Coastal County Brewing Coming to Pensacola

New breweries have been popping up everywhere in Pensacola, and Coastal County Brewing aims to be an ambitious project. Beer will of course be the focus, however owner Fred Thibodeaux describes his brewery as a “community brewery” that will eventually include a small craft restaurant, a volley ball court, disc golf, an outdoor beer garden for music and entertainment, and a small dog park among its 2.5 acres.

Thibodeaux, originally from Gulf Breeze, is a production manager at Wicked Barley Brewing Co. and has also brewed at Gordon Biersch and Cigar City. Thibodeaux looks to use his years of experience to open a brewery in his home town; a family friendly entertainment destination.

Thibodeaux plans to concentrate on the brewpub concept rather than distribution. Coastal County will focus on beers u under 7% ABV, seasonal releases, growlers, and hopes to eventually provide cans using a mobile canning line. Along with beer Coastal County will eventually offer ciders and meads as well as hard seltzer, tea, and lemonade. Nitro cold brew coffee and expresso will also be available.

The restaurant will feature charcuterie and sandwiches to begin with before becoming a full service restaurant. The menu will include gluten free options as well as small plate vegetarian meals.

Thibodeaux, an avid fisherman and scuba diver, spent 3 years working through 70 or 80 ideas for a name for his brewery before eventually settling on Coastal County Brewing. Thibodeaux wanted something that would work with multiple locations and included a nod to water and county.

Be sure to check out Coastal County at tomorrows Emerald Coast Beer Fest. Coastal County will feature 4 core beers (2IPAs, a Brown Ale, and Blueberry beer), and will be set up as a Tiki Bar.

Name: Coastal County Brewing (planned opening December 2019)
Website: https://coastalcountybrewing.com
Location: 3041 East Olive Road, Pensacola, Florida 32514
Hours:Monday - Tuesday: Closed, Wednesday - Thursday: 4pm - 9pm Friday - Saturday: 12pm - 11pm Sunday: 12pm - 9pm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coastalcounty/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/coastalcountybc

Fairhope Brewing Company Celebrates 4th Anniversary

Fairhope Brewing Company will celebrate their 4th anniversary tomorrow at 2pm. Featuring a ROCKY IV theme the locally owned brewery will offer close to forty brews in anniversary glassware.

Along with seasonal favorites you'll get a chance to try ROCKY IV themed beers brewed just for the occasion, including Rocky Aleboa, Eye of the Porter, and No Easy Way Stout. A no-fee raffle will also put you in the running for the last remaining bottles of their most prized beer of 2017, a Bourbon Barrel Aged version of Kingslayer Imperial Stout.

Here's the complete beer list:

Mangaging partner Jim Foley is looking forward to a big turnout:

“This party has gotten bigger and better every year. We had over 600 people come through our doors last year and we hope to see that number grow again this time around. We know for sure the number of beers for the party has grown!” 

There will be live music as well as food available for purchase from the Bleus Burger food truck. In case of rain cover is provided. $10 admission includes commemorative glass and one beer of your choice.

We're big fans of Fairhope Brewing Company. Less than an hour away from Pensacola we can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon. We'll be there. Hope you will be too!

Event Summary
What: Fairhope Brewing Company 4th Anniversary
When: Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, starting at 2pm
Where: Fairhope Brewing Company, 914 Nichols Ave.
Who: Contact Brian Kane at 251.610.8663 or brian@fairhopebrewing.com for more information.

GrassLands’ Grasstacular Fundathon is On

GrassLands Grasstacular Fundathon

We've been covering the development of GrassLands Brewing Company out of Tallahassee, Florida since August of 2012 with our review of their Le Roi Rouge Imperial Red. In March of this year GrassLands chose the future site of their brewery. And now, with a launch date planned for September, owner Gabe Grass has announced the GrassLands’ Grasstacular Fundathon.

The GrassLands’ Grasstacular Fundathon is a chance for you to help GrassLands Brewery become a reality. Every donation from 10 to 5,ooo dollars will receive a reward along with acknowledgement via a plaque centerpiece located in GrassLand Brewery's taproom.

