Beer Snobbery (n): The condition in which a person looks down on others who drink commercial, mass produced, low quality, flavorless beer.  Beer Snobbery may be associated with feelings of pity, guilt, contempt, or arrogance. The only cure for Beer Snobbery is.... 

Who are we kidding? There isn't a cure.  It isn't an illness.  It's a lifetime calling to help others become Beer Snobs, well educated beer connoisseurs, craft beer enthusiasts, and even productive home brewers.

After reading "The 19 Types of Beer Snobs" by Ben Robinson and Matt Lynch, I realized that both Jeremy & I suffer from, not one type of Beer Snobbery, but several.  For a few years now, we've turned our noses up at any and all commercial, we call it, "Supermarket Beer," and we've sought out craft breweries in every city we've visited.  And, since our goal on the website is to share our adventures with the world, we decided to start sharing our travels with others.

This past weekend, we took my parents with us on one of our adventures...camping in Fort Myers, FL. Now, to be fair and honest, I'm not a dirt-loving kind of girl, so understand...camping means a travel trailer, air conditioning, concrete, mimosas, and lounge chairs.  However, I cook outside (grill) and my home is on wheels, so we do consider it camping.

A part of our travels always includes finding breweries in the area, and this past weekend was no exception, so we took my parents to Fort Myers Brewing.  We've tried FMBC at beer festivals before, but we'd never been to their tasting room.  My parents had only been to one other brewery (Coppertail...with us), so we figured we would accomplish two goals with one trip.  My parents are still new to beer, so we have our work cut out for us. 

To be honest, I was a bit skeptical when the GPS led us to an industrial park, and I did utter the words, "If there aren't many people, we can leave."  However, by the time we found our way to the back of the complex, I'd changed my tune.  There weren't just a few people; there was a parking lot full of cars, a food truck, cook pallet furniture, and people milling about.   When we got inside (before the summer storm set in), we quickly assessed the tap menu, placed our orders, and began sampling.  The  bartender was cool and completely accommodating in helping to find something my parents would like.  In the end, Jeremy & I tried nearly everything on tap, and my parents went outside the box with Zombie Killer Mead from B. Nektar.

If you're in the Ft. Myers area, FMBC might seem a bit out of the way, but Daniels Parkway is widely known and easy to find.  When you get there, here are our suggestions.

1) Caloosahatchee Kolsch 4.2%abv...MY FAV of the Day!

2) OYA (On Your Ass) IPS 9.2%abv...Jeremy's FAV!

3) Gateway Gold Honey Blonde 4.1%abv

4) Tamiami Tan Brown Ale 5.6%abv

5) Cypress Strong Ale 9.3%abv

6) City of Palms Pale Ale 5.3%abv

All in all, we were glad we followed the GPS and battled the rain, FMBC has quite a little following and they're making some tasty craft beer.  My parents still aren't huge beer drinkers, but we're working on them.  We will win them over...eventually!

Keel & Curley, Plant City, FL

Anyone who's driven across I-4 has seen the signs for the Keel & Curley Winery in Plant City. Many people have uttered, "we need to go there sometime," and many of them actually follow through with their good intentions.  However, there are so many people, especially those outside of Plant City, who haven't made good on their I-4 driving dreaming.  Well, that needs to change, and now, there's even better reasons to go.

Keel & Curley began in Joe Keel's kitchen in 2003, brewing a small batch (10 gallons) of blueberry wine. Since then, Keel & Curley has grown to produce 20,000 cases of wine, opening u-pick fields of blueberries, blackberries, and peaches, hosting an annual blueberry festival, and brewing craft beer.  Today, Keel & Curley produces three types of blueberry wine using 100% blueberries, two blackberry wines using 100% blackberries, and seven different fusion wines, which are a blend of fruit juices and grape wine. A nice aspect of the growing Keel & Curley brand is the public tasting room and the availability of their wines in larger supermarkets and some convenience stores.  As Keel & Curley has grown, their popularity has spread beyond their loyal followers.  

We've visited Keel & Curley a few times, each for a different purpose.  Our first trip to Keel & Curley was for the annual blueberry festival.  We purchased a Groupon-style voucher for festival admission, parking, wine tasting, and a take home bottle of wine for a fraction of the price.  I'm not sure how many vouchers they sold, but it was packed.  Even the tastings had to be moved outside to accommodate the mass of people at the festival. We sampled nearly every wine in their line up, and while they were good, we're huge fans of sweet wine.  Luckily, the blackberry wines tend to be drier, so we took home a bottle.  A few years ago, when we drank tons of sweeter wine, we would have taken home a case.

Our second trip, also on a discount voucher, was to visit their brand new brewery--Two Henry's Brewing.  The voucher gave us a flight of beer and a take home gallon..yes, GALLON of beer. We purchased an additional flight and still spent less than $30 for the afternoon.  Again, well worth the trip.  We've had our fair share of Tampa area craft brews, and for a start up brewery, their doing it right.  Most, if not all, are named for something or someone in Florida and the Tampa area.  None of their beers are high in ABV, nor particularly heavy, but they are most certainly tasty.  In their normal line up, they have the Gilded Age Golden Lager, 7-Mile Bridge IPA, The Standard Chocolate Stout, Runaway Locomotive Black IPA, Fletcher's Drool Wheat Ale, and  Snowbird Amber Ale. We took home a gallon of The Standard Chocolate Stout.

