened Est. 33 Thai Craft Brewery and Kitchen in Brickell City Centre. This exciting new Thai Fusion restaurant features a full lineup of beers to complement the tapas-style menu. We will also get a great sneak preview from Todd of Miami's first-ever Miami Beer Week this September--an event Est. 33 will be hosting. Listen in...
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Opa-locka! The name is Seminole; the architecture is Moorish; and, the beer is Caribbean! It's the home of Legacy Caribbean Craft Brewery, one of the best little breweries in Miami-Dade. Dave and Producer Steve spoke to Legacy's Founder and Brewer, Ismael Fernandez, about the history of their long-standing brewery, their incredible family history of brewing, and that awesome beer jelly. Listen in...
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We are checking in with Alan Espino, co-founder at Beat Culture Brewery in Miami. Dave loves chatting and catching up with Alan, and this episode is no different with their discussions involving hot sauce, tart ales, and the most luxurious of Cuban espresso beers. Listen in...
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Beer festivals are back! We start with an interview with Ben Graybar, founder and organizer of the Tallahassee Beer Festival happening on Aug. 28th. We chat about the history of the event, their new location in 2021, and the amazing number of beneficiaries the event will support. After that, we will chat with Colin Gerner, president and co-founder of Stache Strong. This organization is a 501(c)3 created to bring awareness and support to brain cancer research. This year, Stache Strong partnered with breweries around the US (with several in Florida) to release Stache Strong beers and continue bringing awareness to the horrors of glioblastoma. Listen in...
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Today we are back with part 2 of our interview with Plasencia Cigars VP Jose Luis Plasencia and The Tank Brewing founder Carlos Padron. We spoke to them both at The Tank Brewing and Family Cigar Shop, about the history of Plasencia, how they operate in the tobacco business today, and even their line of all-organic cigars, the first and only in the cigar industry. Make sure to go back and listen to Part 1 as well for the full interview...! Listen in...
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It's all in the family today with the Florida Beer Podcast - Cigar edition! Plasencia has been in the tobacco business since 1865. In that time, they've grown credibility, lost everything (twice), and built up a brand that is now well-renown in the luxury tobacco industry. Their U.S. operations is now based in Doral, close to their partners at The Tank Brewing and Family Cigar Shop. Today's episode is Part 1 of our interview with Plasencia VP Jose Luis Plasencia and The Tank founder Carlos Padron about the history of Plasencia, how they operate in the tobacco business today, and even their line of all-organic cigars, the first and only in the cigar industry. Listen in...
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It's an all-spirits episode of the Florida Beer Podcast! We can't live on beer alone.... So, we start with LS Cream Liqueur, based in Montreal and produced here in Jacksonville. It's a liqueur based on the Haitian staple Cremas, and we speak to LS founders Myriam Jean-Baptiste and Stevens Charles about how their Haitian backgrounds influenced their desire to develop and produce one of the best cream liqueurs you'll ever have. From there, we go south of the border with Anteel Tequila. They're the first black female-owned and operated tequila brand, and it's now available in Florida. We chat with co-founder Nayana Ferguson who, along with her husband Don, created and distributed three fantastic varieties of tequila, with more great flavors to come. Finally, we're back in Tampa with Dark Door Spirits. Co-founder Matt Allen shines a light into this new distillery, including their vodka released to benefit local bartenders adversely affected by the pandemic. We also talk about their experience turning local craft beers into spirits, including a spirit made from Crooked Thumb's IPA and a recent collaboration with Motorworks Brewing. Listen in...
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It's a monster episode of the Florida Beer Podcast today! First, we speak to Allan Branch, co-founder of History Class Brewing in Panama City, Florida. The brewery was created in part to honor the incredible (and sometimes unknown) history of the city and surrounding area. From there, we talk with Leaven Brewing in Riverview about the most important place for breweries to advertise--social media. Located near Tampa, co-founder and social media guru Jillian Lynch shares how they started their channels (in particular Instagram) and what she posts. Finally, Producer Steve and I head to LaBelle Brewing, deep in the heart of Hendry County, to speak to founder Dan Peregrin and head brewer Corey Purcell about being the first brewery in Hendry County. Listen in...
