Showing posts with label Pumpkin beer. Show all posts

Oktoberfest Craft Beer Tour


Over the weekend, myself and a dozen other ladies went on the Brew Thru SRQ tour to explore the craft beer scene in Sarasota for my Sister-in-law's bachelorette party. Who knew Sarasota had such amazing breweries? It was the perfect way to celebrate with my eclectic, beer-loving SIL
 


The meeting spot to start the tour was at Mandeville Beer Garden and I was so surprised that we had never been or heard about this brewery before. They have a beautiful (dog-friendly) outside patio and inside bar/restaurant area plus a huge selection of craft beers and German-style eats.

 
From there we took off on the trolley to explore some more breweries. Our first stop was at JDub's Brewery where I tried a nice Passion Wheat beer. While I do drink some beers, I don't like heavy and hoppy craft beer but I was able to find some lighter options at each brewery we stopped at.


 
 

 
 
The staff were really incredible in terms of keeping us entertained and educated throughout the tour. Despite it being a million degrees outside, I have to say this is the most fun I've had on a brewery/pub tour.


 
The third stop was at Big Top Brewing Company, which is another hidden gem with some amazing brews especially the Key Lime Wheat and then their Pumpkin Stiltskin during Oktoberfest.



The next stop was at Calusa Brewing Company which is a huge Tap Room with a brewery attached. At this point, all we wanted was some AC to cool down in before exploring the beer menu. The Coffee & Cinn Brown Ale was a hit among our group.


 


The last stop was at Pi Craft Beer & Spirits Restaurant which is a small laid-back joint in a strip-mall but is hugely popular for their pizza and craft beers. I think they knew pizza/food would hit the spot after beer drinking during the day.

 


It was such a fun experience and a great way to celebrate a bachelor/bachelorette party for those interested in breweries and beer tasting. I'd definitely go again at another time of year since Brew Thru Tours rotate to different breweries depending on the season.

 
Is it Friday yet?

Seasonal Fall Beers

Call me a lush but one of my favorite things about Fall is when pumpkin beers hit the shelves. K and I have a little tradition where we pick up a new (to us) beer every Friday to try out over the weekend. Of course some of the favorites stay in the rotation while others come and go. Since pumpkin beer is in season and I've been taste tasting over the past few weekends, I have some faves to share.

I'm no beer connoisseur so there's no description for each one on the flavors and how sweet or tart (or whatever) they are. For me, it's either I like it or I don't. In general, I like pumpkin beers with a hint of flavor and aren't too sweet or overpowering. All of these passed the test with Jack-O Traveler Pumpkin Shandy being my favorite because it's light and refreshing.





Yuengling Oktoberfest



Do you have any pumpkin beer favorites that I should try next?

Fall: What is that?


Well it's no secret Florida really doesn't experience a true Fall. The weather is still in the 80's so definitely don't need the cute scarfs or boots and the leaves don't change to those beautiful red and orange colors like the photo above. However, the weather does become slightly more comfortable compared to the blazing hot summer and there are several other things I enjoy around this time of year that remind me it is in fact Fall. 

#1: Epcot's Food & Wine Festival. I can't wait to go next weekend and sample all the food and wine from different countries. 


#2: Bath & Body Works 3-Wick Fall Scented Candles. I just put in my order over the weekend for some new pumpkin scented candles so my house can smell like Fall.



#3: Pumpkin beer. Since they hit the shelves a few weeks ago, I've been trying a new pumpkin beer every weekend with K. Call me crazy but I even have a whole post about this coming soon.


#4: Pumpkin carving. Or I should really say pumpkin pattern designing and then someone else does the carving. (K made that meme last year as a joke.) And do you see that patch of lawn to the right of him? We had a pumpkin plant start growing out of control there until from him throwing the seeds out until we finally decided to remove it a few months ago.


#5: Potlucks at work and Thanksgiving out of town with family. This was Thanksgiving last year  when Lola had just joined our family and was a tiny puppy.


Okay I'm a little late to the party but I'm joining Pinky and Katie for their Falling for Fall linkup.