Tomoka Brewery
I've been fortunate enough to get to know Peter & Jen, the duo behind Tomoka Brewery, over the last year or so and was able to get them to share a little about their plans up in Ormond Beach.
As many of us know, Tomoka Brewing is a husband and wife team. Tell us a little about Tomoka and yourselves.
Jenny is a native Floridian and Peter is originally from Hungary. We've been together 12 years and literally fuel one another's passion for great food. When we first met we were foodie wine snobs and both loved import beers, and that has evolved into a tremendous love of craft beer and great food. At Tomoka Brewery, we plan to showcase and present what we are passionate about to our customers.
Fantasy Brewmasters
We recently ran into Chris Guerra of Fantasy Brewmasters and were fortunate to get him to answer some questions about his beer and some of the "behind the scenes" work that goes into developing and producing it.
New Glarus Back 40 Bock
I picked up a New Glarus Back 40 Bock in a trade a little while back. New Glarus Brewing Co. is located in Wisconsin.
The bottle has a simple tan label with all the text and art in a single, dark grey color. On the side is a little paragraph that explains “The ‘Back Forty’ is property commonly found on the outskirts of the Wisconsin family farm. Here uncultivated acres wait prime for adventure- forts, tree houses, rope swings and first kisses! A place to run away, to camp, to climb, to build, to play. Not actually home but not too far away. That’s the Back Forty. The beer you hold is similar both dark and adventurous still smooth and familiar. Here’s a beer you can enjoy without pretense or explanation. Every mind requires some acres of possibility, space for dreams, the great escape, everyone needs a Back Forty.”
5 Napkin Grill
We recently were invited by 5 Napkin Grill on Miami Beach to check out the new food and drinks on their menu. They are located right in the heart of the Lincoln Road Mall. Besides the indoor dining room and bar area, they have a large outdoor dining area right along the sidewalk which makes for great people watching.
General Manager Carlos Oliva and Yana Bushoy were great hosts and made us feel very welcome. Yana gave us a quick history of the restaurant, explaining how it is actually one of six 5 Napkin Grill location along the east coast. The others are located primarily in New York City and one is in Boston.
New Times Original Beerfest
We went to the New Times Beerfest over the weekend at Esplanade Park in Fort Lauderdale. If you weren’t there, you missed a great event. It was a picture perfect South Florida spring evening, not too hot and not too cool.
Once again, the event had a great turnout of beer enthusiasts looking to sample some really tremendous beers. Mixed in with the national brands were several Florida breweries, both up-in-coming and established, including Funky Buddha and Cigar City.