Each and every worker drone dreams of escaping the gray, soul-crushing confines of the office for the warm, womb-like safety of his very own microbrewery. You, me, and your boss have all had the exact same 4 p.m. fantasy: "Make beer, get rich!" And yet, here we sit in our cubicles, no closer to the dream, still stuck in the research phase, a.k.a. drinking warm beer under our desk.
The good news? Today's under-desk selection is the Eleven, a locally brewed brown ale produced by Fort Lauderdale's Native Brewing Company. If you want a sophisticated, palate-obsessed description, this beer is "a smooth-tasting brown ale with a sweet caramel malt base and a touch of roasted nut flavor." Otherwise, know that the Eleven tastes great at room temperature.
Founded in 1999, Native is the brewing division of South Florida wholesale distributor, Fresh Beer Inc., and besides the brown ale, they also make a light golden Native Lager and a smooth amber Thunderhead Red. Sadly though, since it's a wholesaler, you can't buy beer directly from the brewer. So go slam some research samples at the Bar, the News Lounge, Zeke's, Lost Weekend, or the hundred other local watering holes and liquor stores that carry the stuff.
Oh, yeah ... If you can muster the soberness to crawl out from under your desk for a few minutes, the Native Brewing Company might also give you that dream job. Go apply. Godspeed!
