Future of South Florida Craft Beer

March 25, 2016 by Marco Leyte-Vidal

Here in South Florida we tend to be late to the party on many things. The one benefit of that is that by the time we arrive, we've had an opportunity to scope out what everyone's going to be wearing, get a feel for the kinds of things people will be doing there, and lastly we have the opportunity to take all of that intel, ignore it, and do whatever we were going to do anyways. It's just the way things are down here. We'll get to the party eventually but every single person at that party brings their own personality. So while the craft beer scene has been pretty dismal considering the number of people down here versus the number of open breweries, the party just started.

There are plenty of things to be excited about these days. Wynwood Brewing and MIA Beer are selling their beer in bottles and cans, Civil Society is working to master the art of hops, and slowly but surely, breweries are investing in oak programs - adding complexity and diversity to their offerings. The number of breweries is growing and more are in planning, but three of those "in planning" stick out in our minds as breweries to watch for. Those are: 3 Sons Brewing, Odd Breed Wild Ales, and the closest to opening, The Tank Brewing. All three completely different interpretations of style and all three just as exciting as the next. We all got together recently to sample some of the pilot batches the brweeries were working on, talk shop, and get a better feel for what was in store for South Florida.

3 Sons, led by Corey Artanis, has gained an incredible following for its big bold stouts. After winning the best beer and people's choice at the 2015 Hunahpu's Day event, Corey solidified himself and his stouts as a force to be reckoned with. Yet, his portfolio is broadening every day. Focusing on wild ales, Florida Weisses, and his juicy pale ales, 3 Sons will show the world they are not a one-trick pony. The examples we tried were clean, fruity, and refreshing. Big fruit, beautiful color and aroma, and bringing more to the table than "just fruit". It's something that gets lost today - yes, people want to taste fruit, but that can't be everything. Of course, Lumberjack, Morning Break, one of the beers that put 3 Sons on the map made an appearance as well. A "Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Maple Coffee Stout" and a big sweet, roasty, aromatic, bomb of flavor after flavor, held up by a sturdy backbone and heavy mouthfeel. Yet, for as big as this beer is, it's surprisingly drinkable. Since meeting up with Corey to go through some new beers, 3 Sons took Best Brewery and Best Beer award for a second year in a row at Cigar City's Hunahpu's Day. Impressive to say the least.

Odd Breed will be South Florida's first wild ale only brewery - every beer fermented with wild yeast/bacteria and every beer seeing time in oak before packaging. If you want more background info on this exciting upcoming brewery, head over to our conversation and beer review pages. Matt Manthe, head brewer and co-founder, is producing some of the most beautiful wild and sour beers in country (yes, a bold statement), placing emphasis on balance and subtlety over any gimmick. His beers are complex yet extremely approachable - fit for the nerdiest of beer drinkers or the casual consumer. We had a few examples but a wild ale on peaches really stood out on this day as one we couldn't get enough of.

The Tank Brewing is the furthest along of the three and is going to feature a beautiful saison as its flagship. I'm biased to the style but this saison is just awesome. The most recent batch, also the finalized recipe/process, is big on citrus, it's dry, effervescent, and finishes earthy and peppery. It's a wonderful food beer or just a beer to enjoy on its own. It's where it needs to be and we're looking forward to it being available year round. The other beers in the portfolio are equally as exciting, like a brown that features tons of dark chocolate and roasted coffee notes but finishes delicately and dry. Led by Matt Weintraub and Moh Saade, the Tank will feature some traditional European styles with a twist and plans to develop a barrel program early on.

It's not easy to sit down on a cool sunny afternoon and drink through some of the most recent batches of beer being produced by these up and coming breweries but someone had to do it. The day reaffirmed the party analogy above. Each brewery, although sharing similar philosophy and approach, brought forward different styles and interpretations. The beers being produced in South Florida currently having no bearing on what they will do. It's refreshing to know that even when big national breweries are laying out road maps to successful portfolios, there will always be those down here that will break the mold and be themselves no matter what. South Florida will continue to grow as a player on the national scale with these guys helping to solidify that growth every step of the way.

Cheers,

Craft Commander

Our 2015 Favorite American Craft Beer List

December 22, 2015 by Marco Leyte-Vidal

If you've listened to or watched any interview on our site, you know how we feel about beer rating. The subjectivity of the product really makes any of these lists somewhat useless. Nonetheless, we read them. All of them. We can't help it. We know you can't either - so here's our 10 favorite beers that we had in 2015 in no particular order.

