The Lazy Magnolia Firkin, The Ale and the Witch

I posted on Facebook that there are "probably five beers per year that really impress me, and I had one on this night."  On this night, we were tapping a cask of Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan blended with brandy, fresh peaches, acacia bark, and corn sugar.

The day itself started out someone a pisser.  Due to some severe lack of effort by a certain beer distributor, I had to get a 7:00 am start to pick up the firkin at our local distributor, who was holding the cask.  Putting the 12 gallon beast in my car was the first adventure and driving it the distance from Ormond Beach to St. Pete was going to be the next bit of fun.  Doing it alone - even more fun.

So we load the firkin in the car, I get started down the road and drive and drive and drive.  When you're alone, it's an especially long trip; but being 45 minutes further away really really sucked.........  Funny thing about being on the road.  The distance that becomes rudimentary casts an ever-widening net.  The excitement of the travel has a inverse relationship with the distance of the travel.  This being the case, the 2 1/2 hour drive to Tampa or the 4 hour drive to Miami provide nothing new to see and noone new to talk to about beer.    

That time does however, allow me to catch up on phone calls (Bluetooth of course) and get down with some of my favorite music that may or may not be acceptable to a guest if I were travelling tandem.  On this day I had my favorite new release, Imaginareum from Nightwish in the CD player - a great one to drift away to.

The trip to St. Pete also allows some absolutely breathtaking views of the Gulf and some lengthy trips over beautiful bridges.  Add to this, St. Pete itself rocks and I love getting to visit the downtown area.  Insofar, taking a keg of beer to the gulf coast while listening to my favorite music could be worse.

Getting the keg delivered to Brett at The Ale and the Witch, I decided I needed to hit up Dunedin Brewery for some fish tacos.  CUMINAYAY-HAAAAAH!!!

I met up with some Renegade helpers who were staying in the area with a friend of theirs for some delicious Dunedin Brewery beers and skipped over to 7eventh Sun Brewery.  I don't need to continue saying how much I love the Dunedin area, so we'll leave that to the other 100 stories I've told about how great it is.  Once finished, we parted ways and agreed to meet back at The Witch at about 6:00.

Heading back to The Witch.

So there was an "opening" band starting at 4:00 with the tapping of the firkin occurring at 6:00 pm.  As it turns out, the opening band was an awesome bluegrass band called The Florida Mountain Boys.  If these guys are the opening band, you know they take their music seriously here.  I have attached a (not great quality) video of the band that I made whilst there.  Check them out, you'll dig 'em.



A little bit about The Ale and the Witch.  This is a spot that is truly a "no crap on tap place."  They have 32 taps of all American Craft Beer and some great bottles including Abita Root Beer (awesomeness).  A recent Best of the West Winner, I like to say that this place is where I go to get an Avery Kaiser on draft - diggit.

Brett and staff are awesome and can always talk intelligently about all of the brews they have.  They know what's up.

We tapped the firkin of the special pecan and Brett told me there was a ton of sediment (presumably pieces of fresh peaches) still floating around and was cloggin up the filter, so it would be a bit til we got it going.  No worries, they had Pensacola Bay Imperial Porter aged in Jack Daniels barrels.  You say Jack Daniels to me and the answer "no" will rarely escape my lips.  As it turns out, this beer was insanely awesome.  Unfortunately, it blew right after I had my pint.  Dammit.

I was meeting up with Miss Christiana, who is in charge of the Georgia / Florida Market for Lazy Magnolia.  She helped me put together getting this firkin to The Witch and was coming down for a few days to help promote the brand in the market.  I grabbed my delicious pint and met up with her outside to discuss some things about business and to enjoy this rokkin band.

As we were talking, I saw a post on Facebook from Road Trip for Beer that Mr. Gerard Walen was heading to The Witch so I asked him to meet up when he arrived so that I could introduce him to Christiana.  I've always liked Gerard and Road Trips for Beer keeps me posted on what is going on in areas that I am not in.  I get a lot of good info from them and I am glad that I found them.  The three of us sat together and had some great discussion on the local beer situation and where we can fit with it.  Damn Good Times.    

