The Emerald Coast Beer Festival (ECBF), a must-attend local beer festival, is almost here. The festival is hosted by Pensacola's local homebrew club, the Escambia Bay Homebrewers. The festival takes place at Seville Quarter, occupying the street in front of Seville, seven different rooms, and two courtyards.
Read MoreThe event that local craft beer lovers anticipate yearly, the Emerald Coast Beer Festival, is nearly upon us. Hosted by the Escambia Bay Homebrewers, the festival consists of two events, a Beer Pairing Dinner and Beer Tasting. The Beer Pairing Dinner takes place on Thursday, September 4th while the Beer Tasting is Friday, September 5th.
Official Beer Fest Flyer
Flyer Correction - Beer Tasting Starts at 5:30pm
This year we won't be including a lot of information on the Beer Pairing Dinner, only because it already sold out. This year's dinner is with Cigar City Brewing, the venerable Florida brewery out of Tampa, and is sure to be a memorable event for anyone who was lucky enough to already get tickets.
We love to see more local beer festival opportunities popping up around us but if you can only make one festival this year, we would recommend this one. Why do we and many others love this festival so much? It is hosted by our own local homebrew club, brewery representatives are present and pouring which always leads to lively conversations, many homebrew clubs participate allowing you to sample unique beers you would not have access to otherwise, and the festival includes a really good showing from local and regional breweries.
You are bound to have a great time no matter which venues you check out during the festival. A few booths that we personally would recommend this year are:
Pensacola Bay Brewery (Pensacola, FL)
If you live in the area, we truly hope that you've already tried their beer at local venues and visited the brewery as well. But, this is your chance to remedy the situation if for whatever reason you haven't. If your attending from out-of-town, make sure to check out Pensacola's hometown brewery.
Fairhope Brewing Company (Fairhope, AL)
If you haven't gotten the chance to visit their brewery yet, this is your chance to try their brews without leaving Pensacola. You can't get their beer in Florida but after tasting their beers, we are sure you will make a trip out to visit them every once in awhile. We do!
Crooked Letter Brewing Company (Ocean Springs, MS)
A chance to try this breweries offerings without making the trip to MS as they are not available in Alabama or Florida yet. We recently visited and found their brews exceptional.
Oyster City Brewing Company (Apalachicola, FL)
Opened very recently, we haven't even tried their beers yet. A great chance to try beers from a new FL panhandle brewery.
Serda Brewing Company (Mobile, AL)
In case you haven't heard, the days of Mobile currently not having its own brewery are hopefully numbered as Serda plans on filling this gap in 2015. Try their beers before they even open the brewery!
Escambia Bay Homebrewers (Pensacola, FL)
We always recommend checking out as many homebrew clubs as you can but of course, our highest recommendation goes for our local club - Escambia Bay Homebrewers. You get to try beers not commercially available and your guaranteed to get a chance to try some very unique brews. They bring along an impressive variety of brews to try. So stop by and make sure to thank them for hosting this event every year.
You can check out the complete list of participating breweries, homebrew clubs, and distributors on the bottom of the Beer Tasting page of the festival site. You will also want to grab a festival map to start planning which booths are on your "must visit" list.
Advance tickets are $30 and will be $40 at the gate the day of the event. VIP tickets are $55 and will be $60 at the gate the day of the event if any are still available. Designated driver tickets will be available at the gate for $10. You can get your tickets online or you can pick them up in-person at the following locations:
The charities supported by the 2014 Festival are Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida and Seville Rotary Club.
Event Summary
Event: Beer Pairing Dinner
Location: Seville Quarter - Apple Annie's Room
When: Thursday, September 4th at 7pm
Tickets: Sold Out
Event: Beer Tasting
Location: Seville Quarter
When: Friday, September 5th 5:30pm-8:30pm (VIP Room 5pm)
Cost: $30 in advance, $40 Day Of / VIP - $55 in advance, $60 Day Of
Tickets: Website or at venues listed above
It's almost time for the 2013 Emerald Coast Beer Festival brought to you by Escambia Bay Homebrewers. Taking place at Seville Quarter, the festivities consist of two events, a Beer Pairing Dinner and Beer Tasting.
Beer Pairing Dinner
First up will be the beer pairing dinner held in Seville Quarter's Apple Annie's Room on Thursday, September 5th at 7pm.
Lagunitas Brewing Company will be the featured brewer with Lagunitas representative John Jaufman leading the festivities. A special menu will be prepared by Seville Quarter executive chef Brandon Melton.
Reception:
Crispy Duck Wontons with Spicy Maple Mustard
Applewood Bacon and Aged Cheddar Puff Dumplings
Chive on Shrimp Cake with Tabasco Goat Cheese
Lagunitas Pils Czech Style Pilsner
Lagunitas Censored Rich Copper Ale
First Course:
Butter Poached Scallops in a Warm Brie Bisque
with Truffled Pea Tendrils
Lagunitas Little Sumpin Wild
Second Course:
Jalapeño Honey Braised Pork over Sweet Corn Cakes
Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Ale
Third Coarse:
Red Ale Stewed Beef Tenderloin Tips over Bleu Cheese
Studded Mash Potatoes
Lagunitas Lucky 13 Mondo Red Ale
Dessert:
St Louis Gooey Butter Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Stout Syrup
Lagunitas Imperial Stout
Tickets are $55 per person (tax & gratuity not included). For reservations call (850) 434-6211 and ask for Nancy.