1. Plan Bee Farm Brewery - Precious

This was just plain awesome. So balanced, complex, and well, precious. Evan is putting together some of the most beautiful beers in the country from his Hudson Valley farm and this one (although not released in 2015) may have been one of his best to date. 2016 will see more growth for Plan Bee which will hopefully make it easier for more people to try these wonderful creations.

2. The Rare Barrel - Forces Unseen

The Rare Barrel has quickly gained a reputation for their wonderful barrel aged sour beer program. Forces Unseen is a seemingly straight-forward blend of golden sour beers - only, it's masterfully blended and really displays what the Rare Barrel can do. No need to add fruit or any outside flavors, the oak, yeast, and malt backbone(s) are front and center and come together to really make this a special and versatile beer.

3. Green Bench Brewing - Petit Provision

The definition of a table beer. Low in alcohol, tart, and refreshing. This wild ale aged in white wine barrels is soft and delicate but full of flavor and complexity. It's ready for a day out at the beach or to be paired with a high-end meal at your favorite Michelin rated restaurant. We love this beer and the fact that it's readily available at the brewery makes it even better.

4. Trillium Brewing - Fort Point

Hop juice. Trillium has really taken the Northeast by storm this year, releasing hit after hit and causing lines to form around the block for bottle releases. Fort Point is the brewery's staple pale ale and really sets the tone for what you can expect in the rest of the brewery's offerings. Huge aromatics, luscious and never-ending hop character with minimal bitterness. Drink fresh and drink often.

5. Firestone Walker Barrelworks - Feral One

Firestone Walker is one of our favorite breweries in the entire world. They release classic after classic. Perfection at every level. Feral One follows suit. Although, really any Barrelworks offerings could have made this list, Feral One is something special. A special blend of their best barrels, the team in Buellton has created a beautifully nuanced funky, sour, and complex ale displaying an array of fruit sitting on top of just the right amount of barrel character.

6. Lagunitas - Born Yesterday Pale Ale

We love Lagunitas and their consistently clean IPA's and pale ales but this fresh hop pale ale just had a special something to it that really made it stand out of the crowd for us. Big tropical fruit aroma and flavor is at the forefront of this seemingly drier than usual (for Lagunitas) base. Every aspect of this beer is just fantastic and plays its role perfectly. If only it was available all year.

7. M.I.A. Brewing - MegaMix

MegaMix is our favorite pale ale in South Florida. Juicy and not overly bitter, you can really enjoy the hoppiness of the beer without killing your palate. What started as a one time release, Mega Mix became so popular that the brewery intends to add it to their year-round offerings. We're happy they are.

8. Fremont Brewing - Bourbon Barrel Abominable

By far the biggest beer on our list, "B-Bomb" as it's been nicknamed, is just one of those beers that exceeds all expectations. Huge bold flavors, oak, bourbon, spice, roast, complement a wonderful aroma and mouth feel. A phenomenal sipping beer that evolves as it warms. Just an awesome beer to drink casually with friends or to enjoy alone and really get in to. It's also a great beer to age so make sure to pick up a few to taste over time.

9. Side Project Brewing - Pulling Nails

Side Project is changing the game with its beautiful wine-influenced and wine barrel aged wild and sour ales. Pulling Nails, a blend of four different offerings, is tart and refreshing. Green apple, white wine grape, lemon/citrus, all sit on side project's signature funk. It's just awesome. What did you expect? Cory just can't miss.

10. Sierra Nevada - Hop Hunter

This one is a game changer. A year-round release that tastes like a bottled yesterday fresh hop IPA always. How? Hop oil. Leave it to Sierra Nevada, one of the best and most consistent breweries in the world to distil fresh hops on the farm and use the oils obtained from that process, in combination with whole cone hops, to bitter, give flavor to, and add a pungent hop aroma we've all come to love to this offering. From a brewery that does everything at the highest level, this one is on its own level and is readily available for all to enjoy. It doesn't get much better than that.

The Fight for Craft Beer

March 09, 2015 by Marco Leyte-Vidal

For many people it’s tough to imagine that craft beer is under attack again. Yet, it is. What craft beer represents is more than “just beer.” At its core, craft beer is what our American, and surely Floridian, economy should proudly represent. What do I mean by that? Craft breweries are largely family-owned and -operated businesses that operate responsibly within the legal framework of our State, promote the local businesses and restaurants in our cities, increase and invite a new form of tourism to Florida (which thrives on tourism, in case you didn’t know), hire local, use local ingredients, and have helped push the cultural identity of our generation. People are demanding quality local products, craft beer is providing them responsibly, so what’s the issue?

