1st WoB - Palafox Loyalty Party

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This Thursday, June 27th, World of Beer - Palafox is holding its first Loyalty Party. The concept is simple, wear your loyalty reward shirt and you'll get a special discount. The discount keeps getting better for each point level you've achieved:

  • All Loyalty Members: 25% off of bottle selections

  • 100+: 25% off everything

  • 250+: 1/2 off your entire tab

Never heard of the WoB Loyalty Card? You can read all about it on their website. But to summarize, the card costs $15 and when you sign up you will immediately receive a free WoB t-shirt. Once you have your card, you'll earn a point for every different beer you buy at any WoB and at various point levels you'll earn rewards!

Taking the party to the next level, WoB will also have a ferkin of Habanera Cottonmouth from Swamphead Brewery. Not only an opportunity to try a unique beer but also earn a new loyalty point!

Event Summary
Event: WoB Loyalty Party
Location: World of Beer - Palafox
When: Thursday, June 27th
Note: Don't forget to wear your loyalty reward shirt to get discounts!

Beer, Bourbon & Barbecue

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Seville b3 Flyer

Seville Quarter is hosting "beer, bourbon & barbecue (b3)" this Thursday, June 27th from 6 – 8pm. The event will take place in the courtyard areas of Apple Annie's and End O' the Alley. Tickets are $25 and available in the Seville Quarter Gift Shop.

What can you expect from this trifecta of goodness? A breakout of the three b's is as follows:

b1 - Bourbon
The event will include the opportunity for guests to sample over 20 small batch bourbons, to include:

b2 - Beer
The beer tasting will include samples of seasonal releases from Goose Island Brewery and Straight to Ale which just held its Florida panhandle release week.

b3 - Barbeque
The barbecue will include barbecued Apalachicola Oysters and different cuts of pork prepared by Seville Quarter’s Executive Chef Brandon Melton.

The 18 String Army will be providing musical entertainment during the event (dare I say b4 - Band?).

Event Summary
Event: b3 beer, bourbon & barbecue
Location: Seville Quarter
When: Thursday, June 27th 6pm - 8pm
Cost: $25 per person, available at Seville Quarter's Gift Shop

Oskar Blues Little Yella Pils Race Car

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Calling all racing fans. Oskar Blues Little Yella Pils Race Car will be on display at Hopjacks - Nine Mile Road on Wednesday, June 19th from 5-7 pm. You can meet the driver and there will be a raffle held for tickets to the race at 5 Flags Speedway on Saturday.

Image Courtesy of Oskar Blues

All this will be held in conjunction with an Oskar Blues pint night. Buy an Oscar Blues beer and not only keep the glass but save $1 on all your Oskar Blues refills. BeerStreetJournal recently wrote about the car and included some great pictures in the article, check it out. You can also read more about the car and driver over at Oskar Blues website.

Event Summary
Event: Oskar Blues Race Car & Pint Night
Location: Hopjacks - Nine Mile
When: Wednesday, June 19th 5pm - 7pm

Straight to Ale Florida Panhandle Launch

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Just recovering from Back Forty's arrival in Pensacola? Well, there's no rest for the wicked. Next week is launch week of Straight to Ale Brewing to the Pensacola area. Straight to Ale is located in Huntsville, Alabama and they pride themselves on being "Southern Born. Southern Brewed"

Want to learn more about Straight to Ale before the launch events? Draft Magazine featured them as a "Brewery to Watch" earlier this year. Mod Mobilian also just covered Straight to Ale in their new "Drink Local" series.

DRINK LOCAL episode one STRAIGHT TO ALE brewery Huntsville, AL from ModMobilian.com TV on Vimeo.

Straight to Ale's current regular lineup of beers consists of:

They also brew seasonals and special "occasional" beers. Hopjacks' own "beer geek" Tim Dohms recently reviewed Monkeynaut in one of his weekly reviews.

There are multiple events being held throughout the week to celebrate the roll-out of Straight to Ale to the area. We will update this post with more information regarding these events as its released.

  • Tuesday, June 18th
    Launch Party
    World of Beer - Palafox
    Straight to Ale happy hour all night.

  • Wednesday, June 19th (6pm - 12pm)
    Fishale Taphouse & Grill
    Pint Night & Launch Party
    Okay, so not exactly in the Pensacola area but we hear this is a must visit for craft beer lovers when near Panama City Beach. Receive a pint glass when you buy a Straight to Ale beer and meet brewery representatives.