Beer Tasting
Described as the 'best street party' in Pensacola, the beer tasting event will take place Friday, September 6th. General admission hours are from 6pm - 8:30pm. VIP ticket holders will have entrance to the VIP room in Heritage Hall at 5:15pm and throughout the night.
Beers from microbreweries, specialty bottled beers, and homebrewed beers will be available for tasting. This is a great chance to discover new beers, or if you're new to the craft beer scene finding out your personal preference. The availability of homebrewed beers should be noted, as these are beers you can't find on your local shelf or pub, and many craft beer brewers have their roots in homebrewing.
For a complete list of vendors including the beers they'll be serving check out the Emerald Coast Beer Tasting page.
If you work up an appetite from all that drinking, Woody's Pizza, Happy Pig Bar-B-Que, and Tin-Tin Oriental Foods will all be on site and ready to serve up some great food.
Charities supported by this years festival include Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Seville Rotary club.
This year the festival is using the FindMyTap app for both Android and iPhones to help identify and locate specific beers.
Tickets are available now from a club member or by mail for $20. You can also buy tickets from a ticket outlet for $25. Tickets will be available on the day of the event for $30. VIP tickets are available from a club member or mail for $50 or from a ticket outlet for $55.
Ticket outlets include Seville Quarter, Pensacola Bay Brewery, Richey's East (Gregory Street Location), Wisteria Tavern, Wine World Outlet, Four Winds International Food, and The Shade Lady. You can find location and more on all these venues on the Pensacola Beer Location page.
For questions check out the festival FAQ page, or email the festival using the address info@emeraldcoastbeerfest.com.
To keep up with new announcements be sure to bookmark the official Emerald Coast Beer Festival website as well as follow their Facebook Page. You can also count on Pensacola Beer to keep you informed of any new festival information.
The Emerald Coast Beer Festival is the original Pensacola Beer Festival, and always a standout in the Pensacola Beer Festival season. We attended last year and had a great time, and we'll be there again this year. Don't miss it.
Event Summary
Event: Beer Pairing Dinner
Location: Seville Quarter's Apple Annie's Room
When: Thursday, September 5th at 7pm
Cost: $55 per person (tax & gratuity not included)
Tickets: Call (850) 434-6211 and ask for Nancy
Event: Beer Tasting
Location: Seville Quarter
When: Friday, September 6th 6pm-8:30pm (VIP Room Opens at 5:15)
Cost: $20 from Club Member, $25 from ticket outlet, $30 Day Of (VIP $50 from Club Member, $55 from Ticket Outlet)
Tickets: Website or Ticket Outlet
August starts a favorite time of year for many craft beer drinkers - Beer Festival Season. The good news is that there are festivals happening in the Pensacola area every month through November.
Actually, Southern Napa surprised us this year and held the first annual "99 Bottles of Beer on the Lawn" in Daphne, AL back in May. It's great to see they've already made plans to hold the event next year on May 10th and we now have it on our radar.
Consider this a "read-ahead" so that you can start planning which festival(s) you would like to attend. We will be posting about each one of these festivals individually as they get closer to happening. So expect to see our post about Top of the Hops - The Wharf Beer Fest any day now.
Also, for reference, you can always use our Resources - Beer Festivals page which also lists the area festivals.
The festivals are listed in chronological order. As always, please let us know if there is a festival you feel that we should have listed here.
Top of the Hops - The Wharf Beer Fest
Dates: August 10th, 2013
Location: Marine Lawn at the Wharf, Orange Beach, AL
Pensacola Beer Post
Website | Facebook | Twitter
Dauphin Street Beer Festival
Date: August 24th, 2013
Location: Lower Dauphin Street (LoDa), Mobile, AL
Pensacola Beer Post
Facebook
Emerald Coast Beer Festival
Date: September 6th, 2013 (Beer Tasting)
Location: Seville Quarter, Pensacola FL
Pensacola Beer Post
Website | Facebook | Twitter
Destin Beer Festival
Date: September 28th, 2013
Location: Destin Commons, Destin, FL
Website | Facebook
Baytowne Beer Festival
Dates: October 18th & 19th, 2013
Location: Baytowne Wharf, SanDestin, FL
Website | Facebook
Pensacola Craft Beer Festival
Date: November 16th, 2013
Location: Bayfront Stadium, Pensacola, FL
Website | Facebook
The Pensacola 2012 Beer Festival season kicks off later this week at Seville Quarter with the Emerald Coast Beer Festival. Brought to you by the Escambia Bay Homebrewers Club, festivities will include both a Beer Pairing Dinner and Beer Tasting Event.
Summer may be winding down but that doesn't mean an end to the fun as we are now officially entering beer festival season. Now is the time to start planning which events you would like to attend, while tickets are readily available. Attending local beer festivals is a great way to learn more about craft beer and mingle with other craft beer enthusiasts. Supporting local events is also a great way to support local businesses and promote the Pensacola area as a thriving and growing craft beer community. Last but not least, most of these festivals also support charitable causes. To help you decide which events you want to attend, we've put together the list below. Events are listed in chronological order. If you know of any other events we should include, please let us know by contacting us.
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