A guide to local brews and booze
A handful of new breweries and one of the area's most popular beer fests are putting Pensacola on the map for craft beer connoisseurs. As more and more people are drinking local, brewers (and even craft spirit and mead makers) are meeting the demand with some unique and eco-friendly products.
By Shelby Nalepa
September 7, 2017
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Photo Courtesy of A Little Madness Brewing Company David Beddick, co-owner of A Little Madness Brewing Company, and his wife, majority owner Dayna Beddick, value local ingredients and sustainable practices when it comes to their brews. They are currently working on building and opening their very own brewery on Davis Highway. The Beddicks bought the property intended for A Little Madness two years ago, but have faced some setbacks since then. The property's land use codes didn't allow for a microbrewery designation, so they are currently in the final stages of working with the county to build their business.
"We have the lot cleared and the foundation poured and will be erecting the steel building in the next few weeks," Beddick said. "In the meantime, we are doing what we can as far as homebrewed versions of what we plan to serve." Beddick and his wife utilize solar panels in the brewing process and prioritize environmentally friendly brewing practices. The couple adopted these principles 17 years ago when Dayna worked at a pub in Pennsylvania that also used sustainable methods and ingredients from local farmers and vendors. "We have solar panels installed in our home which is the part of the reason I wanted
roots. Some favorites include the Lil’ Napoleon IPA, Riptide Amber and the Treasure Grove Pale Ale. The DeLuna Kolsch and the Blackbeard Stout pay tribute to the Spanish conquistador who first colonized Pensacola, and the city’s history of pirates and legends of buried treasure in Perdido Bay. Brewery tours are available on most Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. for $5 per person. 225 E. Zaragoza St. pbbrew.com
Photo Courtesy of Pensacola Bay Brewery
PENSACOLA BAY BREWERY
Since opening in 2010 Pensacola Bay Brewery has been leading the local craft beer movement. Drinking one of their beers is almost like a free history lesson. Co-owners Elliot Eckland and Mark Robertson, who both started out brewing in the Escambia Bay Homebrewers Club, make beers that honor the city’s historical 414 1
GULF COAST BREWERY
By most standards this brewery, which opened last February, is still relatively new. But they’ve established themselves quickly as a favorite among the Pensacola beer loving community. The 13,000-square-foot microbrewery features a large taproom, walk-in humidor cigar room, a wine lounge and a large cigar lounge. Owner Elliott Eckland has experience in the brewery business, as the co-founder of Pensacola
to get into brewing," David said. "I always wanted to know what I was putting into my body when I would drink a beer. That led to us starting to brew our own and we knew we wanted to take it to the next level." Beddick said that the solar panels aid in the brewing process by preheating water in thermal collectors on their roof. "Our plan is to incorporate solar collection on the roof of the brewery to offset energy usage during the brewing process," Beddick said. "While our plans include utilizing solar thermal to heat our brew water and photovoltaics to produce electricity for the three-phase electric brewhouse, our hope is to increase our capacity early in the process." The Beddicks have also designed their building to minimize energy usage by including LED lighting, energy efficient appliances and bio-based insulation made of soybeans and recycled plastic bottles. "We're not rich investment bankers," Beddick said. "We are a family-owned, woman-owned business trying to make this happen. This has cultivated over a lifetime of learning this stuff." Although the delayed opening has caused added stress for the Beddicks, David said that they are much more focused on making great beers and doing it correctly, as well as giving back to the community. "Our goal is to showcase a not-for-profit every first Saturday of the month and have a beer on tap where the proceeds go back to that organization," Beddick said. "We are looking
forward to giving back and overlapping for the betterment of our community." Paying a fair wage is also a top priority for the Beddicks. "We want to pay a good wage," Beddick said. "When we expand our immediate family into our work family we want people to feel invested in the company, which is why higher wages are so important." Some of their most unique beers include the Lavender Iron Wit, the grapefruit-infused Paloma Ale, the Keep Calm And Cherry Saison, as well as a holiday beer called Santa's Sauce with toasted coconut and vanilla bean. Longtime members of the Escambia Bay Homebrewers Club, A Little Madness will be set up at the Emerald Coast Beer Fest this year, with an Arnold Palmer-inspired brew. "We tend to bring some of our best and most unique stuff to these events," Beddick said. "We've been involved with the club for so long now, so it always feels good to be there."
