Some Fantastic Winter & Holiday Beers!

The BKT is sorry for the hiatus on postings.  The holiday season in the Craft Beer world is undoubtedly a wild one!  So many really great beers are rolling in and out of the marketplace this time of year that there is just not enough occasion to update on all of them. Our apologies!

A touch tone on a couple fantastic Winter &  Holiday beers that are currently NEW to the Central FL marketplace:

Bell’s Winter White Ale offers a lighter, yet abundantly flavorful alternative to the traditional heavy winter warmers. Fermented with a Belgian ale yeast, this blend of barley & wheat malts yields a mixture of clove and fruity aromas, all without the use of any spices. Deliberately brewed to retain a cloudy appearance, Bell’s Winter White Ale is a beer for embracing winter.” 4.5% ABV

Breckenridge Christmas Ale is an American Strong Ale released just in time for the holidays.  At over 7% alcohol with a sturdy texture and rich flavors of caramel and chocolate, this holiday seasonal is the fermented equivalent of a good fire. The ultimate winter warmer.” 7.4% ABV

Sierra Nevada Brewers Reserve GRAND CRU is the fourth & final installment of the Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary series of special release beers. Brewers Reserve is a special ale highlighting Sierra Nevada’s pioneering history and the innovative spirit that has carried them through 30 years. It is a marriage of their three most acclaimed ales: Oak-aged Bigfoot, Celebration Ale, and fresh Pale Ale blended together and generously dry-hopped.” 9.2% ABV

Happy 30th Birthday Sierra Nevada!

Today is Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s 30th Birthday! Help us celebrate America’s innovative and beloved brewer at these locations, or anywhere Sierra Nevada beer is served! ….Happy Birthday Sierra Nevada!!

Yard of Ale
406 S Howard, Tampa

Sierra Nevada Birthday Party Featuring Sierra Nevada draft and chocolate covered strawberries (chocolate is made with Sierra Nevada beer!)
Event starts at 7:00p

Mellow Mushroom
10959 Causeway Blvd, Brandon

Sierra Nevada Birthday Party Featuring amazing drafts and keep the glass
Event starts at 7:00p

Pour House
1208 E Kennedy Blvd #112, Tampa

Sierra Nevada Birthday Party Featuring Sierra Nevada draft, keep the glass and Sierra Nevada infused cup cakes!
Event starts at 7:00p

Palm Harbor House of Beer
34970 US Hwy 19 N, Palm Harbor

Sierra Nevada Birthday Party Buy a Sierra Nevada and keep the glass

Datz Deli
S.  Tampa

Sierra Nevada Birthday Party featuring several tasty Sierra beers on draft

Fall Seasonal Beers & Marzen Madness!

It’s the second week of August in muggy Florida, and yes, we are well into releasing our Fall Seasonal Beers!  2010 offers our best lineup of beers that we have ever had access to.  Look for the NEW arrivals into Florida from the brewers at: Breckenridge, Rogue, Sierra Nevada, The Bruery, Southampton, Terrapin & Cigar City Brewery.  Also keep an eye open for Left Hand Oktoberfest out in the marketplace; the 4/6pks are already sold out at J.J. Taylor for the year.   – PROST!

Sierra Nevada Charlie, Fred & Ken’s Bock – 30th Anniversary Beer

Now hitting stores around Central Florida…

Charlie Papazian and Fred Eckhart are the men who launched a thousand breweries. Their writing on the art of homebrewing and steadfast promotion of beer culture helped propel the craft brewing movement. Charlie and Fred agreed to work with us on this special ale in honor of our 30th anniversary. This Imperial Helles Bock is a testament to the ever-evolving brewer’s art. Bold yet balanced with distinct toasted malt character, moderate sweetness and clean and floral hops. – 8.3% abv.

June Craft Calendar

Check out these great Craft Beer events happening in your area in the month of June.  Hope to see you out there…Cheers!

