There were some tense moments (and a lot of laughs) at Paulie's Kitchen at the Paul and Young Ron studios in Miramar yesterday, as the two radio personalities (and beer-drinking members of their crew) judged five of South Florida's best home brewers.
At stake? A table at the Paul and Young Ron Brewer's Alley and VIP access to Brew at the Zoo, this Saturday, May 4 at Zoo Miami. (Where, by the way, they are offering a $10 VIP discount starting today with promo code CTS2013, by clicking here.)
The home brewing community is a tight-knit group, so before the competition the groups sampled and critiqued each others creations, shared tips, and caught up. When Paul and Young Ron entered, however, it was game on.
Each brewer, in turn, presented one creation to the judges, who rated it on a scale of one-five. The beers were (in order of presentation):
Ross Allen, AJ Guerra, and April Ramos of 2 Live Brews presented a peach blonde ale. Paul Castronovo noted the "nice bouquet".
Keith Spencer of High Noon Brewing served a light brown ale that was nutty and a bit on the hoppy side.
Josh Levitt and Liz Dutra at Invasive Species brought out a 1 1/2 year old whiskey barrel stout. Castronovo noted that the stout was "smooth and strong".
Angry Union Brewing's Eric Guerrero and Jeff Evans poured a Belgian strong ale with cherry and coriander notes.
Beer Snob Ales dropped off some bottles of their tropical IPA for the tasting, but didn't stick around for the competition.
Though all the beers were well received, Angry Union's Belgian strong ale won the competition. We asked Eric Guerro how it felt to win. "It feels awesome!"
Want to judge the beers for yourself? Angry Union will be at Brew at the Zoo, sampling their winning Belgian Brew Dog ale. In addition, the AU guys will be serving their Patriot APA, Poolside Pilsner, and Neanderthal APA.
You'll also be able to taste beers by Invasive Species, 2 Live Brews, and High Noon, in addition to over 200 beers from around the world. There's also good food, and a live concert by Naughty by Nature.
Tickets are $35 prepaid online through May 4, at 2 p.m.; $45 at the door for general admission. VIP tickets, which allow you an extra hour of beer time and access to the exclusive VIP area, are $75 prepaid online through May 4, at 2 p.m.; $85 at the door. Purchase tickets online here.
Follow Laine Doss on Twitter @LaineDoss and Facebook.
Follow Short Order on Facebook, on Twitter @Short_Order, and Instagram @ShortOrder.
