Florida Beer

 

We decided to spend this Thanksgiving down at the beach.  Did you know you can find a picture of pretty much anything on the Internet including "a turkey on the beach"....

 

My wife found a sweet condo to rent just south of St. Augustine, Florida on Cinnamon Beach in the town of Palm Coast.  The color of the sand here obviously gives a correct description of this beautiful place.  The location was convenient with an ABC Liquor and Beer Store just up the street with a great selection of beer.  I got a variety four-pack of bottled brews to try over the holiday weekend that included a Toasted Coconut Porter from Thomas Creek Brewery (SC); a Swamp Ape Double IPA from Florida Beer Company in Melbourne, FL; a Burton Baton Double IPA from Dogfish Head Brewing (DE); and a Heelch O'Hops Double IPA from Anderson Valley Brewing (CA).  All were tasty and quite enjoyable while watching and listening to the Atlantic Ocean's pounding surf.

 

On Black Friday I was able to sneak off up the coast and play a little tournament poker at Bestbet Jacksonville.  Before the noon tournament began, I stopped by The Jacksonville Ale House and had a draught pint.  This place is part of a regional chain of Miller's Ale Houses but each one seems to have a little bit of it's own style instead of just a cookie-cutter duplicate from location to the next.  The JAH had a nice beer selection including a good amount of local craft beer.  I had the very good Old Battle Axe IPA from Engine 15 Brewing Company from nearby Jacksonville Beach, FL. 

After I got knocked out the tournament about halfway through (by this stunning young lady BTW - gotta love a gal who plays poker on Black Friday instead of shopping!!) I stopped by Mile Marker Brewing in St. Augustine on the way back down to our condo.  This little craft brewery is located in an industrial park and it was very crowded when I stopped by.  I had two half-pints (since I was driving) of Mile Marker 1513 Pecan De Leon Nut Brown Ale (tasty!) and Mile Marker 82 Islamorada (love that place) IPA which was pretty good.  A couple nights before this we had dinner at the A1A Ale Works in St. Augustine (I visited here for the first time back in September, see previous blog entry) where I had the seasonal Mosaic Pale Ale and a sip of my wife's seasonal Jolly Jack Pumpkin Ale.  Both were solidly good.  So after trying and liking both of these places, I have to say that St. Augustine's a pretty good little beer town!