Daily Loaf

I’ll go ahead and say it — Mr. Dunderbak’s pretty much owns the draught beer game in the Tampa Bay area. It takes me forever to choose a beer from among the 50 options. Rare brews, classic brews, hometown brews, casks, a Guinness surger. Every style is represented, and the finest examples of those styles at that. So, a very enthusiastic cheers to owner JB Ellis for being dedicated to good beer and consistently tapping the best kegs available in the local market.

But it’s impossible to enjoy a tasty brew among the kitschy décor without giving in to the intoxicating aromas of German food. So here’s a short guide to pairing this playground of beer with some of the choicest menu items. Since the taps rotate frequently, the beers used for pairing will come from the extensive bottle menu. Read the rest of this entry »

As I walked the dusty path toward the front entrance of Skipper’s Smokehouse, the festive sounds of Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes mingled with the heavy aromas of cigar smoke and Cajun spices.

The occasion is the 10th Annual Best Florida Beer Championships Brewer’s Ball. It’s kind of a big deal in the beer community, like a twisted version of prom for brew aficionados. This IS the most important day of my life. After being outfitted with hand stamps, food tickets, and plastic cups, myself and the rest of the eager crowd was set free to graze among the taps, filling when necessary. Yes, that’s right; a beer fest where you pour your own beer — one of the few shared fantasy worlds of beer nerds and kegger meatheads. No separation from the tap; just walk right up there and give it a pull. Pour a little splash or overflow the cup. It’s your world, champ; everyone else is just living in it.

For this glorious occasion, all cups were filled with beer that was brewed in Florida — 24 works of genius in total, all gold medal creations chosen by Beer Judge Certification Program judges and members of the professional brewing community, during blind taste tests that were held weeks prior to the event. With the exception of a home brew variety, all the beers offered are also commercially available in Florida. But I am getting ahead of myself.

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