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We have an exciting sizzle reel for you with bite-sized highlights from Gerard's first Fresh Mix episodes, beginning with a welcome from Dave Butler of the Florida Beer Podcast and the Florida Beer Blog. Listen in for clips from Gerard's first Fresh Mix guests--Scotty Firester (a.k.a.
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This is a quickie episode, as we are gearing up for Grand Central Beer Day 2021! We gave our friends at Right Around the Corner Arcade Brewery, John McMahon and Tom Rockhill, a call to understand a bit more about the event and what beers to expect. Everything kicks off THIS Saturday, April 10th; so go check it out! Listen in...
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I have waited a long time for this episode--four years to be exact! That's how long ago I met Manny Portuondo, torchbearer for La Tropical. At the turn of the century, La Tropical was Cuba's biggest beer, and enjoyed a monstrous market share before the island was engulfed in turmoil. After years of work, Manny has finally revived his family's identity in a huge new facility. Join Producer Steve and I as we sit down with Manny and head brewer Matthew Weintraub. We talk about resurrecting the ghost of a 100+ year old beer, bringing the Cerveceria and Jardines to life in Wynwood, and why they're already looking to the future. Listen in...
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Not too long ago, two Broadway actors and craft beer podcasters created a beer to help fund a program for out of work theatre professionals around the country. That program is The Actors Fund, the show is The Happy Hour Guys, and that beer is Curtain Up--a hazy IPA bursting with citric hop goodness. Three breweries in Florida are slated to release the beer, and the first is Tampa's Bay Cannon Brewing. We'll chat with co-founder Matthew Juaire about the reason behind making the beer and giving back to this vibrant arts community. From there, we head to Naples with a visit to Riptide Brewing. Since our last visit, they've had new ownership and a whole new refresh: new logo, new interior, new beer garden, and especially new beers. We sat down with co-owner Kim West in that wonderful beer garden to discuss what it was like taking over an existing brewery, changes they made, and their big plans for the future. Listen in...
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Here's our second of back-to-back episodes in Miami-Dade County! Homestead is a bit of a drive. I am firmly aware of this. Regardless, it is worth the trip to go down to Schnebly Winery and Miami Brewing Co., a full service tropical oasis right before heading into the Keys. They have it all: tropical wines, beers, two restaurants, and plenty of space... and iguanas. Don't forget the iguanas! We spoke to owner Pete Schnebly about his start in New York, building a winery and brewery, and some of the interesting legal hurdles he and his compatriots have dealt with over the years. And had a few beers, of course. Listen in...
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We are back in 2021! And let's really have some fun today, shall we? This is our first of back-to-back episodes in Miami-Dade County, and there's a lot to get through. We start with Ceiba--a new mead, wine, and cider producer coming to the Bird Road Art District. We chat with co-founder and head Sean McClain about sourcing honey and fruit in Miami-Dade, marketing their products to a decidedly different audience, and the fun things they have in their future. From there, we present the final in our pre-COVID interviews with Focal Beer Cafe. Formerly known as Bousa Brewing, the company underwent a complete ownership and vision change, coming through with an interesting business concept. Back in Feb. 2020, before the pandemic hit, we spoke to Head Brewer Carlos De La Rosa and Brand Ambassador Roy Moreno about the change, their concept, and the fantastic artwork that was going up on the walls when we spoke. Listen in...
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We start in Miami speaking to Beat Culture Brewing co-owner Alan Espinosa about some of the legal differences between mead and beer in the Sunshine State. Next, we go north to Black Flamingo Brewing. Owner/brewer Manny Jannes has been bringing his family culture and South Florida's Hispanic influences to his beers. Finally, we end in the Grand Central district of St. Petersburg, FL. and Grand Central Brewhouse, the newest brewery to open in this fast-growing hub of Florida beer. Listen in...
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Funky Buddha Brewery in Broward County's Oakland Park has grown into one of the largest regional breweries in the state of Florida, and it was only natural they would throw their hat into the ring when it came to hard seltzers. To get more information, we spoke to Funky Buddha founder Ryan Sentz to get a feel for these new seltzers, their creation, and where they will be expanding the product line in 2021. We also spoke about their partnership with the Florida Panthers, who recently got a new jersey as part of the NHL's Retro Reverse jersey line, and how that inspired them to re-release the original recipe of their signature Floridian hefeweizen. I never knew it existed. Listen in...
