American Craft Beer Week in Miami Celebrates the Little Guy

American Craft Beer Week (ACBW) is both a celebration and recognition of craft breweries in America. The Brewers Association defines a craft brewery as small, independent, and traditional, meaning its annual production is 6 million barrels or fewer and less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled by an alcoholic beverage industry member that is not itself a craft brewer. In addition, the beers' flavor must be derived by traditional or innovative measures and should not be a flavored malt liquor.

In Miami, all breweries (so far) fit within this definition. Miami-Dade County has more legal breweries than ever, and more are coming. Now that Miami has so many breweries, ACBW is a substantive thing here. 

Any bar/brewery can throw its own events for ACBW. If your event is not listed here, post it in the comments section below. Here are some of the happenings around Miami: 

May 16-17
A lot of things are happening at Wynwood Brewing Company during ACBW. The brewery has several special releases on tap: Monday, Magic City pale ale with green tea; Tuesday, Flagler saison with cumin and ginger; Wednesday, Rickenbacker pilsner with lemongrass; Thursday, La Rubia blonde ale with blackberry; Friday, Barrel Aged Night-Almirante porter, NDSLA, and barrel-aged Flagler; Saturday, Death of Elvis American porter; and Sunday, French Oak WIPA. 

May 16
All three World of Beer (WOB) locations are letting loose for ACBW. WOB Kendall kicks off the week with a tribute to Samuel Adams. The beer lineup includes several special releases on tap, and WOB will raffle off a basketball hoop.

At WOB Dadeland, it's Kill the Keg night. Drinking beer could earn you free stuff. Drink draft beers marked with WOB medallions, and if the keg kicks during your pour, you get a $25 WOB gift card. WOB Dadeland is also celebrating with a series of local breweries on tap.

At WOB Midtown, enjoy $3 selected all night long after 9 p.m. Events are happening all week, so be sure to check WOB's websites. 

May 17
It's a day of anniversary parties. The Mighty in Coral Gables will celebrate its second anniversary, but that's only the beginning of a three-day celebration. The festivities begin with $2 punch cocktails May 17; continue May 18 with tapping a keg of Fat Head Brewery's Hop JUJU; and culminate May 19 for the official nationwide ACBW toast to craft beer. 

Concrete Beach Brewery is celebrating the birth of its social hall with a free cookout from 5 to 11 p.m. On tap will be Stiltsville pilsner, Rica Wheat IPA, and Concrete Common lager. 

May 18
From 7 to 10 p.m., M.I.A. Brewing will pair its beers with croquetas from Miami restaurant Palomilla Grill. For $30, you get a bucket of four beers and croquetas. Beer selections include Mega Mix American pale ale, Domino pilsner, Miami Weiss Hefeweizen, and Tourist Trappe Belgian tripel. 

May 19
From 5 p.m. to midnight, Cafeina Wynwood will offer beer and videogames. All night long, geek out on some Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo games and $5 beers. Also, enjoy $2 barbecue, beer sauce pairings, music from DJ Self Born, and artwork from Lebo. 

May 20
Corey J. Blodgett from Widmer Brothers Brewing will be in town Friday and Saturday to create a collaborative brew. Wynwood Brewing will also have some activities around his visit. From 7 to 9 p.m., meet the brewers at the Wynwood Brewing taproom. 

May 21
J. Wakefield Brewing will release four bottles: Wasting Away, a mezcal barrel-aged Berliner Weisse with pink Himalayan salt and kaffir lime zest; Haboob Hits Miami, a Flanders ale collaboration with Arizona Wilderness Brewing Company; Every Gose Has Its Thorn, a gose collaboration with Finback Brewery; and Orange Dreamsicle, a sour ale brewed with oranges and vanilla.

Celebrate ACBW with the Brickell Craft Beer Tour. Register at American Social from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets cost $15 online and $20 at the door. The tour includes stops at four venues, and you get one craft beer at each spot. 

From 10 a.m. to midnight, there will be a panel discussion at the Wynwood Brewing taproom. There's a $10 cover charge that will be donated to the Roberto Clemente baseball team.