Owner Gabe Grass:

Your assistance is so meaningful to us – whether you decide to contribute $20 or $2,000, each and every contribution will make a huge difference in helping GrassLands open its doors and hit the ground running! We want to help make Tallahassee and eventually the state of Florida a craft beer destination, and we absolutely cannot do that without your help. You’ve been so awesome in your support of our eventual launch, and we definitely couldn’t have come this far without you.

GrassLands' CrowedBrewed campaign has a goal of 30,000 dollars. As of today 96 backers have donated over 11,000 dollars. If the goal is not reached by August 5th all money will be returned. So the time to support a promising up and coming local brewery is now.

Visit GrassLands’ Grasstacular Fundathon to learn more about the vision of GrassLand's Brewing Company, read up on all the awesome rewards, and most importantly, donate.

Pensacola Beach House Brings Local Craft Beer to Airport

Pensacola Beach House

If you've visited Pensacola International Airport lately you've noticed that long time restaurant and bar Verona's has closed its doors. The new Pensacola Beach House is set to take Verona's place sometime in August after the venue is remodeled.

Until then the Pensacola Beach House has set up a temporary bar for your drinking needs. While bottle beers include New Belgium's Fat Tire and several Samuel Adams selections, it's the draft options that should have you excited.

The three beers on draft include Pensacola Bay Brewery's Rip Tide Amber and Sawgrass Wheat, along with McGuire's Irish Red.

The next time you find yourself at Pensacola International Airport, show your approval by having a local craft beer and telling the Pensacola Beach House you're happy with their current selections.

Hopefully when the Pensacola Beach Bar moves into their new, larger venue they'll offer additional beer choices from local craft breweries (Lighthouse Porter anyone?). You can help make that happen by having your voice heard.

Review: Liberty APA by Funky Skunk Brewing

Funky Skunk Brewing is a Pensacola nano-brewery in planning we first covered back in January, 2013. In March of the same year we reviewed Devil's Tail Amber Ale and came away impressed.

After a brief hiatus owner and brew master Eddie Garrison is back at work making his dream a reality. We recently got our hands on Funky Skunk Brewing's Liberty APA, a recent Bronze Medal winner at the 9th Annual Brew Master Competition in Green Bay, Wisconson in March. Here's how Garrison describes the Liberty APA:

This American Pale Ale (APA) is an adaptation of classic British pale ale. The American Ale yeast strain we used produces less ester than comparable ale yeasts, and thus Liberty has a less fruity taste than its British counterpart. Liberty has a medium to dark amber color and a hint of sweet caramel from the use of crystal malt that does not mask the hop finish. The American hops used in Liberty (Northern Brewer & Cascade) will not be overkill on bitterness but allows you to taste what we consider the true style of an American Pale Ale."

We're using the Beer Advocate Ratings System, and as usual the girlfriend is assisting with the review.

Funky Skunk Brewing's Liberty APA

Appearance: 3.5
Pours a dark, caramel color with a half inch head. Intense carbonation and slightly cloudy.

Smell: 4.0
A light, wonderfully sweet smell, not overpowering. You know how you're walking past your favorite pub and suddenly you're drawn in by the delicious smell of beer? Just like that, welcoming.

Taste: 5.0
Sweet up front, then bam, nice and hoppy at the end. Sharp, with just the right amount of bite that still allows easy drinking.

Mouth Feel: 5.0
Medium body with a long finish. Good carbonation which keeps it from feeling syrupy or too heavy. Feels alive in your mouth.

Overall: 4.5
Intense and delicious, easy to drink. Tough to find any faults. As the girlfriend said, "just a really good beer".

Final Score: 4.63

If you'd like to learn more about Eddie Garrison and Funky Skunk Brewing be sure to check out their website. You can also follow Funky Skunk Brewing's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

The Magnolia Hosts New Belgium Supper Club

Monday, April 14th, The Magnolia is holding a New Belgium Brewery Supper Club: a five course dinner with beer pairings. The menu for the event looks incredible:

• Amuse - Paired with Fat Tire Amber Ale
• Gulf Shrimp, Fennel & Orange Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette - Paired with Snapshot Wheat
• Pastrami & Stone Ground Mustard Tartine on Rye Toast, Poached Egg - Paired with Shift Lager
• Sous Vide & Grilled Rosemary Pork Loin over Sweet Potato & Apple Puress, Salt & Pepper Bruised Arugula - Paired with Ranger IPA
• Caramelized Banana Creme Brûlée - Paired with Trippel Belgian Style Ale

The Magnolia is a recent addition to the Pensacola restaurant scene opened by locals Bill Manning & Kiley Bolster. Offering a cozy setting, delicious 'comfort food with an International twist', as well as a variety of craft beer and wine, we're big fans of The Magnolia.

