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Today's guest wrote the book on IPAs. Literally, it's available now and pretty popular. That author is Mitch Steele, former brewmaster at Stone Brewing and currently the co-founder, brewmaster, and COO at New Realm Brewing in Atlanta. He is also a prodigious collaborator, even having traveled to Florida to brew with people like Doral's Prison Pals.   Over the next few episodes, we will speak to Mi...

Welcome to Georgia! From time to time to time I travel, and if I'm going to hit the road, you're coming with me. We are starting our adventure in Georgia in Decatur, home of the Brick Store Pub. They were highly recommended to me, and it's not difficult to see why. An absolute killer of a constantly rotating tap list, a 130+ year old location retaining every single ounce of charm, amazing food (wi...

Remember when we spoke to Greg Berbusse -- Head Brewer at Bay 13 Brewery in Coral Gables? Well, that interview was amazingly gracious, since he was in the middle of getting ready for Woop Woop Beer Fest, Bay 13's first beer fest and celebration of Australia Day! What follows is a little smattering of what attendees got to see, from a small portion of the breweries that attended. You'll hear mini-i...

Bay 13 is a bit of an anomaly: an Australian brewpub in the heart of Coral Gables. It sounds like a lot on paper, but it works quite well. It has a fantastic location, great food, and, of course, great beer. That last part is the handiwork of Head Brewer, Greg Berbusse. Originally from Little Rock, Greg was scouted by Bay 13 and made the move to Miami-Dade just before COVID. We joined him as the f...

If we didn't record this right before Tequesta Brewing's 12th anniversary party, I would have stuck around much, much longer. We are continuing our conversation with Fran Andrewlevich, the visionary behind  Tequesta Brewing, Twisted Trunk Brewing, and Steam Horse Brewing.  Here are some more stories, and the future of the brands. Listen in... Host:   David Butler  of the  Florida Beer Blog Executi...

There are very few people on my 'wish list' of interviews, and Fran Andrewelevich was near the top of that list. Ask any Palm Beach County brewer, and you'll see why. After leaving his head brewer position at Brewzzi, Fran created three of Palm Beach County's biggest breweries: Tequesta Brewing, Twisted Trunk Brewing, and Steam Horse Brewing. We'll chat with Fran about his background, opening up t...

It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it sort of location--but, hopefully, not for long! Situated in a former gas station, the Dixie Grill and Brewery opened as the Dixie Grill and Bar along U.S. 1 (Dixie Highway, hence the name) in 2004. The original owners were twins, Richard and Jay Preefer--themselves series restauranteurs. Richard has since passed the business on to his daughter, Rachel, and her husba...

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 Al...

We are back with Part 2 of our interview with Dave Lester, Head Brewer at Unseen Creatures Brewing and Blending in Miami. We're getting into a lot of great beer discussion now with talk about their massive foeders, experimenting, and that fantastic label art they are so widely regarded for. We are also going to chat about Florida Strong, the collaboration beer release beaded up by Dave himself alo...

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... Host:   David Butler  of the  Florida Beer Blog Executive Producer:   Jaime ("Jemmy") Legagneur...

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 thi...

It's almost to the end of World Cup 2022! And that is important to note since the preferred team of this week's interview is still in the mix for winning it all. We are back in Doral, back with Prison Pals, and back with friend of the podcast Juan Pipkin--Founder of this amazing brewery that has, in recent years, exploded in popularity. They have opened up one tap room in Oakland Park, the second...

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...

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 spac...

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 i...

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...

One of our absolute favorite beer festivals is back this Saturday, November 12th! We are 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're welcoming Dr. Michael Cheng, Dean of the Chaplin School, back to the podcast...

Florida's Craft Beer industry began on Feb. 15th, 1897 with the opening of the Florida Brewery in Ybor City, Tampa. Until its closure in the 1960s, 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 the law firm, Swope Rodante. We spoke to Dale Swope, half of Swope Rodante, about his bac...

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 Oktoberf...

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 aut...

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 delica...

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 deli...

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 deli...

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 i...

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 Sprin...