17th Annual Dauphin Street Beer Festival

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It was disappointing news when the Inaugural Port City Brewfest was cancelled due to low ticket sales. But now it is time to start preparing for a beer festival in Mobile that has been going for 16 years strong, the Dauphin Street Beer Festival, showing that craft beer does have a following in Mobile.

The 17th Annual Dauphin Street Beer Festival takes place Saturday, August 23rd from 6 - 9 pm. This festival does not follow the typical template many other beer festivals follow, instead they use a "pub crawl" concept and place it on steroids, allowing participants to sample an impressive collection of craft beers in various local bars, taverns, and restaurants in Downtown Mobile.

A festival map and list of beers found at each venue can be found on the festival's Facebook page:

Festival Map

Festival Venue / Beer List

Tickets are $25 and can be bought at any of the participating venues or online through a few of the participating venues: Crescent Theater, Soul Kitchen, and Serda's Coffee Co.

After buying your tickets you will need to register them in order to gain entry into the 16 private clubs participating in the Beer Fest. You can do so at the City of Mobile Festival Registration website.

For those traveling from Florida to attend make sure to check out the hotel specials.

Event Summary Event: 17th Annual Dauphin Street Beer Festival
Location: Mobile, Alabama
When: Saturday, August 23rd, 6pm - 9pm
Cost: $25 per person

GrassLands’ Grasstacular Fundathon is On

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GrassLands Grasstacular Fundathon

We've been covering the development of GrassLands Brewing Company out of Tallahassee, Florida since August of 2012 with our review of their Le Roi Rouge Imperial Red. In March of this year GrassLands chose the future site of their brewery. And now, with a launch date planned for September, owner Gabe Grass has announced the GrassLands’ Grasstacular Fundathon.

The GrassLands’ Grasstacular Fundathon is a chance for you to help GrassLands Brewery become a reality. Every donation from 10 to 5,ooo dollars will receive a reward along with acknowledgement via a plaque centerpiece located in GrassLand Brewery's taproom.

Owner Gabe Grass:

Your assistance is so meaningful to us – whether you decide to contribute $20 or $2,000, each and every contribution will make a huge difference in helping GrassLands open its doors and hit the ground running! We want to help make Tallahassee and eventually the state of Florida a craft beer destination, and we absolutely cannot do that without your help. You’ve been so awesome in your support of our eventual launch, and we definitely couldn’t have come this far without you.

GrassLands' CrowedBrewed campaign has a goal of 30,000 dollars. As of today 96 backers have donated over 11,000 dollars. If the goal is not reached by August 5th all money will be returned. So the time to support a promising up and coming local brewery is now.

Visit GrassLands’ Grasstacular Fundathon to learn more about the vision of GrassLand's Brewing Company, read up on all the awesome rewards, and most importantly, donate.

FBC Celebrates Mardi Gras in July

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Do you really enjoy Mardi Gras? Ever wonder why it only comes around once a year? Well you're in luck, as Fairhope Brewing Company (FBC) feels the same way. This weekend FBC brings you Mardi Gras in July.

Mardi Gras in July kicks off Friday night with a Masquerade Ball. Music at the ball will be provided by The Lost Bayou Ramblers, a Grammy-nominated zydeco rock band from Louisiana. Formal attire is not required, just bring a festive mask or pick one up at the door when you arrive. Cost to attend is $15 and includes a commemorative glass and one free beer. Make sure to keep the commemorative glass as it will also get you into Saturday's event.

On Saturday, starting at 4pm, FBC is celebrating Fat Brewsday. There will be family friendly entertainment from 4pm - 6pm including live music from the Bay City Bass Brand, traditional Mardi Gras street food, face painting, and balloon animals. Small batch beers will be periodically released from 6pm to 8pm and Grayson Capps and Friends will take the stage at 8pm to keep the festivities going into the night. Saturday's events will cost you $15 which includes a commemorative glass and one free beer. Children get in for free.

Attending food truck Pretty Mean Sweets has created an appropriately festive menu for the event:

  • Voodoo Dog
    Bacon wrapped dogs with our spicy Cajun coleslaw.

  • Red Bean Nachos
    Trailer made red beans and andouille sausage on piled high corn chips.