Motorworks Brewing...Bradenton, FL

Since our very first Brewz Crewz in 2010, Jeremy & I have been on a craft brew journey of epic proportions. We have been to every craft beer festival that we can manage, visited every brewery that we come across, and buy new and interesting beer every time we shop. And, since Brewz Crewz (Lakeland Craft Beer fest) turned us on to this lifestyle, we never miss it. 
       This year's Brewz Crewz took on a bit of a different look and feel.  Long gone were the lines to get in and longer lines to get great beer. Long gone were the event staff members pouring beer that they knew nothing about.  No, this year's Brewz Crewz gave us what we really wanted...great beer and its fabulously creative brewers.       Even though we go to a lot of beer festivals and brewery events and we try A LOT of new beer, sometimes we get to try a beer that has us completely hooked and itching to visit the brewery.  This year, that beer was the Coffee Porter made by Motorworks Brewing in Bradenton.  I've gone to the beaches around Bradenton and Anna Maria Island my entire life and I NEVER knew that there was a brewery along the way!?!  Immediately, Motorworks was put on our summer brewery to-do list.

     Luckily, our brewery to-do list didn't have to wait for summer.  A couple of weeks ago, we

had the grand plan to take the boys to Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County.  Unfortunately, the waves were too rough, the current to quick, and the riptide too dangerous to let the boys swim, so the outing was cut short.  However, instead of heading home (a 2 hour drive), we headed over the Skyway Bridge to Bradenton to check out Motorworks. 

      Let's just say, it was worth the detour.  We got there right after they opened, so we walked right in and ordered with no wait.  I'm not sure how busy they get, especially since they host a variety of events and live music.  Either way, don't be deterred.  Even if there had been a crowd, we would have stayed...it's worth it!  Jeremy is the type who likes a big pour (12 or 16oz) of whatever he's drinking.  Me, on the other hand...I'm more a sample type of gal.  The way I see it is 'I can have 4-4oz pours and try 4 different beers, rather than get completely zonked drinking 4 full pints.'  So far, my drinking philosophy has worked in my favor.  I get to try far more types of beer in a single visit than I would if drank only pints.  On this particular visit to Motorworks, I tried 8 different beers...and loved everyone one!  

   If you're ever in the Bradenton-Anna Maria area, check them out.  Our favorites/suggestions...

1. Coffee Porter 5.5%abv...fabulously drinkable with smokey coffee-ness and not-too-heavy, so it's great even after a day at the beach.
2. Cruiser Kolsch 4.8%abv...I'm a relatively new fan of kolsch.  It's light, but not bitter nor overly hoppy.  Kolsches are my new summer beer.
3. Sweet Stout 5.5%abv...this one tastes like it should be much heavier than it is. It's deep black, slightly sweet, and super yummy.
4. INDY 6.9%abv...this is all-Jeremy.  He loves a strong IPA, so this American IPA with its forward hoppiness made him happy.

For everyone who would frown upon taking kids to a brewery, don't worry.  Most breweries are totally kid & family friendly. Motorworks is no exception.  Besides serving a number of nonalcoholic sodas, the staff was serving up popcorn, turned the tv to Sponge Bob, and even have a beer garden outside fully stocked with corn hole decks and a 3-hole putting green.

Favorite Small Brewery: Southern Brewing & Winemakeing

While Southern Brewing & Wine Making began as a beer & wine making supply shop, they moved to a larger building and added a bar/taproom and beer garden for customers to enjoy their consistently crafted small batch beer. Over the years we've been friends with Southern, they've hosted everything from beer making classes and home brewing get-togethers to Tampa Bay Beer Week events.

Southern is so more than a brewing supply store, and it’s far more than just a bar. The original supply store opened in 2008, and in the years since, Southern has done nothing but grow.  We began visiting Southern in 2011, after attending a brewing class. In just the past few years, we’ve watched Southern transform from a supply store with a little bar for sampling to a supply store with a very busy bar/pub, a renovated beer garden, hosting markets and community events, music and food trucks on the weekends, and a very loyal following. 

The Southern concept is actually quite simple—sell quality beer making supplies, make quality beer, surround yourself with people who enjoy the same thing, and support your community When we started going there, it was one of the most laid-back, relaxed atmospheres imaginable.  No pretentious beer snobs, no rowdy bar crowds/frat parties, no corporate rules.  Southern seems to have always been about the people and the product. Sell supplies and share recipes for making great beer, make and sell their own beer, and even teach people how to make beer.  Then, encourage guests to bring their kids and their dogs, make homemade sodas for the kids, provide bowls and water for the dogs, host a food truck, but allow food from anywhere, and make the beer garden a place where everyone wants to hang out…and drink more Southern beer.  Genius concept!

Because Southern brews on a small scale, you won’t find their beer in bottles or cans, even though the idea has been kicked around a time or two.  No, the only place you’re going to find their beer is in their tasting room.  Likewise, because they are small, the taps constantly change and the selection is huge, so it’s a great idea to check out their Facebook page for current offerings.

Here are our suggestions…

1)      Moonraker Imperial Stout…in any variety.  This stout is AMAZING!  It is by far our favorite of     all their beer!!

2)      Oliver’s Gruel Oatmeal Stout 5.5%abv

3)      Fragmented Porter 6.3%abv

4)      Black Veil CDA 8.2%abv

Favorite Breweries: Coppertail Brewing

As we get more involved with the Tampa Bay craft beer scene, we are always excited to see a new brewery opening.   With Coppertail, we were fortunate enough to try them at one of their first outings and to attend their tasting room grand opening in March.  As we’ve grown in our own love of craft beer, we’ve learned to “appreciate” all types of beer, but in the case of Coppertail, they make several varieties that we “love”, rather than simply “appreciate.”

Focusing on Belgian styled ales with a Tampa twist, Coppertail is the brick & morter child of, and aptly named by his 5yr old daughter, who tells of a sea monster called the Coppetail living in the waters of Tampa Bay.

Our Favorites at Coppertail:

Unholy Trippel  abv

Night Swim abv

Free Dive abv

Wheat Stroke abv