So finally the special  firkin was ready and I got my first pint of the Southern Pecan cask.  All I can say is "holy shit!"  I have honestly not had a beer like this since my last bottle of Avery 12 was killed (after several years of stretching out my last case).  This beer was so full of flavor and yet was "soft" in nature.  I don't know how to describe what that word means to me, but there are every now and then, beers that I get that sense from.  This is one.  Others include the St. Amand French Country Ale and 3 Monts.  Anyway, I'm not a beer critic.

In the midst of all this, the rest of my crew showed up (late I may add) and we got to hang for a bit.  They were meeting Christiana for the first time and they hit it off well.  In fact, I found myself hanging alone inside the bar while they were talking amongst themselves.  Certain amount of satisfaction in bringing some good folks together, so that makes me happy.  Makes me happy especially since I had to take off soon for the drive back.  Only two beers in, but I had a drive, so safety first.  Oh well.  Great day, great night, and as always, a very lucky fella who gets to do this job.

The big thanks goes to Brett and the folks at The Ale and the Witch.  They also had Indian Summer, Southern Hops'pitality IPA, and Jefferson Stout on draft.  The band was great, the atmosphere awesome, we had some friends come to join, and I really, really, wish I didn't have a 2 1/2 hour drive home or  I would have had five more pints of the special firkin.  Cheers to you guys and we hope to see you at the next Lazy Magnolia firkin tappin'.

The Waterfront - Lazy Magnolia and Boulder Event

The Waterfront in Anna Maria Island sits on one of the most beautiful little pieces of land in Florida.  A breathtaking view and a laid-back island attitude make this little island a paradise away from the bustle surrounding it.  Add a view of the tallest bridge in Florida off in the distance, and this is a place I could just sit and look at for hours (a  little inside joke for Renegade Rip).


This being said, The Waterfront is no "walk up and grab a sandwich" type restaurant.  The Waterfront takes their food seriously in a setting that says "step off the beach in your sandles, lap up a cloth napkin, watch the sunset, and have some big city food while chillin'."  Perfect atmosphere for those who want to have great food and leave the stuffy at home.  The staff is always very nice and Bill the manager is always fun to hang with.  Dig the Waterfront.

Tonight we had a great tasting with Lazy Magnolia and Boulder Brewing.  Very exciting because we were going to be premiering in the area, the Lazy Magnolia Southern Hopspitality IPA on draft as well as the Hoopla Dry Hopped Pale Ale in cans.

The Waterfront throws these shindigs every month where they pair a brewery with some appetizers and sell tickets beforehand.  nice idea as it just kinda becomes a little party where you get to know the folks who attend and get to take advantage of a "cocktail party" type of setting.  A great spot to premier a new beer since it gives an opportunity to chat with folks independently about what you've got going on in their glass.

The crowd begins to filter in and are noticeably the type of crowd we like to see.  Chill, happy, and curious about something new.  If you ask anyone who does the type of work that we do - these descriptors are the ones that keep our motors hummin'.  What makes it better is receiving some insightful and friendly dialogue about the brands you're working with.  Again, the folks at The Waterfront were awesome.


When I first blogged about The Waterfront, I mentioned how great the food was and rated their fish tacos as easiest some of the best in Florida.  Their food certainly does not let down.  This is definitely a place you'll want to check out if you're anywhere near the area.  If you're looking for a place near the beach to stay for a few days, look at Anna Maria Island and get yourself a room.  You'll love the island itself and you'll thank me endlessly for recommending The Waterfront.  Cheers!

Losing A Bet and Paying for It - In Dunedin

Sometimes you get to lose a bet and still be a winner.  This was the case when a month ago, my buddy (Steve Defran) and I made a weight-loss challenge.