Unfortunately, large corporations (i.e., “big beer” and distribution companies) with financial muscle seek to influence the legislative process to deflate the boom of craft beer in a round-about way in the legislature. Here is where the issue grows beyond beer and into principle. Today, the Florida legislature has a choice, legislatively kill a growing artisan and largely family-run industry that is benefitting the State, or stand for the entrepreneurial spirit that our country and State were founded on and level the playing field in the beer industry. Good news is that the legislature is starting to see this for what it really is — an attack on small business and the free-market.

Earlier this month, The Miami Young Republicans hosted a Craft Beer Summit — which brought together two local brewery owners, Luis Brignoni, of Wynwood Brewing, and Eddie Leon, of M.I.A. Brewing; Gabriel Llanes, a representative of Americans for Prosperity; and Mitch Rubin, executive director of the ever-so-powerful Florida Beer Wholesalers Association (FBWA) — to debate the current legislative slugfest. We heard opening remarks from Representative Erik Fresen as well. Sparing you the minutia, the conversation, which I moderated, focused on the growler issue and the three-tier system. In a small victory for craft brewers, Rubin said that the FBWA had no intention of fighting against the 64-ounce growler bill. A growler is a vessel used by consumers to buy beer straight from a brewery for at-home consumption. Currently, 32-ounce and 128-ounce growlers are legal in Florida; 64-ounce growlers are not. It seems that everyone is on the same page, and this restriction likely won’t survive 2015. Bad news, the growler issue has been held as leverage by big beer and FBWA in an effort to gain ground on the issues surrounding the three-tier system.

Representative Erik Fresen addressed the Miami Young Republican's Craft Beer Summit Attendees

At a very rudimentary level, the three-tier system is a system in which a brewery is required to use a distributor to get its beer to market at restaurants and stores. Why? Prohibition concerns; none of which apply today. However, breweries currently can sell their beer directly to consumers on-site at their breweries and still abide by this three-tier system. While the FBWA said it has “no issue” with growlers or breweries selling their own beer in their taprooms – the FBWA does have an issue with them doing so without selling it to a distributor and buying it back first.

Yes, you read that right. Under the FBWA’s interpretation of the three-tier system, breweries would be required to sell their product to a distributor and buy that same product back just to sell it to consumers at their brewery. Why? FBWA says because it’s a “vice” product. The irony is that wine has never been subject to the same system, even at a generally much higher alcohol content. What’s the significance of this proposed application? The policy would destroy small and new craft breweries. Taproom sales are integral to the success of these breweries. As Brignoni described, 20% of total sales are through the taproom, which in turn amounts to almost 50% of most breweries’ income. Hence, no taprooms, no craft breweries. Game over. What’s the benefit to consumers of this proposition? Absolutely none.

We’re watching a modern day David-and-Goliath battle for ground in a market that remains dominated by big beer. Still, craft beer is starting to throw some punches and is gaining ground on the valuable market share held almost exclusively by big beer. Even today, craft beer only holds about 10% of the market, depending on your source. Still, this is what scares big beer. This is what scares distributors. This is all about money. With each point of market share lost, so too go millions. So instead of evolving or meeting the demands of the consumer – they’re taking to the legislature. This is about as un-American as it gets.

From Left: Eddie Leon (MIA Brewing); Mitch Rubin (FBWA); Luis Brignoni (Wynwood Brewing)

What’s sad is that Goliath had support in our legislature during the 2014 session. Even among Republicans who pride themselves on championing the growth of Florida’s business environment, lowering regulation to support growth of our industries, and promoting innovation and creativity in business, Goliath remarkably found supporters. This year however, the tide seems to be turning. Led by Sen. Jack Latvala and Rep. Dana Young, among others, craft beer is finding its voice in Florida politics, an idea that was once foreign to the industry; yet, as they learned in 2014, would be crucial to its survival. Representative Erik Fresen made powerful remarks at the summit in support of the craft beer industry. It was refreshing to see him truly understand the issue. As Rep. Fresen made clear, he and many others in the legislature are becoming educated on the issue and would never vote for legislation intended to monopolize an industry and stifle growth in a responsible and growing sector of our State’s economy.

While the fight is far from over, craft beer, or its message, seem to be gaining traction in Tallahassee. This is a good thing. If not for craft beer, for small business in general.

Cheers,

Craft Commander

Published in The New Tropic (February 18, 2015).

http://thenewtropic.com/opinion-craft-beer/

DC Brau and the Future of Craft Beer in the Nation's Capital

January 14, 2015 by Marco Leyte-Vidal

DC Brau is the leader in DC's craft beer scene. Being the leader has its benefits. No question. But the road to becoming that leader is often the most difficult to travel. Just ask Brandon Skall, one of DC Brau's two founders and our host for the afternoon. Being DC's first production brewery since 1956 came with a price. The rent every room in your house and sleep on the couch price. The brew all day and sleep in the brewery to not waste time price. The affect every aspect of your life kind of price. Being the leader is not easy. Yet, it's the sacrifice associated with being the first that makes this place so special. A sense of pride about every thing they do and every beer they produce. If it weren't for the sacrifice this just wouldn't mean so much.