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You read that right, a beer diet! Well, how do you build a solid, robust diet that will allow you to drink beer without gaining the stereotypical
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The Hard Seltzer craze starts us off today, as we check in with Ft. Myers Brewing and their Spkyd line of seltzers. They recently took home Best Seltzer from 2020 Seltzerland, so we'll chat with Co-founder Rob Whyte about the win, creating the seltzers, where you can find them, and his favorite flavor. After that, we're going into the vault again, this time to Ocoee and Toll Road Brewing. Duane Morin is one of three co-founders in this small but mighty West Orange outpost of Florida Craft Beer, and we spoke to him in Feb. 2020 about the location, styles, and fitting the absolute most equipment into that little car garage. Listen in...
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This week, we start with vodka, straight from Miami! Bernard Smalls is the creator of BALT Vodka, a 7-times distilled, gluten-free, South Florida strawberry-flavored vodka that is out of this world. He created it to celebrate the friends he lost to gun violence in Miami Gardens, and we'll talk to him about those experiences, the creation of BALT Vodka, and where you can find it. After that, we're going into the vault, back to St. Augustine in Jan. of 2020. We spoke to Doug and Courtney Murr, owners of the recently reopened Dog Rose Brewing in St. Augustine's Lincolnville neighborhood. Listen to them as we chat about Doug's considerable time brewing in the Nation's Oldest City, brewing for tourists vs. brewing for locals, and those tour trains that keep passing by. Listen in...
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In our series of current Florida legislative candidates, we'll be talking to Rep. Nick DiCeglie from Brooksville, who worked hand-in-hand with Brooksville's Marker 48 Brewing during the recent closures. We chatted with him about their work and how he feels the 2021 legislative session may go for Florida craft beer. From there, we'll talk with Tank co-founder Carlos Padron about working with The de Moya Foundation. This non-profit organization places people with special abilities with companies that have open positions they need filled, such as local breweries. And, one of those breweries that has worked with them has been The Tank Brewing in Doral; so, we'll learn about how the experience has left a positive effect on the whole crew. Listen in...
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We start with Big Storm Brewing, the massive multi-site brewery along Florida’s Gulf Coast. They just purchased Big Blue Brewing in Cape Coral, so we’ll talk to owner LG Govoni about plans for the space, making hand sanitizer, their recent Belgian-style beer releases, and more. Much, much more. Then we head to Miami, where Concrete Beach Brewery is closing their doors after 5 years. Sort of, they are being remade into the new Dogfish Head Miami. Listen in...
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Florida State primaries are now over, and we now know the big matchups that will be decided in November. One of the most contentious districts is house District 15, comprising Downtown Jacksonville and currently represented by Wyman Duggan. Since he is up for reelection, we spoke to Rep. Duggan about the effect of current laws on breweries and craft beer bars, his views on how the Florida legislature can support craft beer, and all of the great breweries he represents. Two of his constituents were also on the call, Susan and Kevin Miller, the mother and son team behind Bold CIty Brewing. We'll chat about how COVID-19 has affected them and their two Jacksonville locations, trends they are seeing in Jacksonville craft beer, and about everyone's recent conversation with Division of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears. Listen in...
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Here on the Florida Beer Podcast, we are going to be getting a bit political. For our first interview, we are speaking to current Florida State Representative Heather Fitzenhagen, currently running for Florida Senate in her home city of Ft. Myers. From there, we head to Fat Tap Beer Bar and Eatery in Oakland Park, a bar and restaurant with one of the most amazing tap lists I have ever seen. We'll chat with owner Robert Robayna to learn more about the history of Fat Tap, the troubles of getting good kegs after the major shutdowns, and those amazing field trips they've been taking recently. Listen in...