Tickets are $65 per person and includes meal, beer pairings, and New Belgium pint glass. The Magnolia can accommodate any dietary restrictions for their supper clubs if contacted before the event.

Event Summary
Event: New Belgium Supper Club
Location: The Magnolia
When: Monday, April 14th 5:30 pm
Tickets: $65 - Call 850.912.6196 / Email themagnoliaeph[at]gmail.com

Local Breweries Bring Home 6 medals at Best Florida Beer Championship

Three local breweries returned from the recent Best Florida Beer Championship in Tampa with medals.

Pensacola Bay Brewery's Blackbeard Stout, a beer we've long been a fan of, took Gold in the Stout category, while also taking Gold in the Fruit Beer category with the Desoto Berliner Weisse Ale Brewed with Rasberries.

Photo Credit: Florida Best Beer

Long time Pensacola favorite Mcguires Irish Pub brought home three medals. McGuires Millennium took gold in the Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale category, while McGuires Coffee Porter and Devils Soul took bronze medals in the Coffee Beer and American-Style Imperial Stout categories respectively.

Photo Credit: Florida Best Beer

Lastly, Grayton Beer took Silver in the Belgian-Style Witbier category with White Dunes.

Congrats to all three breweries on their success.

Review: Forgotten Coast Belgian Tripel-style Ale by GrassLands Brewery

Pensacola Beer first covered GrassLands Brewing Company way back in 2012 when we reviewed their Le Roi Rouge Imperial Red. Since then we've gotten the opportunity to try Le Roi Rouge Imperial Red (take 2), Black Rose Immortal Imperial Stout, King Oliver’s Hard Cider, and Big Cypress IPA.

Today we have the chance to review the 2nd test batch of one of GrassLands' eventual seasonals:

Forgotten Coast Belgian Tripel-style Ale

Here's what Owner Gabe Grass is going for:

"A higher gravity, flavorful and medium-bodied traditional Belgian Tripel. Lots of Spice/phenolic aromas & flavors while still maintaining a level of residual sweetness."

This batch was brewed in June 2013 and bottled in July 2013. And here's where we apologize for taking so long to to review Forgotten Coast. Beer can have a short shelf life, and we need to take that into consideration. That's completely on us.

With that said, on to the review!

Forgotten Coast Belgian Tripel-style Ale by GrassLands Brewery

Appearance: Pours a beautiful, golden honey. Light carbonation and slightly cloudy, the head is small and dissipates quickly.
4.0

Smell: Plentiful spice up front with fruit on the back end. Almost as if smelling an apple pie. Makes you want to drink it.
4.0

Taste: Similar to the smell, spicy and balanced, but the fruit takes front stage. Once again we're reminded of apple pie, which isn't a bad thing.
4.0

Mouth Feel: Creamy, nice lingering finish.
4.0

Overall: A wonderfully balanced beer with a nice mixture of fruit and spices. Wish we had another one.
4.0

Final Score: 4.0

Comments: Imagine what the score might have been if we had reviewed it in a timely manner? Sorry again, Gabe.

Owner Gabe Grass has been open and honest every step of the way in following his dream of opening his own brewery. And you can follow along by visiting GrassLand's website, Twitter account, or Facebook page. But make it quick, because GrassLands Brewing Company will be opening in 2014! They've even got an address:

This has been a long, long, lonnnnnnnng time coming – and we couldn’t be more excited! As of Friday evening last week, President Gabe, Vice President Scott and General Manager Saralyn all sat down with building owner Dean Minardi and put pen to paper to make GrassLands the first official tenant at 603 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, FL 32304!

Fantastic news. We look forward to the day we can sit down with Gabe at GrassLands Brewing Company and enjoy his brews.