  • Thursday, June 20th
    Launch Party
    Mellow Mushroom (Destin)

  • Friday, June 21st (8:30 pm)
    Launch Party / Devil Costume Party
    Hopjacks Pizza and Taproom - Downtown
    A chance to meet the owners and brewers of "Straight to Ale" and receive free brewery products and Schwag. Two of Straight to Ale's seasonal beers will also be on tap, He Ain't Hefe Weizenbier and Stop Work 689 Kolsch. Everyone is encouraged to dress as the devil for this costume party, there will be prizes for the best costumes.

  • Saturday, June 22nd (3 - 6 pm) Can Jam
    Wine World - Destin
    Meet Straight To Ale's Head Brewer and owner Dan Perry at this event. Chan's is also giving away three golden tickets for Cigar City's Barrel Aged Hunahpu Imperial Stout and a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses. Multiple deals: $3 for cans, $4 drafts, $4 build your own burrito. Musical entertainment provided by Hotel Oscar. There is a $5 entry fee.

2013 Pensacola Beach Beer Festival

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Pensacola Beach Beer Festival 2013 Event Flyer This one snuck up on us. The 2013 Pensacola Beach Beer Festival takes place on Pensacola Beach Boardwalk in front of Capt'n Funs from 5pm - 9pm. Just 20.00 bucks for unlimited tastings from over 20 breweries. Entertainment and a fireworks display fill out the event. A lazy Saturday evening drinking good beer and soaking up the sun sounds like a great time.

Event Summary
Event: 2013 Pensacola Beach Beer Festival
Location: Pensacola Beach Boardwalk
When: Saturday, June 15th 5pm - 9pm
Cost: $20 per person

"Dog Days of Summer" Special Events

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We recently covered Hopjacks "Dog Days of Summer" charity promotion in which Hopjacks donates 10% of every Sea Dog beer sold to SouthBARK animal rescue. Hopjacks recently announced three "Dog Days of Summer" special events as well:

First Event
This Sunday, June 16 (Fathers Day) starting at 3 pm Hopjacks Filling Station will be hosting a Dog Fashion & Talent Show consisting of the following competition categories:

  • Best Dressed
  • Best Twins (dog & owner look alike)
  • Best Trick
  • Loudest Bark
  • Longest Kiss (dog licking owner's face)

Second Event
Sunday, July 7th starting at 3 pm Hopjacks - Nine Mile Road will hold a charity dog wash. All proceeds from this event will go to SouthBark. Hopjacks is looking for volunteers to come out and donate their time for this event and Sea Dog is donating a keg of beer for all of-age volunteers to quench their dog-washing thirst.

Third Event
Sunday, July 28th 3pm - 7pm the first ever Hopjacks "Pug Crawl" will take place in Downtown Pensacola. Ever wanted to take your canine friend on a pub crawl? Well now you have your chance. Bring your pooch along as you make the following stops:

1. Hopjacks - Downtown
$4.00 orders of Belgian Fries
Half off drafts

2. 850 Open Water
$6 orders of Firecracker Shrimp
Buy 1/2 dozen oysters on the half shell and get the second 1/2 dozen free

3. The Tin Cow
$3.00 Bloody Marys, sparkling wine, & mimosas
Half-off all starters
$3 Bloody Mary's and Mimosas
All domestic cans $2.00
$1.00 off well drinks, wine by the glass, and sangria's

4. The Spotted Dog Pet Boutique and Bakery
Treats on sale for the canine participants

Don't forget that for each Sea Dog beer you purchase at the stops, more money gets donated to SouthBARK. Hopjacks also has stated that they intend to make this an annual event.

Try and make it to one, two, or even all three of these special "Dog Days of Summer" events and drink some craft beer for a great cause.

Beer Pairing Dinner: Tastes of Latin America

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This year Hopjacks has hosted some notable beer dinners including the Dogfish Head's AHopEclipse Now and the Pig & Beer Dinner during ACBW. The Pensacola craft beer community has shown great support for these events, enough so that Hopjacks has since stated that they've decided to start having monthly beer dinners. Their resident beer geek Tim Dohms will continue to plan the menus for these monthly dinners.

This month's beer dinner will take place at Hopjacks - Nine Mile Road on Thursday, June 20th. The theme for the dinner is "Tastes of Latin America".