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Welcome to COVID-19 Episode 14 of the Florida Beer Podcast, powered by Floridabeerblog.com. We are going around the state to speak to brewers and others in the industry to see how the quarantine has affected them and what they are doing to survive in this temporary new normal. Florida breweries are struggling to survive, and many have been affected by changing guidelines being delivered from Tallahassee. To make sense of everything we spoke to Sean Nordquist, Executive Director of the Florida Brewers Guild. He'll tell us all of the legal intricacies occurring with breweries right now, along with what you can do to help. Follow us on social media and subscribe to get the latest episodes the moment they come out. Tell your friends, and Drink Florida Craft! Listen in...
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Welcome to COVID-19 Episode 12 of the Florida Beer Podcast, powered by Floridabeerblog.com. We are going around the state to speak to brewers and others in the industry to see how the quarantine has affected them and what they are doing to survive in this temporary new normal. Not only are we dealing with the current quarantine, but there is also a tremendous wave of social change and activism spurred on by recent tragic events. But are businesses reacting to those events out of interest in the movement, or out of a sense of requirement? Khris Johnson, co-owner and head brewer of Green Bench Brewing in St. Pete posed that very question recently, and was kind enough to join us on the show to discuss this, reaching out to St. Pete's overlooked communities, weathering the quarantine storm, and slowly reopening. Follow us on social media and subscribe to get the latest episodes the moment they come out. Tell your friends, and Drink Florida Craft! Listen in...
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The current pandemic quarantine has hit the hospitality industry pretty hard, but there have been a number of organizations that have come forward to create benefits to help affected workers. Two such programs come from Florida International University's Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. We spoke to Michael Cheng, Dean of the Chaplin School about those benefits programs, how other departments at FIU have come forward to help as well, and the future of the the program's two best-known festivals, South Beach Wine and Food Festival and North Miami Brewfest. Listen in...
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Welcome to COVID-19 Episode 11 of the Florida Beer Podcast, powered by Floridabeerblog.com. We are going around the state to speak to brewers and others in the industry to see how the quarantine has affected them and what they are doing to survive in this temporary new normal. When preparing for a recent episode of the Sunshine State Happy Hour, we were approached by Jacksonville brewery Main and Six, who wanted to chat a bit about beers in the Bold New City of the South. So, of course, we had to bring them in! Owner and brewer Dennis Espinosa joins us for today's episode to chat about their expansion and the difficulties they face as they prepare to open. Listen in... Follow us on social media and subscribe to get the latest episodes the moment they come out. Tell your friends, and Drink Florida Craft!
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We are starting to see signs of life coming back, but South Florida isn't ready to reopen just yet. On today's episode, we reach out to Carlos Padron, lawyer and owner of The Tank Brewing in Doral to see what they are doing to get ready for a potential reopening. We also want to understand a little about how this is affecting their on-premise cigar store La Familia, and the release of their new beer Lo-Ca. Listen in...
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Pensacola is starting to dig its claws in as another exploding hotspot of Florida craft beer. One reason is Perfect Plain, the craft brewery nestled deep in Pensacola's downtown. Their owner, D.C. Reeves, sat down to speak to us about how they are changing their business model to suit the quarantine, plus take out options and their relationship with other breweries in the City of Five Flags. We also spoke to him about his work as a Pensacola small business incubator and some of the difficulties he sees all small businesses in the area going through. We also spoke about his book, The Microbrewery Handbook; Craft, Brew, & Build Your Own Microbrewery Success. It's available now at MicrobreweryHandbook.com and wherever books are sold. Listen in...
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Miami Brewing Co. and their sister winery, Schnebly Redland's Winery, are located in the Redlands area of Homestead. We chat with owner Pete Schnebly about how they're doing right now, renovations to their incredible brewery/winery/restaurant operation, and how they came to their decision not to be open at this time. Listen in...
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It is no secret that my family and I are big fans of St. Augustine, and watching their rebirth as a neat little craft beer hub in Florida has been amazing. Leading that charge is the largest brewery in our nation's oldest city, Ancient City Brewing. We sat with co-owner Greg Tuttle to understand the fate of their distribution networks, two taprooms, and how this tourism-dependent community is faring. Listen in...
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We welcome JoAnn Elardo, owner of Cape Coral's award-winning Wicked Dolphin rum distillery, to today's show. She and her team have been hard at work producing as much hand sanitizer as they can to keep Lee County safe. We chat with her today to understand what it takes to make the hand sanitizer at the distillery and at their brewpub Big Blue Brewing, how much COVID-19 has affected their community, and difficulties they are facing in the production of their needed hand sanitizer. Listen in...