The standards were pretty well cut.  The person who loses the most weight in a 30 day period wins the bet.  The loser drives the winner to Dunedin for fish tacos and all the beer you can drink.  A trip that we assume will cost the loser in the neighborhood of $300.  Not an easy pill to swallow, but my thoughts were that if I can lose 10 pounds, my buddy loses more, and I lose - hey we both won. And anyway, there are worse ways to lose than to have to go to Dunedin and eat my favorite fish tacos in Florida, right?

Throughout this challenge, myself and Defran did our best to support each other while chiding each other into letting the loser know they are in for it when the day of weigh-in came.  As it turns out, I lost the bet.  But I did lose 10 pounds in the process.  Fat boy Defran lost 18.

So when the day came to get our party on (a Saturday night as it turns out), we started out with some pretty special brew.


The beer that turned me into a beer lover was a 3 year old bottle of Ommegang Abbey Ale, or just plain old Ommegang as it was referred to at the time.  In homage to this experience, I try to keep a few cases of 3 year old Ommegang around at all times for special occasions.  This was such an occasion.  to make it even more fun, our driver is a big Bourbon barrel aged beer fan and I just happened to have a bottle of 2007 Goose Island Bourbon County Stout laying around.  For the guy who was about to put us in a car and transport us 2 miles southwest, a bottle of 12% beer seemed the perfect thing to calm his nerves.

Getting on the road, we set up all of the electronics, got the radio adjusted, and discussed our plan of attack.  The great thing about Dunedin is that you have Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin House of Beer, and 7eventh Sun Brewery all within walking distance of each other.  This way, you can have some of the best beer Florida has to offer without ever getting in your car.  This being the case, a good plan is necessary.  Whatever the plan turned out, fish tacos was priority 1.

Heading out after catching a small buzz, our path down I-4 was halted by a need to stop by a bar along the way.  A curious place on HWY 27 just off the interstate that I've wanted to stop at for some time.  A little Irish place behind the 7-11, I wasn't expecting too much but figured a nice drink halfway to Tampa is not a bad thing.

We park the car and walk into this very dark space with some televisions, a jukebox, full liquor, and some drafts on a wall. The bartender asked us what we wanted and we just asked for a couple of drafts, planning on having only 1 drink each.  When I reached down to grab my wallet, I realized I forgot it at home.  

Naturally, forgetting your wallet at home when you are supposed to be the host of a cross-state drinking binge is suspect.  I'll be the first to admit, it takes the air out of the ball when you say "you pay for everything and I will pay you back."  Kinda loses its luster to be the winner of a bet.  But we were where we were and given the distance we didn't want to drive back to DeLand.  I took a good ribbing for it, but being the buds we are, Defran agreed to pay and I'd pay him back with Tomo holding the receipts.  Sucks, but what are ya gonna do?

Back on the road, we had to fill up with gas and my favorite gas station is at exit 14 on I-4.  A great stop right before you get into the Tampa area, you can fill up the tank, take a whizzer, and grab a Slurpee.  In this case, we snagged some cheap road beers and some sodas to last us the rest of the night.

Back on the road and we ain't stoppin' til we hit Dunedin Brewery and a rendezvous with some fish fa fish fish tacos.

When we do arrive around 4:30 pm, the parking lot is packed and we have to go to an adjacent lot to park.

Walking into the Dunedin Brewery, my usual spots at the bar were full.  In fact, the whole place was full.  I am usually at the brewery on weekdays in the daytime so I'm a tad spoiled when it comes to my fish tacos and the bartenders who I've come to know.  We had to wait a bit for a seat, but someone came around to see if we wanted a beer.  Ooooooh yeah.

My first choice was the Vortex on the Bay IPA collaboration with Fort George Brewery out of Oregon.  Defran had the brown and Tomo went with the coffee stout.  Finally a spot at the bar opened and we were seated to start on some tacos.  Now here is where we ran into some problems.  As it turns out, my buddy Defran is not open to eating fish tacos.  Tells me he hates fish and hates tacos!  All this time talking about this trip and the sucker never mentioned that he wasn't gonna indulge in the deliciousness.