Bay Brewery. Eckland also saw a need for more places to enjoy cigars in Pensacola, so he decided to incorporate a cigar lounge and a walk-in humidor into this brewery. Some beers currently on tap include a Blood Orange Light Ale, Pineapple Blonde Ale, Pensacola Pilsner, Changing Tides Cream Ale, Mindbender Double IPA, German Vienna Lager and a Sandbar Red Ale. Brewery tours are available Saturdays at 2 p.m. for $5 per person and they last about 45 minutes. 500 E. Heinberg St. gulfcoastbrewery.net
Red Ale, IPA, Porter and Irish Stout—for decades. McGuire’s beer-making tradition all started with a trip to Ireland. In a time when brewpubs and microbreweries were pretty much nonexistent in Florida, the Martins traveled to Ireland and Great Britain where they visited a lot of pubs with breweries. It was a twist of fate that at the same time they wanted to open the brewery in a restaurant, the Florida Legislature had just passed a bill allowing brewing. Martin brought in Steve Freed, who developed most of the now-famous McGuire’s beers and handled the brewing schedule until retiring in 2006. Enter Mike Helf, a home brewer and former employee of Mad Anthony Brewery in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He brought a bit of modernity to the McGuire's menu, introducing the likes of the Coffee Porter, among many other seasonal selections. 600 E. Gregory St. mcguiresirishpub.com
MCGUIRE’S IRISH PUB
Pensacola’s most beloved Irish pub isn’t just the home of the city’s best 5k or cheapest bean soup. Founded by McGuire Martin and his wife Molly in 1977, the landmark is also home to a brewery, where they’ve been churning out their five signature brews—McGuire’s Light Ale, Irish
A LITTLE MADNESS BREWING COMPANY 9838 N. Davis Highway alittlemadnessbrewingcompany.com
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Photo Courtesy of Seville Quarter Back in the mid-‘90s, a group of home brewers and small craft brewers got together at Apple Annie's in Seville Quarter and had a beer tasting. Twenty-two years later, that tasting is now called Emerald Coast Beer Festival and it has grown into an annual event that attracts almost 2,000 attendees year after year and features over 300 craft beverages to sample. The fest also does good in the community, as portions of the proceeds benefit local charities and help the Escambia Bay Homebrewers Club continue in its mission of teaching others how to brew at home and educating people regarding craft beer, wine, mead and cider. The charities ben-
efitting from the 2017 Festival are AlfredWashburn Center and Seville Rotary Club. Escambia Bay Homebrewers Club Secretary April King said that breweries and homebrewers will be on hand to discuss the details of the beverages, so if you’re interested in learning about beer, how it’s made and what ingredients are used, this fest is definitely for you. “This is the only regional beer festival that highlights the home brewer,” King said. “A beer created by a home brewer is a one-of-a-kind beer that you will not taste anywhere else. Since home brewers work with smaller batches, they experiment more and have come up with some fabulous beers that taste wonderful.” Some newcomers this year include Bold
City Brewery from Jacksonville, Crosstown Brewing Co. from Memphis, Big Beach Brewing Company from Gulf Shores, Haint Blue Brewing Co. from Mobile, Second Line Brewing and Parleaux Beer Lab from New Orleans, Oasis Texas Brewing Company from Austin and locals Swan Neck Winery and Mead. Returning local favorites will include Pensacola Bay Brewery, Gulf Coast Brewery, McGuire’s and Redneck Riviera Brewing Project. “This is the first time that Swan Neck, a 100 percent meadery, will attend,” King said. King also said that Alga Beer Co., a homebrew club that is just starting up, will also be participating, as well as A Little Madness Brewing Company.
If Emerald Coast Beer Festival leaves you craving more beer in a festival setting, these regional events are worth adding to your fall calendar.
ing over 40 handpicked Florida craft breweries. The brewery representatives will be pouring over 100 extremely limited and rare beers.
