Beer/Food Pairing Chart

The real snob knows (or at least pretends to know) which foods pair favorably with their favorite beers.  We had to learn somewhere, and this is a good place to start.

Beer Tripping - Jacksonville, Florida

We Snobs travel to events and destinations across the country and further abroad in the pursuit of our favorite tasty beverage.  While Tampa gets most of the press for craft brewing in Florida, we have heard whispers about Jacksonville's burgeoning beer market, so we though we would take the trip to see if the rumors were true.  We were pleasantly surprised and had a great weekend of boozing and suggest that you try Freakville as well, here are a few recommendations for you to try.

Favorite Pub - Goozlepipe and Guttyworks

Kickback's Gastropub has been open in the hipster area known as 5 Points/Riverside on King Street since 2005.  The gastropub was well known for a dandy beer selection and really decent food... and equally famous for dead slow service.  They recently expanded into the space next door which is about 6 times the size of the original pub and christened it Goozlepipe and Guttyworks.

 Goozlepipe and Guttyworks is a really cool space with a semi-steampunk feel with 3 levels of entertainment are featuring a mezzanine overlooking the pub, the main room, and a basement (purported to have a large assortment of Belgian beers) as well as a covered outdoor space for those who love to sweat. As verified snobs, our primary goal was to witness and enjoy the Belgian basement, said to have over 100,000 bottles of Belgian liquid gold ... and IT WAS FRIGGING CLOSED, for a 'private event' (Brew Bus can kiss my hairy ass). I must say, that even though we were disappointed to be denied the basement, the main dining room was cool enough to keep us entertained for several hours with their 190+ beers on tap and Gramatic playing on Pandora.  Though we did not try anything from their extensive food menu, the offerings looked quite tempting, however, the regulars that were chatting with said their service, though not as slow as before, is still not stellar.  We will happily visit this pub again ... and the basement had better be open.
http://www.kickbacksgastropub.com/goozlepipe---guttyworks.html
910/914 King St.
Jacksonville, FL 32204









Favorite Brewery - Pinglehead Brewing/Brewers Pizza Brewpub

An exuberant fan convinced us to make the drive to Orange Park to try out this brewpub.  And ain't this an odd little place. A tiny hole in the wall pizza joint called Brewers Pizza and what the hell?  A brewery in the back?  No shit? 

Banana Pancakes (9.5% ABV) breast .... yeasty .... sweet .... yep, banana pancakes.  I feel as if though I could drink lots of this one, but at 9.5% the reality is that at 9.5%, 2 glasses would put me on the floor.

Badass BD's Dark Belgian Ale (9.0% ABV) these guys sure do like sweet beers, but damn fine. Do you like Belgian Quads?  Try this one. Dark fruits and molasses .. Smoooooooth.

Ambitious Monk Belgian Triple (8.5% ABV) again, a superb beer. This gem is a yeasty treat with a bit more sweetness that you would normally find in a triple, but not overpoweringly so. I would probably compare more to more to a Duvel than to a Belgian triple.

Redemption Brown Ale (6.9% ABV) this is a fine example of a brown. Malty and slightly dry, but a bit thin, with a coffee background ... an easy drinker.

The beers were a bit sweeter than we typicall prefer, but the flavors were quite refined, good stuff.  There was a steady parade of patrons lining up to take their pizza to go who praised their food, though we were to stuffed to try any.

http://www.brewerspizza.com/home/
14B Blanding Blvd.
Orange Park, Florida 32073

Favorite Restaurant - Blind Rabbit:  A Burger and Whiskey Bar

This hipster joint can be found directly across the street from Goozlepipe and Guttyworks and while you would thing we would go for a joint with great beers, we sometimes have other cravings.  Yeah, of course we are self described beer snobs, but we are whiskey whores as well.  No, no, don't worry, they had a pretty damn fine beer list as well, but honestly, were weren't there for the booze, we needed sustenance.  This place also had a great vibe, a kind of a relaxed sophistication that you rarely find, and with very good service. The gang jumped all over the whiskey, then immediately face first into the menu filled with southern style delights and burgers (http://theblindrabbitwhiskeybar.com/menu/).  Once the food arrived the conversation ceased as we were busily occupied with stuffing our faces.  Delightful entrees all around and zero complaints
with the Southern Burger and Shrimp & Grits garnishing the most accolades. Dandy whiskey joint.

http://theblindrabbitwhiskeybar.com/
901 King Street
Jacksonville, Florida 32204

Brewery of the Month - Marker 48 Brewing

Have you read all of the reviews for Marker 48 Brewing online?  All of the people who reviewed the brewery on Yelp gave it 5 our of 5 stars.  Everyone. So we had to make the trip north to Brooksville to try this bastion of craft brewing in the hinterlands.  Brooksville.