So we ordered two orders of fish tacos, some of the incredible cheese curds, and Defran ordered something I don't remember.  I've gushed about the tacos over the course of 2012 so I won;t bore you with the descriptors.  I WILL say, however, that I talked my closed minded buddy to at least give a try of a fish taco out of my plate.  He did, and he dug it.  Not.A.Shocker.

After another beer, The Rock Double IPA, we decided to go hit 7eventh Sun Brewery for a beer or two before hitting Dunedin HOB and getting back to Dunedin Brewery to finish off our night.

Stepping into the 7eventh Sun Brewery, the guys were shocked at how small the place was.  This is what I try to explain to people that they don't seem to get - you don't need a huge facility to produce some great beers and as a start-up, is a great way to hedge your bets on the possibility that your product didn't catch on.

As an avid lover of the beers from 7eventh Sun (I love Saisons and they always have some great ones), I was completely comfortable with Defran and Tomo ordering whatever they wanted and we could be confident that the product would be of top quality.  This is not always true of a place still in its infancy but at this place, not a worry.

So we each have a Saison (of different sorts) and get to chattin' about what a great time we had had so far.  Next thing I know, Tomo is talking to some folks near us and came over to introduce us.  Now, if there is one thing I know about Tomo, he has a knack for randomly meeting people.  One of the friendliest people I know, I can always count on him to strike up a conversation everywhere he goes.  Somehow, some way, the folks we ran into were some friends of his that just happened to be there!  Once again, you never know who Tomo will run in to.

After a few beers at 7eventh Sun, we decide to move the party to Dunedin HOB.  This is the point of the night where we started to go sideways.  You know when you can go out and very distinctly point out the moment where perhaps the night could have, or should have, ended?  This was that moment.  The voices got louder, the conversation got more "poetic", and the language devolved into a series of emotional arm-throwing and four letter words that we were able to release by only pronouncing two of the letters.  We were now becoming the guys who I dreaded seeing in my bar ownership days.

the House of Beers was packed!  The vibe was awesome and when we walked in I began salivating for a beer.  For me, I saw just what I wanted to see.  They had Boulder Brewing Flashback Brown on draft!  One for me please.  While we're at it, let's increase our chances of getting onto trouble and get one for Defran as well.

My buddy Rick, who owns the bar stopped by to say hello and to be honest, I personally don't remember leaving the bar.  I do distinctly remember enjoying myself for the few moments that I was cognizant and I always have a great time there.

So this is where it gets interesting.  The plan was to go back to Dunedin Brewery and have another round of fish tacos.  I can remember with great clarity, thinking to myself how much I am going to enjoy those things.  If I was not drooling, I was very close.  Starving, drunk, and looking forward to fish tacos - not a bad life.

We walk into Dunedin Brewery - first myself, then Tomo, and lastly Defran.  When Defran stumbles in, one of the bartenders looks right at him and says "He can't come in here."

Whaaaaaaaaaaat?  But I was dying for some of those delicious tacos that I only get once a month at best.  But I'm starving.  But I'm having a great time!  But we planned this trip so that we could have fish tacos, not so that we couldn't have fish tacos.

Still somewhat in my wits, I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of one of my favorite breweries, so we shuffled Defran out the door.  So now it is try to get us home - or so I think.  Luckily, we were parked across the street and had plenty of room to let El Boracho (Tomo's nickname for Defran) stumble about, accidentally bump into cars, and as it turns out, fall over an 18 inch wall.  (See pics)

After a profanity filled tirade that I caught on film (in editing now), assembled in the car.  Discussing how good those tacos could have been, Tomo and myself agreed that we were both starving and needed some grub.  Remembering that The Taco Bus on Hillsborough Avenue is open 24 hours a day, we agreed upon a spot.


For those not familiar with the Taco Bus, the one on Hillsborough is not in t he nicest of areas.  You're as likely to come across a prostitute as you are anyone else and I'm sure if we were looking to get high, good product couldn't have been too far away.  This being said, the atmosphere at the Taco Bus is awesome and once you're on property, the crowd is fun and amenable.  Moral of the story, as long as you're there, no worries.  Venture off - and you could probably find some trouble.