The process of creation. The driving force. Leaving a well paying job so he could rent every room in his house and sleep on the couch just to be able to pay the bills (didn't pay himself for 8 months) while he started the brewery with his business partner, Jeff Hancock, is a decision most would not have made - but in the end, it's the impact of that experience that drives Brandon and DC Brau today. An experience that shines though the smile on Brandon's face when he walks us through the brewery. Personally, I commend them. That's sacrificing and following your passion. Fortunately, just like in the story books, the story only seems to be getting happier after the inherent struggle of the protagonists. DC Brau is doing well. Very well.

It was 2007 when Brandon and Jeff met and decided they'd open DC Brau. 2009 when the two officially started the trek, and not until April 15, 2011, that the DC Brau opened its doors. Only producing "The Public" their American Pale Ale, that to date, remains their most popular offering, for the entire first month they had their doors open and putting every single penny made on that beer back into the business. Sleeping at the brewery to ensure enough beer was produced and with no staff - it was on Jeff and Brandon to do every task required of running a production brewery including brewing, marketing, and distribution. Again, experiences that today allow the two to appreciate and enjoy every success and achievement received along the way.

Fast forward to 2015 and DC Brau is the leader of the craft beer market in DC. 80-85% of their distribution staying in D.C., with the remainder making its way to Maryland, Philly, Connecticut, and Virginia. Yet, On the Wings of Armageddon, a massive double IPA, has put DC Brau on the map nationally. The amazing part is that they can barely even produce enough beer to keep up with D.C.'s demand. So like in the past, they find ways to make it work - brewing multiple times a day and re-investing into expansion of the brewery and fermentation capacity, all while maintaining focus on creating quality balanced beers. As the brewery continues to expand, Brandon thinks that what the industry needs is advocacy in the legislative discussion. This can not be understated. Look at Florida for example: after almost getting crushed by the response to its own bill, craft beer is under attack yet again - the target: taprooms, the life blood of any craft brewery.

Interestingly, (I'm cynical but fascinated about the continued "camaraderie" in the industry); Brandon welcomes the birth of new breweries. Clearly put: "the more people who are making beer, the more people want to drink beer" and with that trend, Dc Brau has only increased sales as new breweries open in the D.C. area. One of those, Right Proper Brewery, is producing some fantastic beer and is worth a visit when in the area.

Brandon, like us, loves what Right Proper is doing. Hoppy beers, farmhouse beers, sour beer, and everything in between. Consistency. Flavor. Dedication to exploration and quality. Chris Percello, lead brewer at Right Proper, welcomed us wearing a worn shirt, beanie, and headphones. He had just finished brewing for the day when we arrived. The enthusiasm in his voice as he describes the latest creation or barrel obtained from local gin producer Green Hat is contagious. It's like watching a kid in a candy store, only he's blessed to be doing what he loves for a living, and he seems to know it. A gracious host and an incredibly talented brewer. As we discussed what was next for the brewery, the talk of barrels and wild yeast played a primary role, while they would maintain some staple clean offerings. Scott 5 for example, a hoppy, rustic farmhouse pale ale (6.5% ABV), which boasts Citra, Amarillo, and Chinook hops was a delicate approach to style, with notes of citrus, grapefruit, and peppercorn on the nose and followed by a funky, grassy, yet tropical fruit flavor that ended beautifully dry. A must try if available.

Right Proper, still in its infancy as a brewery, is doing some really creative and great things. Pushing the limits and finding balance with different yeast strains and hops in a way that many breweries with more years of experience couldn't and haven't. It's great to see. Most importantly, D.C. has taken note and the expansion is already in the works. Sure, it's a great thing for the brewery itself, but as a whole it's also a sign that things are on their way up - a sign of vitality in a market that only 5 years ago had nothing to speak of.

It's exciting to get into the breweries that will define the style associated with the area in the future. A style that will likely be a combination of many characteristics - DC Brau already establishing itself as a juggernaut in the hoppy beer world while breweries like Right Proper will be shifting focus to barrels, a sour program, and unique creations with wild yeast cultures. Just like the diversity in the people who live in the area, it's no surprise the beer being produced will find a way to remain intrinsically D.C., all while displaying the diversity that makes D.C. so great. Whatever the D.C. identity becomes, it's apparent that it will be centered around quality and balance. It's an exciting time in the Nation's Capital.