FLORIDA TAP INVITATIONAL
Sept. 23, New Orleans nolaontap.org The Eighth Annual NOLA on Tap will feature over 400 local, national and home-brewed beers. Added bonus: it’s a dog-friendly festival and the largest annual fundraiser for the Louisiana SPCA.
Brats, sauerkraut and a variety of German beer will flow during this festival. German style musical acts will also be on hand. Children are welcome during the day, when the event is free and family-friendly. After 6 p.m., it’s strictly 18 and up though, plus a cover charge.
Sept. 29-30, Tallahassee floridatapinvitational.com For the fifth year in a row beer enthusiasts will gather in the capital city to experience one of the largest two-day craft beer festivals around. On Friday night there’s a kick-off party—which is kind of like a beer carnival, complete with live music and an assortment of beer themed games. On Saturday, Proof Brewing Company will host the big event—a beer festival featurSeptember 7, 2017
NOLA ON TAP BEER FEST
FLORA-BAMA’S OKTOBERFEST
Oct. 7, Perdido Key florabama.com/events/oktoberfest
BAYTOWN WHARF BEER FEST
Oct. 13-14, Sandestin baytownewharfbeerfestival.com This event is actually two beer fests in one. Friday night is all about locals with the “Beer From Around Here” tasting. Saturday is the main festival event, which will feature 40 breweries, offering close to 200
“We also are anticipating the opening of Perfect Plain Brewing Co., as they just recently got their tanks delivered,” King said. “They won’t be at the fest this year, but they will be opening soon downtown.” The Santa Rosa Beach based brewery Grayton Beer Company will be in attendance and kicking off their fall brewing season. The brewery has a new seasonal harvest ale slated for release in mid-September, after a successful harvest of Centennial hops from Hop Head Farms, located in Hickory Corners, Michigan. “We are not only highlighting Florida craft beer makers, but the entire Southeast region as well,” King said. “Oasis Texas Brewing from Austin will be our furthest brewer in attendance.” As always, King said, the homebrew clubs come up with some unique beers and this year is no different. “The beers this year include an alternative beer made with honey and molasses, Cherry Agave Wine, Peachy Coconut Ale, Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout and a Coconut Lavender Shandy,” she said. The festival is Friday, but there is also a Beer Pairing Dinner Thursday night. The featured brewery for this year's dinner is Founders Brewing from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founders was voted the second best American brewery this year by the American Home Brewer’s Association.
EMERALD COAST BEER FESTIVAL
WHEN: 5:30-8:30 p.m., Friday Sept. 8 WHERE: Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. COST: $30 in advance, $40 at event DETAILS: emeraldcoastbeerfest.com
domestic and international craft beers for tasting. And because beer tastes better with live music, there will be plenty of that on tap too.
HANGOUT OYSTER COOK-OFF & CRAFT BEER WEEKEND
Nov. 3-4, Gulf Shores hangoutcookoff.com Come for the beer on Friday night and stay for the oysters on Saturday—that’s our advice when it comes to this festival. The Friday craft beer event will feature dozens of beers from breweries such as Oskar Blues, Good People, Abita, Big Beach Brewing, Kona Brewing and Avondale Brewing. 15
Perfect Plain Brewing Co., coming soon to a spacious 5400-square foot modern brewery, will soon be the newest addition to downtown Pensacola's craft beer scene. Located in the old Vowell's Printing building on Garden Street, Perfect Plain President DC Reeves said that they are scheduled to have construction completed by November 1, with a soft opening slated for later that month. "When we first started talking about the concept for the brewery, we knew we wanted to push the envelope here in Pensacola,"
Reeves said. "We are all panhandle natives. We all love it here and knew we wanted to be a part of this cool movement. We are passionate about this city and we think it's a great atmosphere." Reeves and his team first started working on the initial project back in November 2015. "It's been a long two-year process, but in some ways it's been sort of a blessing overall. It's been really fulfilling," he said. Perfect Plain's team consists of Reeves, brewing operations director Reed Odeneal,
head brewer Brett Schweigert and general manager BB Liggett. "Schweigert previously worked at Twin Leaf Brewery in Asheville, which is one of the top craft beer cities in the U.S.," Reeves said. "They are both awesome brewers and have seen the envelope being pushed, which we hope to bring to Pensacola. It's like going to New York City and seeing what's in fashion. Obviously, we know we are in a hot climate, so we want to make stuff that's catered to Pensacola." Reeves, who used to work as a sports writer, first met Odeneal in Tallahassee. Odeneal was working in IT and homebrewing at the time. "I always joked that we should go back to Pensacola and open a place," Reeves said. Fast forward a few years and Odeneal had moved to Asheville and Reeves back to Pensacola. "When we started to get serious, I asked him if he would come down and run the brewing side of things," Reeves said. "Reed agreed on one condition, that we work with Brett Schweigert, who he met in Asheville and who is actually from Pensacola."
