Florida Breweries Shine at Beerfest 2014 (Photos)

Saturday’s New Times’ Beerfest at Fort Lauderdale’s Esplanade Park had a lot going on: a great band, people sporting pretzel necklaces and lederhosen, and giant turkey legs roasting on an open flame. But, of course, the thousands of people who attended had one thing on their mind — great beer…

New Times’ Beerfest 2014 Is Saturday: Here Are All the Beers

New TImes’ Original Beerfest turns Fort Lauderdale’s Esplanade Park into Beer City, U.S.A., this Saturday, October 25, so we figured we’d whet your appetite with a complete list of the beers being served. We suggest using this as a checklist. Or rating chart. Or a way to take tasting notes…

Mendez Fuel Gets a Crowler Machine, Fills Cans

Mendez Fuel, the Coral Gables gas station with a growler-filling machine, now has a “crowler-filling” machine. The difference? The former fills bottles; the latter fills cans. The crowler machine was invented by Oskar Blues Brewing Company in Colorado and the brewery sells the devices to other breweries. Basically, it is…

MIA Brewing Hiring for Taproom Positions

Construction of the taproom at MIA Brewing Company is nearly complete, and the brewery is looking to fill several positions behind the bar. Owner Eddie Leon has about a dozens spots to fill (including part-time) in the coming weeks as he prepares to open the taproom at MIA Brewing. Leon…

Julio Cabrera Mentoring Young Miami Bartenders

Most people take time to consider the care taken by the chef to prepare their meals. But, until recently, the same respect wasn’t always afforded to bartenders. But if you really think about what’s in that cocktail, you’ll find the same, if not more attention to detail. Before a bartender…

Third-Annual Homebrewers Bash at Lokal Begins Tonight

The real Oktoberfest ended several days ago, but in Miami the spirit lives on in the third-annual Homebrewers Bash at Lokal this Wednesday and Thursday. It will be the third year in a row that local homebrewers gather in Coconut Grove and offer free samples of some of the finest…

Stoli Elit Pairing Dinner at City Hall Wows Locals

Last week, Stoli unveiled it’s latest high-end vodka line to a crowd of eager locals at Biscayne Boulevard hotspot City Hall. The event was a joint collaboration between mixologist Gil Lopez and chef Luis Lopez Jr. Together they planned a menu that combined the tasty offering City Hall is known…

Barley Works Wins Grovetoberfest Home Brewers’ Competition

As part of a ramp up to Grovetoberfest, the beer-centric festival to be held at Coconut Grove’s Peacock Park this Saturday, October 18, held its third annual Miami’s Best Homebrew competition. After a panel of judges that included local Miami brewers, restaurateurs, and journalists (myself included), Barley Works, a team…

Broken Shaker Named One of the World’s 50 Best Bars

It’s official. Miami is one of the best places to imbibe. The annual list “the World’s 50 Best Bars” has been released for the sixth year, and a Miami bar has finally been deemed worthy of a spot. See also: Broken Shaker, Regent Cocktail Club Nominated for Tales of the…

The Rum Line: Classic Hemingway Cocktails Coming to New SoBe Bar

Imagine this. It’s Miami Beach circa the late 1940s. You’re sitting at a rustic, yet elegant beach bar, enjoying one of those daiquiris you’ve heard are all the rage with a writer named Hemingway in a little island town called Havana. A warm breeze softly shakes the lights strung up…

4th Age Brewing Headed to Wynwood, Eater Reports

When 4th Age Brewing Company’s Chris Campos and Daniel Morales began their voyage into beer production, they brewed a modest five gallons a month as a hobby. But when the amount of drinkable frothy concoction swelled to as much as 35 gallons per week, costing tens of thousands of dollars,…

Craft Spirits Festival Returns to Coconut Grove Tomorrow

Tomorrow, on Thursday, October 9, Coconut Grove’s Cruz Building will house some of the world’s finest craft spirits at the Craft Spirits Festival’s Grand Tasting event. This second annual tasting, held from 7 to 11 p.m., features over 120 distinct spirits by more than 30 exhibitors. In addition to small…

Wynwood Brewing Wins Gold Medal at Great American Beer Festival

Barely a year after celebrating a year on the job, Wynwood Brewing Company brings home a gold medal from the Great American Beer Festival, the country’s largest beerfest, which was held from October 2-4 this year. Wynwood Brewing’s flagship beer, Pop’s Porter, took first place in the Robust Porter division,…

Homebrewers Wanted for New Times‘ Beerfest Competition

The South Florida beer scene is really kicking up. From Funky Buddha in Fort Lauderdale to Wynwood Brewing Company in Wynwood, small craft breweries are making Miami a beer city. What’s most exciting is that many of these brewery owners started out as home brewers. Wynwood Brewing’s Luis G. Brignoni…

Concrete Beach and Brewer’s Way Bring Gravitas to Miami Beer Scene

When Concrete Beach Brewery opens in Wynwood this month, it will take Miami beer to another level for two reasons. First off, this will be the third brewery located on Northwest 24th Street in Wynwood, which can now unofficially be called Brewer’s Way. See also: The Inside Track on Wynwood’s…