  • Banana Foster Creme Brûlée Donuts
    Donut holes filled with custard and topped with caramelized sugar.

  • Old Fashioned Moon Pies
    Salted Carmel and dark chocolate covered cookie.

  • New Orleans Shaved Ice

Last but certainly not least, FBC's Mardi Gras brew Lil' Poison Ale will be on tap the entire weekend. So join FBC this weekend and as they say "Laissez le BREW Temps Rouler!"

Mardi Gras in July

Event Summary
Event: Masquerade Ball
Location: Fairhope Brewing Company
When: Friday, July 11th 7pm-11pm
Cost: $15, also gets you in Saturday
Includes commemorative glass and one free beer

Event Summary
Event: Fat Brewsday
Location: Fairhope Brewing Company
When: Saturday, July 12th 4pm-11pm
Cost: $15, children free
Includes commemorative glass and one free beer

2nd Annual Fish House Craft Beer Festival

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We enjoy updating our list of beer festivals as the number of local festivals grows, especially when it is one that is held in Pensacola. This weekend will be the kickoff for the 2014 beer festival season in Pensacola. The 2nd Annual Fish House Craft Beer Festival is this Saturday, June 14th, from 3pm - 7pm.

There will be over 50 different beers available to sample. The list of participating breweries include locals Pensacola Bay Brewery and Grayton Beer as well as many regional and national craft breweries. There will also be offerings from the local Home Brewer’s Association and specialty bottled craft beers. There will also be a selection of small production vodkas, rums, and bourbons available for tasting at designated "spirit tables".

Official Festival Flyer

The Fish House will also be launching their new house-brew Fish House Fish Head Red which was developed and brewed by Pensacola Bay Brewery. The festival will include live music and special beer presentations by guest speakers. Guest Speakers will include Mark Robertson of Pensacola Bay Brewery, Trip Collins of Back Forty Brewery, and Charlie Delapena from Sam Adams.

A portion of the event proceeds will be donated to Autism Pensacola. Tickets can be purchased at the Fish House's gift and souvenir shop, Tackle Shop, or online. Advance tickets are $20 and designated driver tickets are $10. Tickets at the door on Saturday will be $25.

Event Summary
Event: 2nd Annual Fish House Craft Beer Festival
Location: The Fish House
When: Saturday, June 14th 3pm - 7pm
Cost: $20 Advance, $24 Day Of. Designated Driver $10.
Tickets: The Fish House at the Tackle Shop or Online

Pensacola Beach House Brings Local Craft Beer to Airport

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Pensacola Beach House

If you've visited Pensacola International Airport lately you've noticed that long time restaurant and bar Verona's has closed its doors. The new Pensacola Beach House is set to take Verona's place sometime in August after the venue is remodeled.

Until then the Pensacola Beach House has set up a temporary bar for your drinking needs. While bottle beers include New Belgium's Fat Tire and several Samuel Adams selections, it's the draft options that should have you excited.

The three beers on draft include Pensacola Bay Brewery's Rip Tide Amber and Sawgrass Wheat, along with McGuire's Irish Red.

The next time you find yourself at Pensacola International Airport, show your approval by having a local craft beer and telling the Pensacola Beach House you're happy with their current selections.

Hopefully when the Pensacola Beach Bar moves into their new, larger venue they'll offer additional beer choices from local craft breweries (Lighthouse Porter anyone?). You can help make that happen by having your voice heard.

3rd Annual Top of the Hops Beer Festival at The Wharf

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The 3rd Annual Top of the Hops Beer Festival at The Wharf is happening this Saturday, June 7th in Orange Beach, Alabama.

Participants get unlimited two ounce samples of craft beers from an impressive selection of breweries attending. The festival will also include food, music and games. This festival provides all the makings of a great day of craft beer enjoyment.

Tickets are available online. Advance tickets are $34.99 and advance VIP tickets are $75. VIP Tickets include entrance into the festival 1 hour early, access to the VIP Lounge, VIP private beer tasting selections, and complimentary food from 4pm - 7pm. Designated driver advance tickets are $15 and advance VIP designated driver tickets are $25. Tickets will be available at the door if the festival has not sold out by Saturday morning.

You can find out more about the event on their website and by checking out their Facebook and Twitter pages.