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Jose Herrera is our interview for today, co-owner and co-founder of Islamorada Beer Co. Their original tap room and pilot brewery is located in Islamorada, with the main production facility in Ft. Pierce. With so much distance between them and the current blockade of tourists coming into the Keys, we speak to Jose about everything he and his team are doing to get by. And pre-made cocktails. Listen in...
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We head to our state capitol of Tallahassee today, speaking to Proof Brewing co-owner, Byron Burroughs. Byron gives us the lowdown in what's going on in Tally and how he and his team at Proof are adjusting to this temporary new normal. Listen in...
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We're in Riverview today, going to social media heavyweights, Leaven Brewing. Owners KJ & Jillian Lynch called us from the road, as they headed back to the brewery with a fresh batch of empty crowler cans to help satiate the beer consumers of Tampa. We talk to them about some of the recent challenges they've been facing and how they've tackled them, all while documenting everything on Instagram (which is a hoot to follow). Listen in...
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Today we go to Coral Springs and Big Bear Brewing, the recent winner of the 2020 Best Florida Beer competition. Our conversation is with Head Brewer Jeff Evans and his assistant, Shane Davis, as we chat about how their restaurant operations have changed and filling growlers for the first time in the restaurant's 20+ year history. Jeff is also a Coral Springs firefighter; so, we also spoke at length about that Fire Rescue has to do with suspected cases of COVID-19 and what you need to do to stay safe. Listen in...
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As we are now in our first week of our Coronavirus-induced quarantine, breweries around the state have felt a significant impact on their current and future business. To get an understanding as to what is going on, we called Mike Harting, current President of the Florida Brewers Guild. In this conversation, we check in to see how Florida's breweries and brewpubs are doing with the current economic situation and what Mike has done at his own brewery in St. Pete. And, as the co-owner of 3 Daughters Brewing in St. Petersburg, Mike shares how COVID-19 is affecting his own business. Listen in...
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Welcome to another episode of the Florida Beer Podcast, as we prepare for another festival! This time it's the renown FemAle Brew Fest on March 21st. This one is notable as it only allows breweries with female ownership or female staff on the brewing team. We then spend most of our time in the delightful Vero Beach at the mettled and storied Walking Tree Brewery. I've written about them before, and it's funny to see how things have grown there. Listen in...
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Episode 37 is a big one, and we are all over the place today. We start in Tampa, West Tampa to be specific, at the relatively new Bay Cannon Brewing. It's the first brewery in a section of the city still relatively untouched by craft beer, and I discussed that pionnering with Adrienne Juaire, Marketing Manager and Joanna Reilly-Brown, Event Manager (on top of their day jobs, being moms, and kinda being incredible at everything they do). We discussed everything from creating the brand, to finding the location, to the beers on tap. From there, we head across the state and the I-4 corridor to downtown Melbourne and Hell 'n Blazes Brewing. They set up shop years ago in a wonderful old 120+ year building and have a fnatiastic lineup of foods and taps. Setting up shop in their bank vault bonus room (and listening to plenty of footsteps from overhead), we spoke to brewmaster Todd Furbeck and head chef Drew Campbell about the history of their location, craft beer on the Space Coast, and food pairing events. There are a lot of great episodes coming up, so subscribe to us today! We are found everywhere quality podcasts are found, plus on social media at floridabeerblog. if you can, rate us 5 stars and help us reach out to more people! Listen in...
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This is going to be quite the busy episode of the Florida Beer Podcast, so hang in there... We start in Boca Raton, close to where the 2nd Annual Best of the Belgians Beer Fest is going to be held on Sat., Feb. 8th. This event celebrates Belgian and Belgian-style beers with a rather impressive list of breweries, domestic and direct from Belgium as well. It is put on by Boca Ballet Theatre and Barrel of Monks, and proceeds go to support the Ballet Theatre. To get some more info, we chat with Barrel of Monks co-owner and brewmaster Bill McFee to learn more about the festival, the beneficiary, and whether Westvleteren will appear. From there, we go across the state to Safety Harbor, to an interview I've been wanting to do for some time. It's the home of Crooked Thumb Brewing, rapidly growing and making big bounds in the Pinellas Co. and Tampa Bay beer scene. We chat with Travis Kruger, co-founder of Crooked Thumb, to learn a bit more about their expanding footprint, that name, and the kitties that run around the tap room. Listen in...
