Cafeina, one of Wynwood's first watering holes, is finally catching up with its neighborhood's beer craze by announcing a weekly beer garden.
Every Thursday evening, beginning tonight, January 14, the eatery and cocktail lounge will host the Cerveceria 23 beer garden. Though based on German biergartens, Cerveceria 23 takes place in Cafeina's lush, tropical mural garden.
Cafeina's Erika Castro says the restaurant decided it was time to get more involved in the Wynwood community. "We're one of the first venues here in Wynwood, and we wanted to do something more fun on Thursday evenings. A beer garden is the perfect thing for Wynwood, and it caters to a lot of the neighborhood crowd."
Although the focus is on brew, Castro says there's something for everyone. "It's not just about beer. The evening also has a foodie aspect to it, and it has that fun Wynwood arts vibe. After all, the heart of Wynwood is art."
Though the area has many places to drink a cold one alfresco, Cerveceria 23 has more than a few unique traits that make it worth checking out.
Each week, the beer garden will concentrate on a different beer region. This week, attention will be on Florida, with four of the Sunshine State's top craft beers available for only $5 each. They include Coppertail Night Swim Porter, Concrete Beach Rica, Florida Beer Florida Lager, and Orange Blossom Pilsner Squared. Each beer purchase earns guests one raffle ticket for a chance to win a work painted live by artist Nate Dee.
Subsequent weeks will entertain different beer-making countries, with four brews offered for an affordable $4 to $6. Castro says the following week's region will be posted on Cafeina's social media a few days before the event, so you know what's in store. Next week, it's a trip to Germany. Theme nights are also planned. "Around May, we'll do some Mexican beers for Cinco de Mayo, and we're always open for suggestion. If we have a suggestion from our audience, we can try to make that work."
In addition to offering inexpensive craft beer, Cerveceria will also serve affordable barbecue items paired with sauces made with the featured beers of the week. Items include perros, chicken kebabs, and ribs served in pairs for $2.
The new Wynwood beer garden will also host DJ Self Born and set up some retro Super Nintendo consoles so patrons can play Mario Kart and Street Fighter 2.
Cerveceria 23 is held every Thursday from 5 p.m. till 1 a.m. Cafeina's regular Thursday 5-to-8 p.m. happy hour — offering beer, wine, and cocktails for $5 — remains in effect in case non-craft-beer-drinking friends wants to come along.