Event Summary
Event: Top of the Hops Festival at the Wharf
Location: Wharf, Orange Beach, AL
When: Saturday, June 7th 4-8pm Cost: Advance $34.99 / VIP $75, Available at gate if not sold out
Tickets: Available Online

American Craft Beer Week 2014

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American Craft Beer Week (ACBW), the "Mother of All Craft Beer Weeks" is upon us again, starting today and running the entire week (May 12-18). You can read all about ACBW over at CraftBeer.com, but to summarize they describe the week long event as -

ACBW offers an exciting opportunity for small and independent craft brewers and the community of better beer retailers to celebrate the ever advancing beer culture here in the U.S. Plus, tens of thousands of today’s beer beginners, beer enthusiasts, and hard core beer geeks make time to toast the week.

Area venues have put together a great lineup of events in support of ACBW, so check out the below schedule and make plans to attend and celebrate the craft beer movement with old and new friends alike!

Monday, May 12th


Samuel Adams Brewery Night
World of Beer - Palafox

Featured Tasting: Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Wild
Seville Quarter, End o' the Alley

Oskar Blues Pint Night
Hopjacks - Nine Mile: 5pm
Hopjacks Filling Station: 7pm
Hopjacks - Downtown: 9pm

Tuesday, May 13th


WOB Loyalty Night & Brew Bus Pint Night
World of Beer - Palafox

Featured Tasting: Snapshot Wheat Beer
Seville Quarter, End o' the Alley

Flight School
Beer Flight Q&A Sessions hosted by Tim Dohms
Hopjacks Filling Station: 8pm

Wednesday, May 14th


New Belgium Cheese Pairing
World of Beer - Palafox

Featured Tasting: Southern Tier Live Pale Ale
Seville Quarter, End o' the Alley

Left Hand Brewing Pint Night
Hopjacks - Nine Mile: 5pm
Hopjacks Filling Station: 7pm
Hopjacks - Downtown: 9pm

Flight School
Beer Flight Q&A Sessions hosted by Tim Dohms
Hopjacks Filling Station: 8pm

Thursday, May 15th


AmeriCAN Day
$1 off select cans.
World of Beer - Palafox

Featured Tasting: Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale
Seville Quarter, End o' the Alley

Official Beer Dinner Flyer New Belgium Beer Dinner
Seville Quarter, Apple Annie's: 7pm
$60 per person / Reservations: Nancy @ 850.434.6211

Saint Arnold Brewing Pint Night
Hopjacks - Nine Mile: 5pm
Hopjacks Filling Station: 7pm
Hopjacks - Downtown: 9pm

Flight School
Beer Flight Q&A Sessions hosted by Tim Dohms
Hopjacks Filling Station: 8pm

Friday, May 16th


Abita Special
$1 off Abita Purple Haze and Amber.
World of Beer - Palafox

Featured Tasting: Bell's Two Hearted Ale
Seville Quarter, End o' the Alley

Rivertown Brewing Pint Night
Hopjacks - Nine Mile: 5pm
Hopjacks Filling Station: 7pm
Hopjacks - Downtown: 5pm

Saturday, May 17th


Terrapin Pint Giveaway
World of Beer - Palafox

Featured Tasting: Back Forty Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale
Seville Quarter, End o' the Alley

Focus on Home Brewing
Q&A session plus home brew sampling
Hopjacks Filling Station: 8pm

Sunday, May 18th


Featured Tasting: Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA
Seville Quarter, End o' the Alley

Americans Gone Belgian
Featuring Brewery Ommegang and New Belgium
All Hopjacks locations: All Day

2nd Annual 99 Bottles of Beer On The Lawn

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Southern Napa will be holding the 2nd Annual 99 Bottles of Beer on the Lawn on Saturday, May 10th in Daphne, AL. The event not only provides the chance to taste 99 Craft Beers under a 3,000 Square foot tent, but also includes food and live music. You can look through the entire list of 99 beers that will be available at the festival on Southern Napa's Facebook page.

The beer festival is held in combination with a 5K run through Olde Towne Daphne prior to the event. What better way to build up a thirst before the festival? Southern Napa will also be hosting a Live on the Lawn concert the night before the festival, Friday, May 9th featuring Willie Sugarcapps.