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It's a special Episode 35 of the Florida Beer Podcast today! We are heading to Ybor City in Tampa once again to learn a little more about one of their newer breweries, Zydeco Brew Werks! Heavily inspired by New Orleans, this brewery and full-service restaurant features a full bar, mind-blowing food, and some really fantastic beers made by Head Brewer, Paul Rutherford. Paul and I sat down in their barrel-aging room along with the rather colorful duo of Johnny Crosskey and Kevin Hess, the men behind the Tampa-based podcast Craft Beer Ballers. (Some of you may recall I was on that show once. That was an interesting interview.) Together, the four of us talk Ybor, craft beer, and Tampa, along with a sudden guest appearance by Zydeco owner J. Paul Pepin. Listen in...
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Welcome to the first episode of 2020! Today we go Haus hunting in the Tampa Bay area, so come along! First is our initial visit to Barriehaus Brew Co., recorded only a few days before their opening! This new brewery in Ybor is decidedly lager forward, and we sat down with co-owners and husband and wife team Brittany and Jim Barrie about all of the fun things they did to open and what they hope to achieve once they are up and running (which they are now, obviously). After that, we hop across the bridge to Clearwater and the incredibly awesome Grindhaus Brew Lab. Like movies? Beers named after icons like Bruce Campbell? Old seats from a defunct roller skating rink? Grindhaus is your place! Listen to our interview with co-owner and brewer Robb Larson about this amazing brewery. Listen in...
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Today's episode follows a brewer from her Florida roots to landing all the way in Washington! We're talking to Leslie Shore, lead brewer at Reuben's Brews in Seattle. She's from the Florida west coast, and honed her excellent production brewing skills at Darwin Brewing in Bradenton before making the trek to the Pacific Northwest. On this episode we chat about her Florida upbringing, learning how to brew in an around the Tampa Bay area, her production time at Darwin, the Seattle beer scene, and the driving force of female brewers. Listen in...
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We head to southwest Florida! First up is a visit to Southern Fresh Farms in Ft. Myers, the home of Crazy Dingo Brewing. Stu Paasche and his partner have been homebrewing for several years and have opened a space at this small farm just off I-75. We spoke to Stu about the long history of Crazy Dingo and everything going on with their new space. Then we head north to Cape Coral and Eight Foot Brewing, owned and operated by husband and wife team Roger and Alex Phelps. Roger is getting buzz as a master of mixed fermentation; so we spoke with him about bringing such inventive styles to a city not necessarily known for its beer culture. Listen in...
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If you want to open a brewery, Tavares has a deal for you! The City of Tavares currently has an RFP out for a new brewery downtown. And on today's show, we chat with Bob Tweedie, Director of Economic Development for the city on why they want a brewery, what they hope to achieve, and everything about Seaplane City. Then, we get ready for this month's North Miami Brewfest with a trip to Lincoln's Beard Brewing! If you ever wanted to see our 16th president on a penny farthing, here is the place to do it! We chat with their brewing team about beer tourism in Miami and keeping things light and fun. Listen in...
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It's almost time for the North Miami Brewfest, hosted by and benefitting the Claflin School of Hospitality at Florida International University! This year it will be happening on Nov. 16th from 3-6 PM, and it's one of my favorite beer festivals in the state. Listen in...
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David Butler’s Florida Beer Podcast has been recently featured in Forbes Magazine! David’s been doing his Florida Beer Blog for 5 years now. Or, you may recognize him from having been a Roaming Reporter on Finding Florida episode 19a. Now, you can learn more about David Butler and how he got started in this featured interview!
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We have an interesting time chatting with Jeremy Joerger from JDubs Brewing in Sarasota! If you've ever met him, you know. If not, here you go... We also have a TON of news from around the state. Openings! Closings! Beerfests! Anniversaries! Special Releases! Things! Listen in...