Saturday, June 5^th
Park Square Cellar
16132 Churchview Dr #101, Lithia

Beerfest sponsored by JJ Taylor
30 different beers, free food and free sampling
Event is 100 to 500pm

Tuesday, June 8^th
Cork
406 S Howard Ave, Tampa

Stone Brewery Tasting
Event is 600 to 800p

Willard’s Tap House
12500 Starkey Rd, Largo

Terrapin Brewery Night

Wednesday, June 9^th
Stairway to Belgium
1359 Main St, Sarasota

Palm Brewery Night

Great White Grill
2440 Palm Ridge Rd, Sanibel Island

Tasting Night featuring Toasted Coconut Porter, Palm and DogFish Head Indian Brown

Thursday, June 10^th
The Waterfront Restaurant
2131 Oleander St, St. James City

Sierra Sampling Night
Event is $10 per person, includes appetizers and Sierra sampling

Bailey’s General Store
2477 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel

Tasting Night with beer and cheese pairing

Friday, June 11^th
Dunedin House of Beer
927 Broadway #A, Dunedin

World Cup Promotion
Buy selected drafts and keep the glass (while supplies last)

All World of Beer locations
Westchase, Tampa Palms, Carrollwood, St Pete

World Cup Promotion
Buy selected drafts and keep the glass (while supplies last)

Sunday, June 13^th
World of Beer
9524 W Linebaugh Ave, Tampa

Radeberger World Cup Promotion
Event starts at 100p

Tuesday, June 15^th
World of Beer
17004 Palm Pointe Dr, Tampa

Radeberger World Cup Promotion
Event starts at 200p

Wednesday, June 16^th
Datz Deli
2616 S MacDill Ave, Tampa

Terrapin Brewery Night
Event starts at 700p

Thursday, June 17^th
Brighthouse Networks Field
604 N Old Coachman Rd, Clearwater

Abita Sampling
Visit the Beers of the World location and receive a free sample of Abita
Buy one get one free specials
Event is 600 to 800p

Saturday, June 19^th
Mr. Beery’s
2645 Mall Drive, Sarasota

Bells Beer Dinner

Sunday, June 20^th
Champion’s Pub
3676 Webber St, Sarasota

Radeberger World Cup Promotion
Event starts at 1200p

Wednesday, June 23^rd
Pour House
1208 E Kennedy Blvd #112, Tampa

Stone Pint Night
Event starts at 700p 

Brighthouse Networks Field
604 N Old Coachman Rd, Clearwater

Harpoon Sampling
Visit the Beers of the World location and receive a free sample of Harpoon
Buy one get one free specials
Event is 600 to 800p

Dunedin House of Beers
927 Broadway #A, Dunedin

Boulder Brewery Night
Event starts at 700p

Mr. Beery’s
2645 Mall Drive, Sarasota

Terrapin Brewery Night

Thursday, June 24^th
Ice House Pub
408 Tamiami Trl #11, Punta Gorda

Brewery Night

Sunday, June 27^th
World of Beer
5226 4^th St N, St Pete

Radeberger World Cup Promotion
Event starts at 200p

2010 Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere

Another coveted Limited Release beverage has arrived: 2010 Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere!

We would recommend consuming this beer as fresh as possible, as it is a showcase to Sierra’s tribute to Fresh Hops.  A label update will be found on this 2010 SN Southern Hemisphere, but the beer and recipe remain the same.  Limited 15.5g draft & 24oz bottles

“Each Fall, hops reach their peak flavor, bursting with aromatic oils that give ales layers of complex flavor that can only happen at harvest time. For us, Fall comes twice a year- once in each hemisphere. This Harvest Ale features fresh hops from New Zealand- where Fall occurs during our spring. These fresh whole cones are picked, dried, and shipped to the brewery within days of the harvest.”

New Craft Events!

Check out some of the below events going on this month in the Ft Myers area…hope to see you out there!

Thursday, May 13^th
Bistro 41
13499 S Cleveland Ave, Ft Myers

Crush Magazine Tasting

Event starts at 500pm

Thursday, May 20^th
Icehouse Pub
408 Tamiami Trail, Punta Gorda

Oskar Blues Brewery Night!  Pouring limited release GUBNA

Event starts at 600pm

Sunday, May 23^rd
The Pub
9118 Strade Place Suite 8160, Naples

Charity tasting for Pints for Prostates.

