F
or the past 10 years, I have been fortunate enough to represent members of the craft beer industry – both as their attorney and as their lobbyist. In that time, I have occasionally brewed my own beer but, more importantly, gained a wealth of experience about the alcoholic beverage industry as a whole, and am probably uniquely qualified to pass along some insight about the craft beer scene around the state. Throughout the holiday season, there are plenty of great annual events and special releases from Florida breweries. Here are a few to help keep the holidays festive! They have already happened, but you can put them on your calendar for next year.
Events
Florida Brewers Guild, Barrel-Aged, Sour, and Cider Festival (Mid-November): Hosted at Intuition Ale Works in Jacksonville, this annual event showcases some the trendier styles in craft beer, namely, as the name implies, high ABV barrel-aged beers, sour beers and ciders. Innovation is key here, with breweries experimenting with different whisky, rum and tequila barrels; colorful sours with flavors such as raspberry lychee, cherry lime, watermelon, pineapple, guava, passionfruit and marshmallow; and experimental ciders and meads. Tampa Bay Brewing Company, Bad Ass Beerfest (Mid-November/December): This annual event is typically held during November/December and is hosted at the brewery’s main production brewery in Westchase. Participating breweries are invite-only and come from all over the world; the 2019 festival featured over 60 breweries and 200plus unique beers. With bands, food trucks, and plenty of world-class beer, this is one of the best fall events in the Tampa Bay area. Old Coast Ales, Night of Pints (late November-January): Sponsored by Old Coast Ales, The BOG Brewing Co., Ancient City Brewing and Dog Rose Brewing, this annual event runs concurrently with the Nights of Lights in St. Augustine. This brewery crawl event also supports a good cause, with charitable proceeds going to Keepers of the Coast and HAWKE Bird and Wildlife Rescue.
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