Tickets are $30 for the festival and can be purchased online, or save the transaction fees and purchase them at Southern Napa. Tickets for the 5K run are $25 or you can buy tickets to both the festival and run for $50.

Event Summary
Event: 99 Bottles of Beer on the Lawn
Location: Southern Napa, Daphne, AL
When: Saturday, May 10th 1-5pm (5K Run starts at noon)
Cost: $30 for beer festival, $25 for 5K run, $50 for both
- Tickets Available Online or at Southern Napa

Review: Liberty APA by Funky Skunk Brewing

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Funky Skunk Brewing is a Pensacola nano-brewery in planning we first covered back in January, 2013. In March of the same year we reviewed Devil's Tail Amber Ale and came away impressed.

After a brief hiatus owner and brew master Eddie Garrison is back at work making his dream a reality. We recently got our hands on Funky Skunk Brewing's Liberty APA, a recent Bronze Medal winner at the 9th Annual Brew Master Competition in Green Bay, Wisconson in March. Here's how Garrison describes the Liberty APA:

This American Pale Ale (APA) is an adaptation of classic British pale ale. The American Ale yeast strain we used produces less ester than comparable ale yeasts, and thus Liberty has a less fruity taste than its British counterpart. Liberty has a medium to dark amber color and a hint of sweet caramel from the use of crystal malt that does not mask the hop finish. The American hops used in Liberty (Northern Brewer & Cascade) will not be overkill on bitterness but allows you to taste what we consider the true style of an American Pale Ale."

We're using the Beer Advocate Ratings System, and as usual the girlfriend is assisting with the review.

Funky Skunk Brewing's Liberty APA

Appearance: 3.5
Pours a dark, caramel color with a half inch head. Intense carbonation and slightly cloudy.

Smell: 4.0
A light, wonderfully sweet smell, not overpowering. You know how you're walking past your favorite pub and suddenly you're drawn in by the delicious smell of beer? Just like that, welcoming.

Taste: 5.0
Sweet up front, then bam, nice and hoppy at the end. Sharp, with just the right amount of bite that still allows easy drinking.

Mouth Feel: 5.0
Medium body with a long finish. Good carbonation which keeps it from feeling syrupy or too heavy. Feels alive in your mouth.

Overall: 4.5
Intense and delicious, easy to drink. Tough to find any faults. As the girlfriend said, "just a really good beer".

Final Score: 4.63

If you'd like to learn more about Eddie Garrison and Funky Skunk Brewing be sure to check out their website. You can also follow Funky Skunk Brewing's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Inaugural Port City Brewfest

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As of Friday, May 25th Port City Brewfest has been cancelled. They commented on their Facebook page that only 20 tickets had been sold and that it was determined there was not enough interest to hold the event.

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Free The Hops (FTH), hosts of Rocket City Brewfest (Huntsville, AL) and Magic City Brewfest (Birmingham, AL), added a third fest to their schedule this year. The inaugural Port City Brewfest will be held at Cooper Riverside Park in Mobile, AL on Saturday, May 3rd, 2014.

FTH description of the event: Official Event Flyer

Port City Brewfest is an event dedicated to learning about craft beer and sampling the best that Alabama has to offer. There will be 200+ individual beers available, including many rare, specialty and cask ales which have never been seen before in Alabama (and may never be seen again).

The full list of participating breweries / beers will be posted on the official website in the near future. Advance tickets are $33.50 and can be bought through Ticketmaster. Tickets at the gate will be $38. Admission for designated drivers, accompanying a general admission attendee, is free.

The festival uses a "Penny a Pour" system, which is a reasonable and charitable method of working within the law without overburdening the attendees:

State law and ABC regulations do not allow us to give “unlimited free samples.” The gate price gets you admission to the festival. Once inside you will be charged $0.01 for each beer sample, which we donate to charity (In 2011, $298.33 for tornado relief in Alabama during the Magic City Brewfest in Birmingham). We utilize the honor system so you can leave a quarter in one bucket and enjoy 25 samples.

You can find out all the details on the Port City Brewfest website. You can also keep up-to-date on the event by following them on Facebook and Twitter.

Event Summary
Event: Port City Brewfest
Location: Cooper Riverside Park, Mobile, AL
When: Saturday, May 3rd 4 - 8pm