Craft Orlando, Ctd.

Florida Taproom. Close to my parents. Hopefully not full of Florida scumbags.

Craft Orlando, Ctd.

Some more Orlando beer stuff.



I'm having lunch with my Dad and Stepmom the day after Christmas. They are staying near Disney. I am going to push for lunch or at least a stop into Big River Grille & Brewing Works.



Cocoa Beach Brewing Company is close to my cousin's house. Maybe.



In nearby Mineola, these dudes might be worth a peek.



These guys have been around for awhile now, but I hardly ever see their beers when I visit Orlando. I WILL TRY some this time.

Craft Orlando

Going to Orlando for Christmas next week. Time to check into what is going on beer wise lately in my home town.




This place is opening soon, not soon enough for our visit though:

January 28 has been set for the grand opening of Shipyard Brewery & Emporium, the brewpub/cafe from the Maine-based beer maker. You can expect a soft opening before that date, but no decision has been made as to when customers will be accepted.

Shipyard Emporium will be at 200 W. Fairbanks Ave. in Winter Park in the building that most recently held Strollo’s Cucina Due. It was also the site of the original Dexter’s of Winter Park. Shipyard will brew its own beers on the premises, but only in small batches.

The cuisine part of the operation will be under the direction of Joslyn Tusa, a graduate of Southeastern Culinary Academy. No menu has been set, according to Shipyard spokeswoman Tami Kennedy, but the official logo, seen here, refers to the Emporium as a "market, bakery & brew pub." Tony Adams of Big Wheel Provisions had previously been attached to the project but is no longer.

I mean it's Shipyard, but it will still be cool to check out next time I am down there.

There are a few World of Beers now in Central Florida, but luckily there is also one about five minutes from my parents' house. Nice.


photo: Evan Gordon

And of course Knightly Spirits is close at hand. Actually it's not so close now, damn! They moved 15 minutes further away.



I need to finally check out this place.

Thirsty Thursday #12

Boon Geuze
by Brouwerij Boon - Lembeek, Belgium
Style: Gueze/Geuze
ABV: 6%

Another killer beer not available in Austin. I sometimes seriously think about opening a distribution company, just to get beers like this down here. I picked this one up from Knightly Spirits, in Orlando. It is so sad that Orlando has this beer and Austin does not. As far as beer culture goes, Orlando is pretty sad. I really can not understand why they have such great distribution. Knightly Spirits, you rock (and only five minutes from my partents).

About the Gueze style (from BA):
A traditional Belgian blend of young and old Lambics, which are then bottle after blending, then aged for 2-3 years to produce a dryer, fruitier and more intense style of Lambic. There is no hop character, some are filtered and force carbonated if not pasteurized as well. Some say that this is the more harsh lambic as the sourness is pretty intense.

Tart, funky, and super refreshing.

Smoked

Old, yet good news on the Texas brewing front: Rauchbier! Hell yeah, I really love an excellent smoked beer (Sofia is not a fan) and hopefully Southern Star's rendition will hold up to the better smokies out there. Info from Southern Star:
Name: Rauchbier
Started Production: August 2008
Style: Bamberg Style Rauchbier
Packaging: Draft only (Autumn Seasonal) Release Date Mid-October.
Description: A Lager Brewed with 100% beechwood smoked pils malt (malt smoked in Bamberg, Germany). Pale golden in color, and lightly hopped, this lager is a showcase of the smoked malt, with a great smoked biscuit boquet and a smokey honey taste.
Ingredients: Malt: Wyermann Smoked Malt
Hops: German Tradition
Yeast: Danish Lager
Gravity: 1.060 - 1.010
ABV: 6.5%



While on the topic of smoked beers I might as well throw in this little tidbit. This is Haandbryggeriet Norwegian Wood. I picked it up in Orlando at Knightly Spirits a few weeks ago. It is one of the bottles I lugged back to TX.



Norwegian Wood is made with smoked juniper berries. The smoke flavor on this beer was restrained, but still noticeable. Almost a spicy smokiness. Very good. Hopefully these and it's Scandinavian cousins will some day make their way to Austin.

And to round out the whole smoked thang - I just picked up my first Stone Smoked Porter in Austin. If you have not heard yet, it is available in Austin now, along with Ruination and Oaked Arrogant Bastard.

Florida Beers

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I was recently in Orlando, FL for my grandfather's funeral. While this was an obviously sad occasion, it was also an opportunity to grab some beers I can not get in Austin. My plan was to fit in a visit to Orlando Brewing or at least pick up some of their beers. Alas, time was tight and I could not swing it. But I was able to stop by Knightly Spirits, a terrific store five minutes from my parents house.



This is what I bought and brought home to Austin. A couple Hopfen Weisse, a Grand Cru, and a sixer of Brooklyn Lager (a beer close to my heart, after living in Brooklyn for four years). I also had a sixer of Two Hearted Ale, but this was finished in Orlando.






I'll be back in Orlando soon and then again for Christmas. I plan on bringing much more back before 2009.

Sorry about the lack of posting lately. My grandfather recently passed away. I have been in Orlando for the past five days. I am back in Austin now and ready to step it up, blogwise.

The picture above is obviously of the very refreshing Cascade Ale by Deschutes, one of the beers my cousin, Daniela, brought me back from her recent trip to Portland. Thanks Daniela.

On the topic of bringing back beer, I returned from Orlando with a few goodies. More on that later.

I once toyed with the idea of making this a beer/skateboard blog. I decided against it. It is not often that the worlds of craft beer and skateboarding collide. The latest Skateboard Mag took up this idea and interviewed a Philadelphia am who spends his time off the board homebrewing. It was a pretty interesting little column. Check it out at your local bookstore. It is issue number 53.