Happy New Year 2013

The pelican will be dropping in just a few hours as 2012 comes to a close. If you haven't made reservations for one of the many dinners around the city, you might be out of luck. But you can still ring in the New Year with great beer at one of Pensacola's many craft beer establishments.

If you'd rather not fight the downtown crowds, Goat Lips Deli is off the beaten path and offering a dinner buffet featuring BBQ Shrimp, gumbo, appetizers, and dessert, 6 beer and wine tickets, champagne at midnight, and a breakfast buffet at 12:30 am. 50 dollars per person and starts at 8 pm. Sounds like a great deal. Contact and location details can be found on the Pensacola Beer Locations page.

Wherever you ring in the new year, please be safe. If you've had too much to drink and need a safe ride, Triple A is offering its "Tow To Go" program, free. For a free tow call the AAA Free Tipsy Tow line at 1-800-AAA-HELP and they'll provide a ride home for you and your vehicle. There's no need to be a Triple A member.

Happy New Years from Pensacola Beer. Here's to a great 2013!

2012 Best of the Coast Winners

With 2012 on the way out it's a good time to look back at the Best of the Coast winners from voting held by the Pensacola Independent News in October. Of interest to beer drinkers in the area:

Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom came up big racking up victories in six categories including Best Downtown Bar, Best Bar North Pensacola, Best Selection of Beer on Tap, Best Bar Menu, Best Bar for Getting Flat-Out Drunk, and Best College Hangout.

New to the area World of Beer won Best Selection of Bottled Beer and Best New Bar.

Richey's East won Best Liquor Store, Mellow Mushroom is the Best Bar for Trivia, and the the Wisteria Tavern is Pensacola's Best Kept Secret.

And if you're in the downtown area and need a great cup of coffee to end the night (or one last beer), The Leisure Club won Best Coffee Shop.

More information can be found on all these venues on the Pensacola Beer Locations page. Congratulations to all winners and here's to even more competition in 2013.

Happy Holidays from Pensacola Beer

This is the first holiday season for Pensacola Beer and we'd like to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. We hope everyone is getting the chance to spend time with family and friends.

However, if family and friends are starting to get on your nerves, or you just need to get out of the house, you've got options. Hopjacks is open for Christmas, World of Beer will begin serving great beer tonight starting at 7 pm, and if you'd rather make a meal of it, both Jackson's Steakhouse and The Pensacola Fish house are open for dinner.

And remember, it's Christmas, so tip your servers well.

Cheers!

Update on 2012-12-26 02:03 by Gary

Added Hopjacks to list of places open for Christmas.

Pensacola Bay Brewery to Host End of the World Blowout

World of Beer isn't the only Pensacola establishment celebrating the (possible) end of the world. Pensacola Bay Brewery is hosting an End of the World Blowout this friday, December 21st at 7:00 pm and doesn't end until 'the meteor hits or zombies start eating brains'.

A Drunker Shade of Green will be playing live and they always put on a great show, so come on out and enjoy some great beer while listening to some rockin' music. Not a bad way to go.

GrassLands Brewery's Le Roi Rouge Imperial Red (take 2)

We reviewed GrassLands Brewery's Le Roi Rouge Imperial Red last August. This is the third test batch of what GrassLands is affectionately calling 'Lee-Roy the Red', and the second we've gotten our hands on.

Owner Gabe Grass describes the beer as a 'high-gravity and earthy/spicy American Amber/English Pale hybrid with select malts. Batch #3 was fermented with White Lab's California I yeast strain & checks in at 8.9% ABV and 75+ IBUs (bitterness) with generous portions of Columbus, Willamette, Cascade & Liberty hops'.

He's shooting for a 'higher gravity, medium bodied ale with a complex malt backbone, complemented by spicy and floral hop flavors/aromas and some dark fruit flavors/ aromas'.

The beer was brewed August 4th and bottled on September 12th. We reviewed the beer on November 9th. Once again, we are using the Beer Advocate Ratings System.

Le Roi Rouge (the Red King) Imperial Red

Appearance: A deeper red and less brackish than the previous batch. A large head (2 fingers) with heavy carbonation. A more inviting beer appearance wise.
3.5

Smell: In one word: amazing. One of the best smelling beers we've tasted. Less floral than previously with a strong dark fruit aroma.
5.0

Taste: Fruit up front, with floral and roasted malts in the middle. A much longer, more intense finish. Alcohol still strong but not overwhelming. Spiciness slightly reduced, but spot on. Bitterness perfectly balanced, very smooth.
4.5

Mouth Feel: Medium body with heavy carbonation. Not a noticeable difference from the previous batch.
3.0

Overall: In our first review we said the Le Roi Rouge Imperial Red was a drinkable, enjoyable beer, but didn't leave a lasting impression. This beer is in a different class. The dark fruit flavors and aroma have been intensified, and the finish that was previously short and weak is now much longer and memorable.
4.5

Final Score: 4.4

Comments: We enjoyed GrassLand's Le Roi Rouge Imperial Red the first time we reviewed it with a few minor caveats. All our concerns have been addressed. This is a wonderful, unique beer. The only problem left is that we can't buy a pint at our local pub. Hopefully that will change in the near future.

Toys for Tots + World of Beer = Free Beer

Christmas is around the corner and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than helping out less fortunate families. Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve that distributes toys to kids whose parents can't afford gifts.

Toys for Tots has a Christmas list of over 8,000 children in the Pensacola area that will only have a present under the tree with your help. This year toys for children 7-14 are especially needed.

Simply bring a new unwrapped toy to an area drop location, but if you love good beer (and if you're reading this, it's a safe guess you do) head over to World of Beer - Palafox with your toy donation and receive a free draft beer as a 'thank you'. You have until December 13th to drop off your gift.

I know the craft beer community is generous, so let's make sure no child in our area wakes up to an empty tree. Helping your community and free beer. What are you waiting for?

Shipyard Brewing Sponsors New World of Beer Running Club

Shipyard Brewing is teaming up with World of Beer to form the WoB running club. The kick off is this Wednesday, December 5th at 6:00 pm (be there by 5:45). The 5K route will cover much of beautiful downtown Pensacola including Blue Wahoo Park and Plaza de Luna.

After the run all Shipyard and Seadog products will be half off for all runners, so this Wednesday is a terrific chance to get in shape while enjoying some great beer. For details on World of Beer's location please check out our locations page.