It’s a million degrees out and a stroll to the car seems like a stroll on the surface of the sun. Welcome to Miami in the summer.There’s only one thing to do. Drink beer. Here are five craft beer stories to keep you cool and refreshed this weekend.
Anybody in Florida who hopes to start a sake company might be a little disappointed to learn how the alcoholic beverage will be treated from now on. Beginning July 1, sake will be taxed higher, as a wine rather than a beer. The tax hike stems from House Bill 689, which Gov. Rick Scott signed into law last week.
This past Saturday, Miami Drink Hostel, a cocktail event that invited guests to drink around the world, returned to the Freehand Miami. Each guest was photographed upon arrival and given a custom “passport.” The goal was to get all 30 pages “stamped” by the spirits brands plying their wares.
The Pubbelly Boys have been planning a mega street-food concept in Wynwood right under Miamians’ noses. Baja Bao is scheduled to open July 15 on NE 25th Street. The concept centers on bao buns with Latin flavors from countries such as Argentina and Mexico. The idea is to place traditional and nontraditional taco fillings inside the fluffy buns.
Drink Miami Hostel returns to the Freehand tomorrow, transforming it into a world of cocktails. More than 30 rooms at the fashionable hotel/hostel will turn into individual drink experiences, with Miami’s best bartenders and brand managers shaking up cocktails and educating guests about spirits.
Sports bars are usually convivial places to get together with friends to watch the game and hoist a few. But though they’re often homey and inviting, most aren’t considered elegant. Enter Black Market Miami, a swanky bar that recently opened in downtown Miami. It’s the creation of Red Rabbit Presents, composed of Shane Vernon, Erick Passo, and Michael Mora. This is the nightlife team’s first brick-and-mortar, which is represented by a glowing bunny displayed front and center at the bar.
Tales of the Cocktail, the annual New Orleans celebration of spirits and industry professionals, announced the finalists for its annual Spirited Awards. The awards were founded in 2007 to celebrate excellence in the cocktail and spirits industries.
M.I.A. Beer Company has partnered with Deb Fogarty of Be Well Travel and Norwegian Cruise Line for a four-day brews cruise from Miami to Cuba March 26, 2018.
North Miami will soon get its first brewery. Descarga Brewing Company is expected to open in September at 12355 NE 13th Ave., co-owner Manny Jannes says.
The latest venue to open at CityPlace Doral lets guests pair a night of bowling, games, and karaoke with tropical-inspired comfort food and plenty of rum.
Deerfield Beach resident Bryan Turner was first in line for J. Wakefield Brewing’s most recent bottle release this past weekend. He arrived at the Wynwood taproom just after 9 p.m. Friday, June 9, and set up chairs in front of the brewery bay doors about 13 hours before bottle sales began.
This past weekend, the Fort Lauderdale-based Hukilau — considered one of the world’s largest and most authentic celebrations of tiki culture, cocktails, art, and music — kicked off its annual festivities. It was bigger and better than ever thanks to an expanded schedule of events and educational symposiums.
It was nearly three years ago that Ancho Reyes introduced its Chile to Miami. The chili-infused liqueur has spread among many local bar programs. Spirits visionaries Daniel Schneeweiss and Moises Guindi, founders of Milagro Tequila and Montelobos Mezcal, recently added a new flavor to their repertoire, Ancho Reyes Verde. Both…
This Memorial Day weekend, some of the leading ladies of the country’s craft beer industry will be gathering in Fort Lauderdale for what is being hailed as the nation’s first all-female beer fest. On May 28, the local women’s advocacy group the Fem Collective will launch its inaugural FemAle Brew Fest, organized by Fem Collective CEO Frances Antonio-Martineau.
Florida loves beer — nearly $22 billion worth of it. That’s according to an economic impact report conducted by the National Beer Wholesalers Association and the Beer Institute released earlier this month that shows the beer industry contributed $21.6 billion to Florida in 2016.
Last month, the Florida state House of Representatives passed Senate bill SB106, which would allow grocers like Publix and retailers like Target to sell liquor in the same space as other items.Dubbed the “Whiskey and Wheaties” bill, or the “Liquor Wall,” the bill would let consumers buy booze as easily as they buy cereal. In a law that remains from the post-Prohibition era, spirits in Florida must be sold only in dedicated liquor stores or in separate stores divided from a main pharmacy or grocer by a wall. A few days ago, Gov. Rick Scott vetoed the bill,
Sake has come a long way and not only in literal terms. In Miami, it’s becoming more and more common to spot at least one bottle of the Japanese beverage some people refer to as “rice wine.” From chefs developing their own labels to DJs curating sake collections, sake is becoming as popular as beer in the Magic City.
It’s been almost six years since the Rusty Pelican, Key Biscayne’s sunset-viewing happy-hour hangout, completed its $7 million renovation. Now the iconic restaurant has introduced an extensive collection of wines, as well as a revised menu to go with the unbeatable view.
As the craft beer industry continues to grow, larger beer companies are taking notice and are acquiring smaller breweries. Florida isn’t immune to this phenomenon. Several international conglomerates have already snatched up breweries in the Sunshine State. Since the purchase of North Carolina’s Wicked Weed Brewing Company by Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB-InBev), rumors have beens swirling on social media that Oakland Park’s Funky Buddha Brewery was next.
Part of what makes visiting a local brewery’s taproom so special is the draft lineup: there’s usually something on tap you can’t find in stores, or many of the local craft beer bars, for that matter. But what about when you want to take some of it home? Well, that’s what bottle releases are for. They don’t happen
Last year’s Drink Miami Hostel transformed the Freehand’s rooms into mini cocktail experiences where guests were entertained and educated by some of the industry’s best bartenders and brand managers. This year, organizers Gabriel Urrutia, Giovanny Gutierrez, and Matt Hirsch bring Drink Miami Hostel back to the Freehand from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 24.
Spring is well underway, which means Miamians are rapidly preparing for the unrelenting heat and humidity of our most tropical season. The good news is, while you’re sizzling outside, Miami’s best bars and restaurants are here to cool you down with the season’s most refreshing and bright cocktails. Here are the top five beverages to revive you during the looming annual heat wave.