Photo by Grant Tyson
system this fall which means more potential volume overall, about double the capacity, and ultimately more opportunity to add oneoff and experimental beer recipes to the brew menu," Moore said. Last year, RRBP worked on a unique collaboration with researchers from the University of Florida extension campus at the Jay Research Facility. This collaboration allowed them to brew beer using locally grown hops. "We used the hops that the UF site had grown, which turned out pretty nice overall," Moore said. "We were able to use these hops to create a delicious one-off pale ale. Unfortunately, the funding for that project was cut, so it was a true one-off." RRBP co-brewer Rob Roberts said that they will be pouring their Argo Amber, Sunshine State Grapefruit IPA, The Big Easy Coffee Stout and Raiders of the Last Hops #58 Red Ale this year at the Emerald Coast Beer Fest. "We are working on a chocolate peanut butter stout, a new recipe for a cream ale and possibly bringing back some Imperial
brews like a high gravity stout and our 10 Point IPA," Roberts said. As for their crowd favorites, Roberts said that their seasonal beers are always popular. "For the fall, that is our Sweet Potato Ale and the Sunshine State Grapefruit IPA for the summer," he said. "Our year round favorites are typically the Shovel-bum Cream Ale, Argo Amber and Raiders of the Last Hops." Moore said that he started home brewing years ago in his backyard with Tim Roberts, and with a lot of research and trial and error, they both self-taught themselves to brew. "Tim's brother Rob apprenticed under him to learn the brewing process, and stepped in for Tim when he moved to New Mexico last fall," Moore said. "We currently operate on a one-barrel system and will brew about 65 gallons per brewing day, which currently requires two sessions on our system." Brewing commercially is a lot of work, Moore said, that requires a great attention to detail. "As both Rob and I work other jobs full time, in order to make beer of the highest potential quality on our system, we are limited as to how much and how often we brew," he said. "I love meeting new people and when we are brewing there are plenty of opportunities for that. Additionally, the satisfaction of knowing you could be brew-
Photo by Grant Tyson
The Redneck Riviera Brewing Project (RRBP), which is a collaboration with Goat Lips Chew and Brew House on Copter Road, has been going strong for three years now. Operating as a true brewpub, the small brewery makes about 65 gallons per batch, but will soon be upgrading their system. The premise for RRBP started five years ago as an idea between Goat Lips owner Larry Cowan and brewers Tim Moore and Tim Roberts. About a year ago, Roberts moved to New Mexico and since then his brother Rob Roberts is now more involved in the brewing process with Moore. "We will be upgrading to a two-barrel 616 1
Reeves said that Chicago Bears football player and Pensacola native Josh Sitton is an investor with the brewery. "I'm not a brewer myself, just a connoisseur," Reeves said. "I'm just a fan of beer and fan of Pensacola and more of the aggregator and saw the potential of this team of people." The brewery will feature a 10-barrel brewing system, which will be open to the taproom. "We thought it would be really cool to have the tanks and brewing system be viewable and open to the tap room," Reeves said. "We'll have about 10 to 12 beers on tap during the opening. We are so excited to be here and are trying to have our soft opening as soon as we can."
ing someone's new favorite beer is definitely what makes it all worth it." Moore said that craft beer is about community and that it connects people to each other and to the local economy. "As the door to our brewery states, ‘Smart people drink local beer,'" he said. "Besides the economic impact supporting local businesses has on the community, drinking local gives you a chance to socialize and make new friends in these local establishments. There is nothing wrong with drinking beer owned by the big breweries, but when you go to a local bar or restaurant, why not ask what local beers they have on tap and give them a try. You might be surprised at what is out there and what you like."