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We find out more about the Champions Beer Fest, coming to Pembroke Pines on Oct. 19th. It's put on by the Customer Sales & Support division of Carnival Cruise Lines, hosted by Virginia Sinicki from The KVJ Show on 97.9 WRMF, and benefits Little Smiles of Florida. Along with Virginia, we'll be talking to James and Aloysius from Carnival to learn more! From there we head to Boynton Beach to chat with Due South Brewing and Wicked Dolphin Rum about their recent collaboration of beer. And rum. And beer rum. And rum beer. There's a lot going on here. Listen in...
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We travel deep in the heart of St. Petersburg to 3 Daughters Brewing, one of Florida's largest breweries. We chat with co-owner, Mike Harting, about beers, ciders, and so much more. Then, we take a trip over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to Bradenton--the home of Motorworks Brewing. Sales & Marketing Director, Barry Elwonger, sits with us to talk about future plans and fermenting a beer... in a car... outdoors... in their beer garden. Listen in...
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We travel to Doral and meet with Carlos Padron, the owner of the Tank Brewing Company. In the episode, we talk cigars, beer, and the culture of south Florida. Listen in...
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If you listened to last week's episode (a BONUS!), you heard the audio from our live podcast from the recent Palm Beach Summer Beer Fest. On today's episode, I went into the belly of the beast, doing some small touch-up interviews with several south Florida breweries that were at the event. Afterwards, we went 3 minutes across the street to the relatively new Royal Palm Brewing, a brewery that gets pretty busy after events at the Palm Beach Fairgrounds. My friend and occasional field producer/photographer Steve Pekala and I sat down with co-owners and brothers George and Geoffrey Shetka to discuss being the first brewery in Royal Palm Beach and making the experience family-friendly. Listen in...
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This is a little different from my regular episodes... A few weeks ago I was invited to do a live broadcast from the Palm Beach Summer Beer Fest with Kevin Rolston, host of the KVJ Show on 97.9 WRMF, and Tiffani Whiteleather from DAS Craft Beer & Pizza in Riviera Beach. The video was streamed live on Facebook, but the audio was never released as a podcast. So, here is that audio! We spoke to reps from local breweries Barrel of Monks and Due South, among others. Listen in...
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We visit 26 Degree Brewing in Pompano Beach and chat with co-owner and brewer, Greg Lieberman, to get a feel for one of Florida's least-known, yet best breweries. From there, it's a quick jaunt south on I-95 to Culture Brewing, where we chat with co-owner, Alan Espino, to understand the inspiration behind one of the Magic City's hottest new breweries. Listen in...
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We have an exclusive interview with LJ Govoni, co-owner of Big Storm Brewing. I met with him at their flagship production brewery in Clearwater to discuss the brewery's locations in Clearwater, Odessa, and Cape Coral, and how each are growing and producing their own special beers. We also discuss the ice cream and coffee in the Clearwater location, cooperage in the brewing industry, labeling and iconography, and so much more. Listen in...
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Our first episode episode on the Florida Podcast Network finds Jaime and Glenn from FPN chatting with myself and Dustin from SaltWater Brewing in Delray Beach. We talk about new beers, how their brewery and tap room building is made of hard-as-concrete Delray Pine, and those E6PR six-pack rings seen everywhere on social media. We've got a very full news section, including four new brewery openings here in Florida! From there, we chat with Laura from Playalinda Brewing in Titusville. They are about to expand distribution down the Atlantic coast to Broward County and over to Collier County. We'll learn about the beers they are sending out and a full rundown of the first places you'll be able to go to experience Playalinda Brewing. Listen in...
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David Butler's Florida Beer Podcast has been recently picked up by the Florida Podcast Network! As you're about to hear, this is going to be a VERY exciting partnership. David's been doing his Florida Beer Blog for 5 years now. Or, you may recognize him from having been a Roaming Reporter on Finding Florida episode 19a. Now, with him joining the Network, we'll work to take his show to the next level! And, we now have an official launch date! The Florida Beer Podcast will be joining Florida Podcast Network with it's 21st episode on the Fourth of July!!
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Local Fort Myers Show
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