Hopjacks Event Flyer

See the flyer for a description of the four courses being served. Hopjacks just released the planned beer pairings today, they are as follows:

These beer dinners are a welcome addition to the area. We look forward to what Hopjacks offers in the upcoming months and encourage the community to check out one of these beer dinners soon.

Event Summary
Event: Tastes of Latin America Beer Dinner
Location: Hopjacks - Nine Mile Road
When: Thursday, June 20th at 7pm
Cost: $40 per person plus tax & gratuity
Reservations required, call (850) 497-6076

Back Forty Arrives in the Panhandle

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We were happy to recently hear that Back Forty Beer Company based out of Gadsen, Alabama would soon be distributed to the Pensacola area. Well, the time has arrived and you can join others in welcoming Back Forty to the Pensacola area. This week Hopjacks Downtown, World of Beer Palafox, and the Atlas Oyster House are all holding events to welcome this Alabama craft brewery to Pensacola.

Back Forty's current beer lineup includes the following:

Monday, June 10th, Hopjacks - Downtown is holding their official Back Forty Brewing Company launch party. Members of Back Forty brewery will be present from 7 pm - 9 pm and all of their above listed beers will be available for you to try. This is also a pint night, so you get to keep the glass after your first purchase and re-fills are $1.00 off for the rest of the night.

On Tuesday, June 11th, WoB Palafox is also holding a Back Forty pint night. Another chance to try there brews, take home a glass, and of course get more loyalty points!

Also on Tuesday, June 11th, Atlas Oyster House will be holding the final Atlas Beer Class (A.B.C) of the semester starting at 6pm. Back Forty will be the featured brewery for the event which includes appetizers, sample beer tastings, and a meet and greet with Back Forty Brewmaster Tripp Collins. Reservations required (Call Lauren 850.516.2324) and cost is $20 per person.

Atlas Oyster House Event Flyer

Try and make it to at least one of these events this week and give Back Forty a proper welcome to Pensacola!

Review: King Oliver’s Hard Cider by GrassLands Brewery

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If you've been reading Pensacola Beer (and you should be), you're familiar with GrassLands Brewing Company out of Tallahassee, Florida. Slated for a mid to late 2014 launch, we've been lucky enough to have the opportunity to review several of their upcoming releases, including their Le Roi Rouge Imperial Red and Black Rose Immortal Imperial Stout.

Owner Gabe Grass has changed things up this time and given us King Oliver’s Hard Cider. Here's how he describes it:

King Oliver is a traditional German apfelwein (apple-wine) – brewed with 100% apple juices, organic brown sugar and champagne yeast – as well as pressed apples. King Oliver’s Hard Cider was brewed on Jan 7th and bottled on February 2nd. This sucker checks in at 8.8% ABV, so watch out! And full-disclosure, Oliver, the dominant and protective Pekingese, is most definitely the King of GrassLands’ household…he sends his regards and requests your serfdom.

Gabe's shooting for a "higher gravity, dry, and champagne-like cider that is somewhat tart, but not over the top with plenty of apple aroma".

My girlfriend, a big cider fan, will be joining me for the review, and we'll be using the Beer Advocate Ratings System. Remember, we are professionals. Do not try this at home.

King Oliver’s Hard Cider by GrassLands Brewery

Appearance: Pours nice and smooth with just a bit of foam. Nice golden color (apples, duh), not clear, but not cloudy. Heavy carbonation. Can't imagine a cider looking any more inviting.
5.0

Smell: Sweet and fruity. Subtle, and vanished quickly.
3.5

Taste: Like a dry, lightly sweetened champagne. Alcohol content perfect. Noticeable but not overwhelming. Medium finish.
4.0

Mouth Feel: Carbonated, light, flavor hits the back of the tongue. Feels alive in your mouth. 4.5

Overall: Gabe was going for a "champagne-like cider", and we'd say he succeeded. If you're a fan of wine with dinner, one could easily replace your glass of wine with King Oliver’s Hard Cider and be very happy.
4.0

Final Score: 4.0

Comments: My girlfriend is a fan of dry ciders and wines, while I generally am not, but there was just enough sweetness to win me over. Indeed, walking a fine line that kept us both happy is quite impressive. If anything, we'd kick the smell up a notch.

Oliver should be quite proud of his cider. Give that pup a treat.