Retirement has been great, however, you do miss the people that you had worked with over the years, So I was given an opportunity to represent a firm at an Industry group that I had spent many years working with. In addition to spending a few days at the Ritz Carlton in Key Biscayne, Florida, Joann and I a chance to reconnect with some friends. Plus we decided to drive which opened the door to more Brewery visits.
Parkway Brewing Company: It was time for a break and Salem, Virginia was close by, and how convenient.....there was a brewery in town. The brewery is located on the outskirts of town and can be easily missed. The original tasting room was located next to the brew works. They quickly outgrew this area and expanded into a warehouse style portion of the building and installed a second bar with a large area containing numerous picnic tables. The original tasting room is now used for overflow crowds on weekends. I ordered the sampler flight and as you can see in the picture the sampler tray is a tree limb. Not a twig, a heavy tree limb, could call it a log. So do not attempt to carry the sampler tray if you are under the influence of the enjoying brews previously or you have a 10 lb. lifting restriction. My favorite brews on the flight were Raven's roost Baltic Porter , Get Bent Mountain IPA and Four damn Fights for a Pint - Double IPA.
The brewery appears to be gaining in popularity and is expanding its distribution in the Mid-Atalntic Area. Be sure to stop in and lift a log that is a sampler tray.
Parkway Brewing Company: It was time for a break and Salem, Virginia was close by, and how convenient.....there was a brewery in town. The brewery is located on the outskirts of town and can be easily missed. The original tasting room was located next to the brew works. They quickly outgrew this area and expanded into a warehouse style portion of the building and installed a second bar with a large area containing numerous picnic tables. The original tasting room is now used for overflow crowds on weekends. I ordered the sampler flight and as you can see in the picture the sampler tray is a tree limb. Not a twig, a heavy tree limb, could call it a log. So do not attempt to carry the sampler tray if you are under the influence of the enjoying brews previously or you have a 10 lb. lifting restriction. My favorite brews on the flight were Raven's roost Baltic Porter , Get Bent Mountain IPA and Four damn Fights for a Pint - Double IPA.
The brewery appears to be gaining in popularity and is expanding its distribution in the Mid-Atalntic Area. Be sure to stop in and lift a log that is a sampler tray.
Tomoka Brewery: Finally made it to Florida, just outside of Daytona Beach in Port Orange ( lots of Orange in Florida) you will find the Tomoka Brewing. Located in a modern shopping plaza, the brewery is also a very popular restaurant. Just beating the lunch crowd, we enjoyed a very nice surf tacos. The beer selection was good with about 10 in house brews on tap. You can build your own flight from 4 to all of their available brews, which was very nice . I enjoyed eight of their brews with Brewer's Breakfast, Mint Julep Southern Sour and Twist of Cane Double IPA topping my list. During my visit I was able to meet the General Manager who informed me the Owner and Brewer were meeting with some Bankers to discuss opening another brewery in the Orlando Area. I wish them the best as they grow.
Florida Beer Company: When you think of Cape Canaveral, NASA, Rockets and Space Shuttles usually come to mind. Well come back to earth, there is beer in the Space Port. Florida Brewing Company conveniently located next to Port Canaveral which has daily cruise ships docking. Yes, the cruise ships have a popular lad excursion which stops at the brewery for a tour and tasting session. I quickly learned that when you see a ship dock, be sure to get your beer early.....the cruise ship passengers quickly fill up the tasting room and they are thirsty. The tasting room is very nice with a circular bar with an ocean theme...surprise..surprise. The brewery is operating a 90 bbl system and they have distribution on the entire east coast. I enjoyed a sampler flight of 6 brews plus they gave me a taste of their nice Passport 20 Tripel. The Sweet Stout, Surplus Honey Citrus Ale and Devils triangle were my favorites of the flight. So if you are visiting the Spaceport and ned a break from low earth orbit, be sure to stop by Florida Beer Co. and they can put you back in space if you so desire.
Funky Buddha Brewery: since starting my adventure into the craft beer world and heading down the path of beer geekism, you quickly learn there are a few breweries that become must visits if you want to have a complete beer quest. Funky Buddha is one of these breweries that beer lovers flock to and wait in long lines at beer festivals to sample their brews. Since I was in Florida it was a must stop. The original brewery is located in Boca Raton, However, I decided to visit their larger ( with more beer selections) Brewery in Oakland Park, FL. For you Pittsburghers, Pirmanti Brothers was just down the road, which was the first Pirmanti Brothers located outside of Pittsburgh. The tasting room was very large and I soon had a dilema to deal with. TOO MANY BEERS TO CHOOSE FROM. Yes the their tap list was quite large so I had to limit myself to 12 selections, I know only....12. The beer wife had to pull me away so we could travel on to Key Biscayne. All of the brews were good, the Muy Bonita Brandy Aged Brown Ale, Vanilla Espresso Porter and Small Axe IPA were the brews I would put on top of the list. Well it was time to leave....yet so many brews that I wish i could have tasted. Well I'll be back and I'll be sure to stop at the Orgianal Funky Buddha Lounge and Brewery. This was a great brewery to end the Florida trip with and yes I get to check another Beer Geek brewery off my list.