PERFECT PLAIN BREWING CO. 50 E. Garden St. perfectplain.com
REDNECK RIVIERA BREWING PROJECT AT GOAT LIPS CHEW AND BREW HOUSE 2811 Copter Road goatlips.com or facebook.com/redneckrivierabrewingproject
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eventually become our award winning Esprit de Krewe Vodka." If you want to learn more about this process, the distillery offers tours and tastings Rollins said that their Espirit de Krewe Vodka has been on the market since early 2016. "I would say it is our most popular spirit," Rollins said. "That said, our Golden Rum has sold very well from the tasting room and now that it is available out on the market, we imagine it will do very well." Rollins said that working with his parents is one of the main reasons their distillery has been successful. "I love my family," Rollins said. "We have such a brilliant dynamic and unique way of approaching problem-solving. Dad is a very technical ‘inside the box' kind of thinker. I am creative ‘outside the box' thinker. I see the forest, while he sees the trees. I have the vision, and he sees the path to get there. Mom, on the other hand, does all the worrying and will keep us in line if we ever stray off ‘the path.'" Rollins said that all together, his family is a brilliant team and they make things happen. "We aren't afraid of telling each other what we need to hear and always know that we have each other's best interests at heart," he said. As a small family business, Rollins said that he and his family are totally invested in their distillery. "As it stands, we have financed our distillery completely out of pocket with no loans or investors," he said. "This is why we are so small and humble. Quality is our goal, and we are unwilling to sacrifice our spirits for shortcuts. We produce what we can to the best of our abilities given our size, equipment, location and capacity." In addition to local fans, Rollins Distillery has collected quite a few awards for their spirits. They have won three silver medals, a Best in Category and a Gold Medal for their vodka, plus a Bronze Medal for their rum. Two of the silver medals were won this year at the American Distilling Institute 2017 judging in the grain-to-glass vodka category. "If supporting local, infusing money and building jobs in our town isn't enough, I'd say drinking local is important because of the quality of our craft," Rollins said. PM:
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September 7, 2017
well as package stores including Bambooze, Aloha Wine & Liquor in Gulf Breeze and on the beach, Fusion Fine Wine & Spirits, Perdido Liquors and Paradise Liquors. "Most of our placement has been based on word of mouth and requests, so don't be afraid to ask your favorite spot to pick up a bottle or two," Rollins said. Rollins said he learned to make spirits through trial and error. "We have had several years of research and development leading up to our current status, but I can assure you, we are always learning something new," he said. Rollins said that the process of distilling can be very long and time-consuming, but it all begins with their 100 percent Florida molasses. "We will ferment our molasses, and then take the molasses wash and do a stripping run to collect all the alcohol we can to make our low wines," he said. "We then take the low wines and distill it again for the spirit run where we cut out the heads and tails and keep the hearts to make our Esprit de Krewe Golden Rum. We take all heads and tails and re-distill them about four more times through our 12-plate Vodka column to produce a clean and pure spirit over 190 proof which will
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If you've ever paid a visit to Rollins Distillery or tasted any of their spirits around town, you might know that Rollins is the first legal distillery in the Florida Panhandle. Patrick Rollins and his father Paul incorporated the business in 2011 and received their distilling license in August 2012, using 100 percent Florida Molasses as the base for all our products. "We also use a blend of toasted oak spirals to mature our Golden Rum," Rollins said. Rollins Distillery currently produces two different spirits under their Espirit (pronounced A-Spree) de Krewe brand available on the market at local package stores and bars. "Our vodka and rum are sold under our core brand Esprit de Krewe," Rollins said. "We also make some single batch specialty spirits that we sell only from our tasting room under our Krewe exclusive brand." Restaurant IRON, Union Public House, 5 1/2 Bar, The Fish House and Atlas, Shux Oyster Bar, World of Beer, Blend, Old Hickory Whiskey Bar, Peg Leg Pete's and Red Fish Blue Fish are just a few restaurants and bars that carry their spirits, as
