Bars & Breweries

The South Florida beer community was buzzing with rumors that a new concept by an established beer maker was in the works when Facebook and Instagram accounts with the name Strange Beast Beer were established. The rumor has been confirmed with the announcement that John Falco, the brains behind Lincoln’s Beard Brewing Company, will open Strange Beast, a brewpub and pizzeria concept, at the end of 2019. A brewpub is an establishment selling beer brewed on the premises that usually includes a restaurant.

You can sample Tallahassee-based Proof Brewing’s 2018 Hunahpu award-winning Blue Raspberry Evil Kiss, Triple Crossing’s Waxing Poetic passionfruit-and-guava Berliner, and Southern Prohibition’s All My Joy coconut, almond, and chocolate stout when Grovetoberfest returns to Miami this weekend.

Wynwood Brewing has just announced it has been acquired by Craft Brew Alliance (CBA). Two years ago, Wynwood Brewing entered a partnership with CBA in an expansion bid. In December 2016, Wynwood’s Luis Brignoni Jr. announced CBA would take a minority, 24.5 percent share of the brewery, allowing the Miami beermakers to expand their local production brewery and taproom.

The 2018 World’s 50 Best Bars rankings were recently announced in London, where both Sweet Liberty and its charismatic and talented partner received accolades. Sweet Liberty was ranked number 21 on the list of the world’s top bars, moving up from 27th last year. In addition, John Lermayer posthumously received…

Forget Vogue and Fashion Week. In Miami, the best trends are found inside a glass. This season, the Magic City’s best barkeeps and restaurateurs predict cocktail trends that range from autumnal hints of nutmeg and clove to a tiki revival.

Old Deck Beer Company, Miami’s newest beer brand, has begun pouring at taps around town. Though the brewery doesn’t have an actual location yet, founder and brewer Luis Suarez contracted with the Tank Brewing Co. to use its facilities. The collaboration has worked out: Old Deck launched its first beer, the F.A.D.E.D. IPA, last week.

Smoky flavors, pumpkin spice, winter fruits, chocolate, and cream top the list of decadent ingredients in this list of the top five fall cocktails.

Five years ago, when Luis Brignoni opened Wynwood Brewing Company with his father, Luis Sr., Miami didn’t really have a craft beer scene. The biggest hurdle to opening the city’s first production brewery and taproom was discussing rules for the fledgling industry with city leaders. “A lot of people had…

Exit One Taproom opened its doors this past weekend in Florida City. The 2,500 square-foot bar is named for its precise location: Exit One on the Florida Turnpike, the last stop before heading for the Keys.

The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) began in 1982 with less than two dozen breweries. Now the three-day event attracts hundreds of breweries from across the nation, including several from Miami, which will pour at this year’s festival, held September 20 through 22 at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver.

On August 18, Jacksonville Beach’s Southern Swells Brewing posted on Facebook a warning it received from the Florida Department of Health: No dogs in the building, or face possible closure. The notice came as a surprise and was met with outrage by brewery patrons, many of whom have grown accustomed to the sight of pet canines chilling in the taproom on any given day…

The revamped menu still pays homage to the ’80s by way of classic videogames. Page turning brings glimpses of childhood friends such as Mario Bros., Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong. The main draw, though, is the bill of fare: a whole new roster of cocktails created by the Anderson’s bar manager, Dave Simmons, and food by 27 Restaurant & Bar’s Jimmy Lebron.

Miami’s MiMo District has gotten its own weekend tiki lair with the opening of Madame Phuong Cocktail + Den at Phuc Yea. The bar, open Thursday through Saturday, boasts a midcentury-modern-goes-tropics vibe with vintage rattan seating and Chinese lucky cats gracing the walls alongside murals by Miami artist Miguel Paredes.

The bold, opaque Russian imperial stout is on the rise in South Florida. Local breweries such as Funky Buddha, LauderAle, and J. Wakefield are behind their own interpretations.

In the Magic City, mangoes are king. From festivals to parades, the coveted fruit is regularly celebrated and craved throughout Miami. In the thick of mango season, there’s no better way to sate the obsession than with boozy mango drinks. So leave your neighbor’s mangoes alone and enjoy one of these juicy mango libations, from ale to tart martinis.

Constellation Brands, the third largest beer company in the nation, this past Wednesday reportedly terminated dozens of employees on its craft beer sales team, including at Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park, according to a sales representative who was laid off.

Miami beer lovers can wish a hearty happy birthday to Wynwood Brewing and Veza Sur by attending celebrations held by both breweries this Saturday, August 18.

Crazy Uncle Mike’s, a brewery and restaurant featuring live music, is coming to Boca Raton. The 9,000-square foot complex will have a full-service kitchen,10-barrel brewhouse, “state-of-the-art” stage, full liquor license, and indoor and outdoor seating for 200. It will also offer highway access, plenty of parking, and a patio that wraps around the entire building.

Summers in Miami can be brutal, but there are respites: a day at the beach, pool time, and a cold drink. Beer cocktails are perfect for this time of year. They’re lower in alcohol content than traditional libations, and beer’s carbonation makes it naturally refreshing. Beer is also a great base for concoctions such as micheladas, shandies, and slushies. Cool off with any of these beer cocktails.

In keeping with its motto, “Weird at the beard,” Lincoln’s Beard Brewing Co. will celebrate a strange milestone this Saturday. The brewery will mark its two-and-a-quarter-year anniversary with the Patrick Swayze-themed celebration Swayzeepalooza.

This past weekend, the 12th-annual Tales of The Cocktail returned to New Orleans’ French Quarter neighborhood with events, seminars, dinners, and parties. Miami made a big impact, from an emotional tribute to Sweet Liberty’s John Lermayer to the Broken Shaker’s second-consecutive win as Best American Hotel Bar and Sweet Liberty’s recognition…