Daily Loaf

This Friday, July 10th, celebrate 13 years of beer with Dunedin Brewery. In honor of its anniversary, the brewery will release a limited edition beer brewed especially for the occasion. This 5.2% ABV Bohemian Pilsner — nicknamed “Lucky” — has been lagering for about 45 days, in line with the traditional Bavarian technique of storing bottom-fermenting brews at colder temperatures following an initial fermentation, allowing the beer to smooth out and become clear.

German malt imparts a golden straw hue, with bold floral aromas from the German and American hops varieties. Taste is crisp and drinkable, somewhere between pilsners typical of eastern Germany and western Czech Republic with a little Dunedin thrown in at the right places — namely the hops assortment.

Festivities are not limited to consuming rare brew delights. The brewery opens at noon, serving lunch and great local beer. Yappy Hour runs from 5-8 pm, drawing throngs of local dogs and their owners – or vice versa. Taking over at 9pm, special musical guests The Heavy Pets.

Since I’ve been all over Cigar City Brewing’s happenings over the past few weeks, it seemed appropriate to broaden my local beer love and highlight another hometown superstar in the tiny Scottish heritage town of Dunedin.

With almost 13 years of local beer-making under their kilt, Dunedin Brewery consistently crafts award winning gems. In 2003, one of their flagship brews, Pipers Pale Ale, took top honors as the most stylistically perfect brew commercially produced in Florida at the Best Florida Beer Championships. At the 2009 BFBC, brewers Norman Dixon and Trace Caley did their thing, winning awards for the brewery like it was their job. Redhead American Red Ale was named the top beer in its category, with second place nods going to Pipers Pale Ale, Beach Tale Brown Ale, Nitro Stout, Brewmaster’s Reserve Rye Pale Ale, Brewmaster’s Reserve Belgian Tripel, Brewmaster’s Reserve Barleywine, and the seasonal Biere de Café. Read the rest of this entry »

Off State Road 580 near downtown Dunedin, a mountain of beer joy lies in a rather unassuming strip mall. Luekens Liquors is rated by Beer Advocate as one of the best places to buy snobby brew in the Bay Area. A quick survey of the copious beer selection reveals that inventory is scattered everywhere, with no apparent organizational system whatsoever. Wild Blue is shelved between Christmas beer and Boon Gueuze; the same beer is displayed in five different locations. Browsing the shelves of this brew Wonderland is similar to digging for vinyl records. In order to find the good stuff, it is often necessary to look at every single item. In some ways, that aspect adds to the charm, at least for someone like me. Exploring in this manner is way more interactive than simply buying a six pack. Here’s what I found on my treasure hunt through Luekens. Read the rest of this entry »