Trim: 2.312" x 11.56" Bleed: None
Photo Courtesy of Rollins Distillery
ROLLINS DISTILLERY 5680 Gulf Breeze Parkway rollinsdistillery.com
© 2017 A-B, Bud Light® Beer, St. Louis, MO
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Photo by Grant Tyson Before Swan Neck Meadery & Winery set up shop on Nine Mile Road the closest place to get handcrafted mead in Florida was Jacksonville. Since opening in July, the meadery sells all natural, hand-bottled meads and wines in their retail shop, and serves mead by the flight or glass in a cozy atmosphere with events including game nights, comedy shows and live music happening weekly. They also offer mead-making tours. John Wilson, President and head brewer at Swan Neck, has only been in the brewing industry for a year but is already perfecting his mead, which is made from fermented honey. After a few years in the military, Wilson started a job at Navy Federal as a mortgage broker and stayed with the company as it experienced tremendous growth. "I was a mortgage officer and traveled all over the country and state," Wilson said. "What got me into wine initially was meeting multi-millionaires and billionaires, going out to eat, drink and travel with them and getting to experience all the different wines. At that point I really started loving wines and other cultural drinks. So I decided that with all the love I had for wine, that I would love to start making it, so I did." A friend told Wilson that mead is the fastest-growing sector in the alcohol business, which prompted him to start experimenting with mead as well. Mead is also unique in that it is more versatile with types of flavor profiles it can accommodate compared to other types of alcohol. "So I bought a bunch of books, continued brewing and eventually started buying the commercial equipment," he said. Wilson said that so far the response has been great, especially being that they are 818 1
almost sold out of three of the six flavors they first brewed. "The thing I like the most is not just the response, but more the people that have become repeat visitors and regulars," he said. "I can honestly say that I could not find a better group of people than the ones that visit us regularly. They make me love what I do even more." Unlike wine, mead is made from honey as its primary fermentation ingredient. Yeast is then added as well as other ingredients including fruit for flavor. "Wine is made from fermented fruits and the sugars from that process," Wilson said. "With mead, I can add fruit for taste purposes, not for fermentation." All of Swan Neck's honey comes from small-localized beekeepers, including East Hill Honey. Wilson said that he gets his spices and cloves from a small farmer located in South Dakota. Wilson said he values using local and organic ingredients in his wines and meads. "I think it's important," he said. "Everything we use is all natural. I think that in order to have a superior product you need to have superior ingredients. That is why everything is handpicked, handmade and hand bottled. We feel that is the best way." The entire fermentation and brewing process is Wilson's favorite part of owning a meadery. "I love the whole thing and watching it all come together in the end," he said. Knowing that most people in the area are probably not familiar with mead, Wilson said that he's able to brew hybrids, which have similarities to wine, for an easier transition. Inside Swan Neck's brewing space, Wilson currently has three test batches of mead with
flavors including pineapple-pear and applestrawberry, as well as blueberry-elderberry, which is a wine-mead hybrid. The batches bubble and move as carbon dioxide escapes through the top of the containers. These test batches help Wilson to decide which flavor combinations work and taste best. The entire process of making mead takes anywhere from two to three months, with a month to a month and a half for fermentation. As for how to enjoy it, Wilson said that meads can be consumed chilled or not, similar to wine. Personally, he enjoys fruity meads at room temperature and spiced lighter meads chilled, but it's all about preference. Some of Swan Neck's upcoming fall meads include "Meadijto," which is a mojitoinspired mead, apple spice, hops and juniper, hibiscus, vanilla spice, pumpkin spice, chocolate raspberry, salted caramel and peppermint mocha. Swan Neck will have two spots at Emerald Coast Beer Fest, including one in the VIP area. Wilson said that he will have four to five flavors on hand for fest goers to try including blackberry mango mojito, apple spice and black currant and cherry.
SWAN NECK MEADERY & WINERY 2115 W. Nine Mile Road swanneckwinery.com
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