The facility is really pretty nice. They have taken an abondoned oil auto repair facility and converted it to create a very pleasant tasting room and brewery.  While you are sitting at one of the tables you can look down through a glass window into what was at one time the oil changing access pit and oil storage to see barrels of aging brews. Nicely done.  They are dog friendly as well and will even bring your stinky pooch a fresh bowl of water to enjoy.  Also, the bar features a cooling tray to keep your beers nice and cold and the servers are quite pleasant.

At some time, however, you are going to actually have to try their beer.

The were several first timers at our table, none local, and all had very similar views on what was being sampled. Here is a brief synopsis of what we tried:

Half Fin Hefe (7% ABV) - Slightly yeasty, traditional banana flavor, very light.  Easy drink

Gulf Coast Blonde (4.5% ABV) - Fair session beer with just enough hops to be interesting. Light body.

Suncoast Trail, Cream Ale (5.5% ABV) - Can't say that I would care to try this one a second time.

Meet the Heat, Raspberry Chili Saison (7% ABV) - The raspberry overpowers any subtly that you would expect from a saison.  No chili burn detected.

Belgian Bronze, 'Belgian Specialty' Beer (6% ABV) - Not sure what exactly is Belgian about it.  Tastes like an OK brown ale.

Mermaids Milk, Milk Stout (6% ABV) - A decent enough stout that I wouldn't turn down if offered to me, but I wouldn't seek it out.

 

Our biggest issue that we had with the Marker 48 beers was that all were thin and water with none of the beers tried having any texture.  Though to be perfectly honest ... Brooksville.  The brewer may be having to choose between producing full flavored brews vs. the palates of people that typically choose Bud Light as their beer of choice.

Their beer are decent enough (except for the cream ale, which is a beer to avoid) and not unpleasant.  In a sports bar setting I would choose their beers over mass market beers, but I would probably not choose them over most of the other local craft brewers.  Should you be driving along Cortez Boulevard in Brooksville, stop in, have a beer, it is worth the stop.  We cannot, however, recommend making a special trip.

Marker 48 Brewing can be found at:

12147 Cortez Blvd, Brooksville, FL 34613 
Tel: (352) 606-2509

St. Patrick's Day Chocolate Stout Layer Cake

Cake AND beer in one place?!?!  Hell, yes!

Ingredients

1. Cake
   • 2 cups stout (such as Guinness)
   • 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
   • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2. • 4 cups all purpose flour
   • 4 cups sugar
   • 1 tablespoon baking soda
   • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
   • 4 large eggs
   • 1 1/3 cups sour cream
3. Icing
   • 2 cups whipping cream
   • 1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preparation

1. For cake:
   1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
   2. Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.
2. For icing:
   1. Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.
   2. Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake. 

Beer Styles 101

Sometimes we forget that no everyone has had years of beer drinking experience when we are talking to them about craft beer.  Often we can see the glazed over eyes and blank stare that means they are clueless about the obscure beer fact that you are droning on about (beer snobs are FULL of obscure, boring beer facts).  So here is a simple infographic to help along the neophyte who is yearning to be a zymurgyologist, just like you.  Keep at it, young Skywalker, and you too may be a beer Jedi some day.

The Bad Monkey in Ybor February Tap Takeover

Hidden Springs Ale Works is this month's The Bad Monkey tape takeover.

The Bad Monkey invites you to join us at our February Tap Takeover as we welcome Hidden Springs Ale Works to come take over our Center Island Taps. On Thursday, February 18th, from 6 - 8 PM Hidden Springs Ale Works will be showcasing four of their Locally made Craft Beer selections.
There will be FREE SAMPLES, Free Beer Swag and more.

...

The ‪#‎BadMonkeyYbor‬ is located in the Ybor City Historic District - we are a short ‪#‎trolly‬ ride from ‪#‎DowntownTampa‬ on The TECO Line Streetcar System/
The Bad Monkey Ybor - 1717 E 7th Ave, Tampa
www.badmonkeyybor.com

What does the future hold for craft beer in the Tampa Bay area?

By now you have heard of the demise of 2 of our local breweries in quick succession.  Is the the death knell for the local craft beer industry?  Probably not.  Coincidence? Again, probably not.

