For years, craft beer has flooded New England and California. Finally, Miami is coming around to the craze, transforming from a snobby cocktail city to a land of free-flowing suds.
Homebrewers in the Magic City are realizing how easy it is to make delicious beer. It's simply better than the mass-produced stuff too often found at gas stations and supermarkets. So without further ado, here's a list of bars, restaurants, and shops where you can find craft brew.
BARS AND RESTAURANTS
Abraxas Lounge, 407 Meridian Ave., Miami Beach. Enormous beer selection and it's off the beaten path. Go there.
Angelique Euro Café, 117 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables; 305-529-9922. A European comfort-food café that cooks with food with beer. They have only six beers on tap, but they make beer blends such as a Half Moon (Guiness and Blue Moon) and a Black and Tan (London Pride and Guiness). There's also a formidable selection of more than 60 bottles from across the United States and the world.
Burger & Beer Joint, 1766 Bay Rd., Miami Beach; 305-672-3287. Mary Brickell Village, 900 S. Miami Ave., Ste. 130, Miami; 305-523-2244. Nothing pairs better than a massive burger and a cold beer, which are the core of Burger & Beer Joint's menu. It lists at least 99 selections of domestic and imported craft beers.
Democratic Republic of Beer, 255 NE 14th St., Miami. This virtual autonomous nation of beer in downtown Miami has only six taps but more than 500 bottles, the rarest being Mikkeller from Denmark that sells for $60 for 750ml.
Cervezas, 5835 Sunset Dr., South Miami. A homey little beer joint near the Shops at Sunset Place with 13 taps and more than 350 bottled selections: imports, domestics, and craft beers.
Elwood's Gastro Pub, 188 NE Third Ave., Miami; 305-358-5222. This English gastropub in downtown servers a killer pot roast on Sundays and 11 beers on tap, including Boddington's Pub Ale, plus five bottled varieties.
The Filling Station and Garage Bar, 95 SE Second St., Miami; 786-425-1990. A great local burger-and-beer hangout in downtown with 11 taps and 40 bottles, such as Dogfish Head Worldwide Stout at 18 percent AB, to wash down some delicious burgers.
The Joint Bar & Grill, 9559 S. Dixie Hwy., Pinecrest; 305-603-9929. A sports bar and a gastropub with a small yet fine selection of craft beers on tap, including Abita Andygator and Brooklyn Brewery Cuvée Noir, which can be aged in the barrel.
The Local Craft Food & Drink, 150 Giralda Ave., Coral Gables. Twenty-six beers on tap and 25 bottles, the rarest being a barrel-aged Cuvée Elijah from Brooklyn Brewery, whose 750ml bottle sells for $4. The Local doesn't mess around.
Lokal Burgers & Beers, 3190 Commodore Plaza, Coconut Grove; 305-442-3377. There must be something to this burger-and-beer combination. Lokal definitely has it figured out. Ten beers on tap and 30 bottles — all crafts — can be found here.
Lou's Beer Garden, 7337 Harding Ave., Miami Beach. It's a hot spot for rare beers on tap and a solid, but not huge, bottled selection.
Sharkey's Beer & Wine, 401 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-577-3333. Located in Bayside Marketplace, Sharkey's has 27 beers — 17 on tap and ten bottled. It’s close to the water, so go drink some brews with a view.
World of Beer, 9010 SW 72nd Pl., Miami. The paint on this place barely had time to dry before it opened in March, and already it's packed most nights. It boasts 50 beers on tap (40 rotating) and more than 500 bottled selections from across the globe.
Yard House, 320 San Lorenzo Ave., Coral Gables. Located in the Village of Merrick Park, it offers an amazing array of 130-plus beers on tap.
Zeke's Roadhouse, 625 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. More than 30 taps and 250 bottles are available at this beer garden among booze-filled nightclubs and palm trees.
STORES
AAA Mister Beer Express, 7125 SW 47th St., Miami; 305-551-2129. These folks drive the beer to your house so you don't have to. The selections are limited to major-label domestics and imports, but they have a keg delivery service you can't beat — it's free.
Stop & Shop, 5885 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables. Next door to Titanic Restaurant & Brewery, this unassuming little convenience store has one of the best beer selections around, including every Stone Brewing and Cigar City beer on the market.
Sunset Corners, 8701 Sunset Dr., Miami. This Kendall spot offers a fine selection of craft beer bottles from all over the world, such as a St. Bernardus Abbot 12 at $250 for a six-liter bottle and a Sam Adams Utopia seasonal beer at $210 for a 750-milliliter bottle. There's even a discount closeout section.
Total Wine & More, 14750 Biscayne Blvd., North Miami. With probably the best selection on the north end of town, Total carries more than a thousand brands of beer plus kegs, craft, and otherwise.
BREWPUBS
Abbey Brewing Company, 1115 16th St., Miami Beach. Miami's oldest and only brewpub, the Abbey doesn't make its beer on-site, but the recipes are unique. Try a glass of Brother Dan's Double at 10 percent ABV.
Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, 1201 Brickell Ave., Miami. OK, it's not exactly a uniquely Miami place, but the beer is brewed on-site, which makes it local.
Titanic Restaurant & Brewery, 5813 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables. Right up the street from the University of Miami, Titanic is purely Miami and brews its own beer in-house, a rarity in these parts.