Tomo parked the car at the Taco Bus and got out of the car.  Defran was passed out in the back, so we figured we'd let the sleeping dog lie.  In an area such as this, perhaps better we don't let him out among the general public where he can get us beaten or worse.  The plan was to go up to the bus, order some food, come back to the car, wake Defran up, get some food in him, and get on the road.  Fairly simple as far as plans go.

Good news for me, Taco Bus has not only fish tacos, but tempeh tacos as well!  And the tacos are not just good - they are great.  As a side note, if you are in the area, it is definitely worth checking out (especially in the daytime).  There website can be found at http://www.taco-bus.com/#!.

While I  am waiting for the tacos, Tomo decides to go back to the car.  Wattya know - no Defran.  Disappeared.  Vamoosh.  In the wind.

At some point, El Boracho woke up and decided to take a walk down Hillsborough Avenue at 2:00 am on a Saturday night.  Not only was he walking, he was obviously drunk and obviously didn't fit in there with his Double Zero Drunky the Bear jersey that he wears way too much.  Well, I'm not leaving without those tacos.  I asked Tomo to watch Defran flounder down the road while I waited for the Taco Bus to finish preparing our meals.

A brilliant plan and one that could only come around while you are drinking.  We decided to get in the car, drive past him, sit in the car and eat, and just wait for Defran to ramble on down to us.  Instead of stopping and catching him, we'd just let him wander right into the car.

So sitting in the car, enjoying some 2:00 am snacks, the jester finally showed up, got in the car, fell back to sleep, and we finished our tacos in peace.  The drive home could not have been filled with more peace than this great night had provided. Cheers to El Boracho for winning the contest, cheers to Tomo for driving and babysitting us, and thanks to the wonderful bars we visited for your hospitality.  Cheers!

Wazoo Festival and Some Great Folks

If you are around something long enough, you can grow weary of it.  Even as wonderful as the beer scene is, it is difficult to get up for spending hours giving beer to people.  It sounds fun ,and believe me it is.  But there are only so many times that you can hear the statements "Gimme the lightest thing you got", gimme the strongest thing you've got", or my favorite "just pour something in my glass."

As professionals who takes this business very seriously, it is important to us that we spread some knowledge about our product and hopefully get them excited about our brand.  This is very difficult with 500 people throwing cups at you and telling you how much they love Blue Moon while you pour them a perfectly balanced and citrusy IPA just to watch them throw their tongue out and dump the sample in front of you as if you just took the jam out of their doughnut.  

What's worse than 500 of these people?  5000 of these people.

So when we get asked if we want to give our brands some "exposure" and donate beer to an event where there are 5000 meatheads in Affliction shirts wanting to show off to their girlfriends who don't like beer how much they have learned over their past 6 months of drinking $3 Shock Tops at their local bar - we're not as excited as you may think.  Personally, I'd rather work an intimate event with a fraction of that number of people who really care about the business than Mr. Affliction, but somehow these massive moneymakers get the attention; so we go, go, go with a smile.  

What we need here is some enthusiasm.  

Me and my crew arrived at this Mega-Event at 4:00 to prepare for the 7:30 start time and began to set up our tables.  Bringing lots of really nice stuff, setting it out, and pulling it off the tables because it would be tampered with or stolen is no fun - but it seems every time that decision is made in the interest of prudence.  This occurs as always and the crew left me behind to gather our volunteers and get them up to speed on product.  

As it turns out, we were going to be given three helpers per booth and that was great news.  This event gets packed and the more help the better.  As it turns out, the help we got was not just help, but lifesavers.  Some call it divine intervention, some maybe just a result of good juju, but I just look at it as a constant lesson to appreciate what you got.

What did we get?  We got 24 hands who were awesome, awesome, awesome; and they spread that excitement that I needed to get back into this business that I love so much.

