Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Good Beer

If you're celebrating St. Patrick's Day tomorrow you'll find plenty of local options. If you're into green beer and dressing up as leprechauns, then we've got you covered. But if you're looking to simply go out and drink a couple pints of good beer, as any true Irishman would, you've got options as well.

World of Beer is celebrating St. Patrick's Day with 4 dollar Irish brews including Guinness, Harp, Smithwick's, and Magners Irish Cider.

Mellow Mushroom is also running several St. Patrick Day specials including 3 dollar Rogue Irish Ale and Widmer O'Ryeley's IPA as well as $2 dollar Guinness.

And lastly, but perhaps most intriguingly, Ozone Pizza Pub is offering a 10 inch St. Patrick's Day Specialty Pie with housemade dough, sweet pea puree, caramelized onions, braised beef brisket, and red cabbage slaw topped with English Cheddar cheese. Best of all you get to wash it down with a 20oz imperial pint of your choosing. If you've never been to Ozone Pizza Pub, they serve some of the best pizza in Pensacola.

You can find more information on all the venues listed on our Pensacola Beer Locations page.

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Pensacola Beer!

Swamp Head Brewery Now In Pensacola

Image courtesy of Swamp Head Brewery Just last summer I read Florida Bar Tab's article "Swamp Head: Fun with Beer" and was happy to hear that Swamp Head Brewery's goal was to distribute to all of Florida:

The folks there say the goal is to get statewide and then stop. They want to be a Florida beer and be true to the state.

I excitedly posted on twitter about the good news only to receive the slightly disheartening response from Swamp Head:

We'll have beer flowing in the Panhandle eventually, but probably won't be soon... #bummerforthepanhandle

In my mind, this meant it would be at least a couple of years. Well, Swamp Head pleasantly surprised me by announcing that they are now distributing to the Panhandle.

Swamp Head is well known for making great beer, their Year Round Fleet includes:

• Wild Night: Cream Ale brewed with Tupelo Honey

• Cottonmouth: A fruity and refreshing Belgian Wheat Bier

• Stump Knocker: A hop-focused American IPA

• Midnight Oil: A delightfully smooth stout with a pronounced flavor of organic french roast coffee

• Big Nose: A beautifully aromatic India Pale Ale

Swamp Head is distributed by Brown Distributing. Also, Brown's website includes a "Beer Finder" which is a wonderful tool to help you find who is carrying Swamp Head's beer (make sure to select Swamp Head from the brewery drop-down).

Ready to get your hands on some Swamp Head at your favorite Pensacola locations? Make sure to let them know!

Baytowne Beer Fest Oct 19 & 20

The Fifth Annual Baytowne Beer Festival takes place this weekend, October 19th and 20th at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort. The festival includes three separate events: A Beer Pairing Dinner, A Beer Seminar, and the Beer Sampling main event.

The beer pairing dinner themed "Beer from Around Here" will be held at Marlin Grill on Friday, October 19th at 6pm. Various BBQ plates will be paired with locally produced beer from Grayton Beer Company, Lazy Magnolia, Abita Beer, Pensacola Bay Brewery, and Red Brick Brewing. Tickets are $35 and can be bought online or at the Marlin Grill.

The seminar “Three Decades of Craft Beer: A Taste of History and Today” will be held at on Friday, October 19th at the Funky Blues Shack - Baytowne Wharf location. This event gives participants a chance to compare and sample a variety of beers and will be presented by John Holl, an award-winning author, journalist and beer expert. Tickets are $15 and can be bought online or at the Funky Blues Shack - Baytowne Wharf location.

The main event takes place on Saturday, October 20th, where participants will have the opportunity to sample beers from a selection of more than 200 domestic and international craft beers. Live music will be provided by Wes Heath and the Whiskey Band (2-4pm) and The Modern Eldorados (4-6pm). Check out the Baytowne Beer Festival website for a complete list of participating breweries. Tickets are $25 for presale and can be bought online. Tickets the day of will be $30.

So make plans to attend one of these events, if not all three, and see for yourself why the Baytowne Beer Festival is called the “Best Beer Fest on the Emerald Coast”.

Destin Beer Festival Oct 13

Formerly called the Greater Gulf Coast Beer Festival, the Destin Beer Festival is brought to you by the folks at Chan's Wine World and is taking place this Saturday, October 13, from 2 to 5 p.m. (the VIP event starts at 1pm.)

This event promises to be a wonderful day in beautiful Destin drinking specialty brews, eating delicious food, and enjoying live entertainment. The complete list of participating breweries can be found on their website.

Admission is $35 per person for advance tickets and $40 day of the event. VIP tickets are $50 in advance and $60 day of. The event is benefiting Children’s Neighborhood of Children in Crisis, Inc.

Check out the official Destin Beer Festival website to buy tickets and for detailed information to include a complete schedule and list of breweries attending. You can also check out the latest buzz on their Facebook page.