There are over 40 breweries in the Tampa Bay area, with several more planned.  The additional breweries could be a boon to the local economy, but many believe that the market has reached saturation and that they will add to the glut of craft beer flooding the area.  It is true that other metro areas of a similar size across the nation support a greater number of breweries.  Seattle, for instance, has over 100 breweries and many more in the planning stages. But Tampa is not Seattle, and Florida beer drinkers do not compare to the beer connoisseurs of the west coast.  Beer culture is ingrained in Seattle culture and craft beer has been part of their lives for many years, whereas in Florida, the craft beer movement is relatively new and the palates of our citizens are relatively undeveloped.  This fact is easily confirmed by looking at the beer selection in your favorite sports bar or watering hole.... Bud, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Coors, etc. still rule the taps.  Ever so often you may see a "craft" beer offering, like Yuengling *wince* or even rarely a Jai Alai from Cigar City.  In Seattle, it is a rare case indeed to visit a bar or restaurant that doesn't have a dandy selection of local brews.

So what does this mean for the future of the local beer market?  The answer is complex.  Were you
around for the real estate boom in the early part of the century? At that time, any inept investor could buy a property, sit on it for six months, and sell it for a sizeable profit.  Then came the crash.  The real estate investors believed that the boom would never end and that the money tree would never die.  The beer market here has been about the same.  The unbridled enthusiasm of the hipsters who 'discovered' craft beer rushed madly to their local brewery and slugged down whatever beer they were told was delicious so that they post online "Look, I'm drinking craft beer.  I'm cool".  The thing about hipsters is that they are fickle and quickly move on to the next cool thing.  The boom will come to an end, if it hasn't already.

The survival of the local beer industry rests squarely on the shoulders of the local brewers and their investors.  As with any business there are three kinds of owners:
1. The owner who generally knows business, but doesn't know THIS business and thinks that they can make a go of whatever they try.  This guy will probably fail when the inevitable bubble breaks.
2. The owner that knows his craft, but really doesn't know how to do business.  This owner can survive if the product that they produce is superior, but often fails anyway due to lack of business acumen.
3. The last is the business owner that knows their craft AND knows business.  This savvy bastard usually survives whatever comes at them.
The brewery failures that have recently occured confirms this observation. One made great beer, but business experience was weak, the other had a good business model, but didn't make great beers.

The nuts and bolts of survival is too complex to be analysed by a cretin like me, but here is the simplified version.  One of two things will happen in the near future with the craft beer industry in Florida, it will either see sales slow and eventually reach a stable sales level or it will contract, with many of the less agile companies closing their doors.

The simplistic answer to what can be done when the slowdown occurs to keep the more business savvy companies brewing are:
1.  No crap on tap.  You already know which breweries will survive, don't you?  It's the ones that you often visit because you love their beers.  You have found yourself skipping trips to the breweries that have 'meh' beer.  The brewers that are producing beers for mass market appeal will fail in the face of competition from the big guys.  Anheuser Busch spent $1.57 BILLION on advertising in 2014.  The type of drinker that drinks mass market beer is a sucker for rhetoric and will always choose to spend $9.00 per 12 pack for mass market beer over $6.00 per craft beer.  The drinkers who will always spend their money on good beer over crap beer will rarely choose mass market style beer.
2.  Advertising.  Ted Turner was once asked how to succeed at business.  His response; "Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise".  With enough advertising money you can even make an absolute shit beer like Dos Equis sell to suckers.  Of course you can't expect the local guy to shell out $1.57 billion on advertsing, but the wise brewer will try to stir up excitement in their immediate neighborhood by offering incentives, donating to local schools and charities, and getting out to meet potential customers.  There is an old wives tale that says a person must see a product 3 times to remember it's name.  Another school of thought uses the rule of 7, saying that it takes 7 times.  The reality is that studies show it take 12 times for a person to start thinking that a product is pretty good, and that the input must be kept up ad nauseum for our vacant brains to retain the information.  Think about the last football game you watched on TV, how many beer or car ads by the same company did you see during the game? 5?  10?  And that is just ONE game.  Keep up the sales pitch and survive.  Beer festivals are not the answer .... too many brewers clamboring for the dollar of someone who is already going to buy craft beer is a waste.
3. Collective consciouseness.  It is very difficult for a small business to maintain advertising for any length of time.  It's not like the brewer has huge profit margins.  If everyone that is a member of the Florida Brewers Guild pitched in to an advertising pool it would be quite a sum of cash.  The Brewers Guild could then afford to hire an advertising firm to help Florida craft beer producers tap (heh heh) into new markets, at home and abroad.  Let them help honk the horn, ring the bell, wave the flag .... or whatever cliche you can come up with.  It will benefit all involved if all are marketed as a whole.  A tourist from China doesn't even know that they want a craft beer until they are convinced that a tasty beer is exactly what they need.

YOU  can help by continuing to buy and enjoy locally made craft beers and if your lcoal watering hole doesn't carry you favorite beer, ask them to bring it in.