When they showed up, each group selected which table they wanted to operate (we had 4) and started getting to work getting set up.  Mind you, these folks had never worked a beer festival before, but all were ready to jump doing the heavy lifting, filling up the ice, getting organized, and preparing to the onslaught.

We went from table to table, explaining the brands and the flavors of each; a little history on the brands; and some FAQs that we have found over time.  All were extremely attentive and were very interested in what we were telling them.  Now this is what I love about the business!

When the crowd finally started to filter in, there was a calmness over the crew that I wasn't feeling myself.  having been through this before, my heart was pounding preparing for the madness.  But strangely, the calm of the volunteers made me feel much better and what I saw in them made me feel completely confident in what we were about to do.

Then came the rain.  And a power outage.


This was no small mist either.  This was a downpour.  In fact, we joked a little about being at the Zoo and expecting Noah's Ark to pull up to let them in.  And as with all water - it got into everything.  Our volunteers got soaked.  They tried to move the tables under the shelter at the carousel where we were located, but they got drenched in the process.  The beer got all washed out and the ice in the tubs disappeared.  It was getting late, cold, and miserable.  Add to this there were no lights.  People were holding their phones up for lights, glow sticks, lightning bugs, whatever they could find to emit some light.  

The great folks helping us didn't relent.  Smiling, they got everyone served and never complained one bit about the rain.  This massive crowd was stuck elbows to elbows in the shelter and the rain showed no sign of slowing, but everyone was having a great time.  My smile and faith in humanity was indeed returning.

While I don;t always enjoy larger festivals, this episode of the Wazoo Festival was great and I ma thankful for the volunteers who stepped up and showed some amazing spirit given terrible conditions.  These are the people who end up making me feel proud to be in this business and man was I glad to have them there that night.  Cheers!

       

Fish Tacos - Sea Dog Cantina

I'm waiting for the guys to get in at the Pour House so that I can discuss some new brews that we have available and I am hungry for lunch.  Within the plaza that contains the Pour House, I find Sea Dog Cantina, and I find Fish Tacos on their menu.  Perfect time, perfect place, perfect menu item.  I'm gonna come in and have some.  

To tell you a little about this cool little restaurant, it is located in an area that I am quickly falling in love with, Channelside in Tampa.  As Wikipedia would describe it - Channelside is a residential and entertainment district just east of Downtown Tampa, Florida, USA. It is bordered by Ybor Channel on the east and Garrison Channel on the south.  


The great thing about this area is that it is sitting next to the port where you can watch the bustle of oil tankers and cruise ships come and go on one side while staring the Tampa Bay Times Forum on the other.  This area is really great and I envy those who live in the many condominiums and lofts surrounding this area.  


The tacos themselves are described on the menu as:  Two soft flour tortillas filled with blackened tilapia, cabbage, avocado, cilantro, aioli, side of black bean mango salsa.  All this for $10 - not bad for fish tacos, especially with fish that is this generous and fresh.  


Full disclosure - I HATE avocado and have not had it or any of its' derivatives since I was 15 years old.  I'm taking a big chance eating these tacos, but you can;t fairly judge anyone's dish if you ask them to alter it in any way.  You do that and you mess with the soul of the food, and I ain't doin' that.  


I find the key to any good fish taco is always one ingredient that makes or breaks it.  It is the one thing that the dish simply wouldn't be the same without.  Sometimes it is the sauce, sometimes the shell, sometimes the slaw, and of course, sometimes the fish.  In the case of this dish, it is the mango salsa that makes it shine.  The salsa adds not only excellent flavor, but also a refreshing chill on top of the warm fish that creates a nice confluence of temperatures in your mouth - kinda like pouring hot sweet tea over fresh ice.  I love that.


I cannot tell a lie - my first foray back into avocado was a successful one.  The fish tacos were great, my friendly bartender was awesome, kept my Diet Coke filled, and answered  my stupid questions.  Definitely a successful stop and one I would recommend.  Cheers!


NOTE:  As a bonus - you can also order a Chimay Red while you're eating as they keep it in stock.  YESSSSSS!