Event starts at 400pm

Tuesday, May 25^th
Mooseheads
318 Tamiami Trail, Punta Gorda

Sierra Nevada Brewery Night

Event starts at 600pm

Thursday, May 27^th
Great White Grill
2440 Palm Ridge Rd, Sanibel Island

Palm and Dogfish Head Indian Brown

Event starts at 600pm

May Craft Calendar

Here are some of May’s Best Craft Bets around the Bay…

Sunday, May 2nd
Dubliner Irish Pub South
2307 W Azeele St, Tampa

Hop Fest for Charity

Tuesday, May 4th
International Beer Garten
16540 Pointe Village Dr, Lutz

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Fundraiser featuring Breckenridge Agave
Live music and free pizza!

Event goes from 700p to 1000p

Tuesday, May 4th
Cork
406 S Howard Ave, TampaFree Beer Tasting sponsored by JJ Taylor

Event starts at 630P

Wednesday, May 5th
World of Beer (all locations) 

Dos XX Lager and Amber draft features all night

Wednesday, May 5th
International Beer Garten
16540 Pointe Village Dr, Lutz

Cinco de Mayo Celebration featuring $3 Dos Equis

Wednesday, May 5th
Gino’s
10006 N Armenia, Tampa

$3.00 Summit all night

Wednesday, May 5th
Tampa Museum of Art
120 W Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa

Pride and Passion 2010 sponsor event

Monday, May 10th
Pour House
1208 E Kennedy Blvd Ste 112, Tampa

Brooklyn Brewery Night with cheese and chocolate pairing

Saturday, May 15th
Dunedin House of Beer
927 Broadway # A, Dunedin

Best Pizza making contest with the mayor of Dunedin present
Featuring Brooklyn Brewery

Tuesday, May 18th
World of Beer
13135 W Linebaugh Ave, Tampa

Terrapin Brewery Night!
Live music & cookout…tapping Wake ‘N’ Bake, Sunray Wheat, Rye Pale Ale, Capt’n Krunkles & Monk’s Revenge

Wednesday, May 21st
Tampa Museum of Art
120 W Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa

Pride and Passion Event @ Tampa Museum of Arts exclusive JJ Taylor

Saturday, May 22nd
Dunedin House of Beer
927 Broadway # A, Dunedin

Mug Night with all JJ Taylor brands on tap

Saturday, May 22nd
Datz Deli
2616 S MacDill Ave, Tampa

The Brass Tap
2000 Piazza Ave, Wesley Chapel 

Sierra 30^th Anniversary and Anchor Collaboration

Wednesday, May 26th
International Beer Garten
16540 Pointe Village Dr, Lutz

Brooklyn Brewery Night

Wednesday, May 26th
Dunedin House of Beer
927 Broadway # A, Dunedin

Bells Extravaganza Brewery Night

2010 World Beer Cup Winners at J.J. Taylor

The World Beer Cup is held every 2 years and has the most diverse assortment of professional beer judges from around the world.  Below are the 2010 World Beer Cup winners that are represented by J.J. Taylor. (some winning Brewery brands may not be found in FL)

Champion Brewery and Brewer Awards

Small Brewing Company Category
Ballast Point Brewing Company, San Diego, CA – Coming Soon
Ballast Point Brewers

Individual Beer Awards

Category 1: American-Style Cream Ale or Lager, 17 entries
Gold: Red Dog, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Silver: Old Style, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Bronze: Lone Star, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL

Category 3: American-Style Wheat Beer with Yeast, 24 entries
Silver: UFO Hefeweizen, Harpoon Brewery, Boston, MA

Category 12: Experimental Beer, 51 entries

Gold: 100% Brett Autumn Maple, The Bruery, Placentia, CA
Bronze: Red & White, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE

Category 13: Out of Category – Traditionally Brewed Beer, 47 entries
Gold: Fathom IPL, Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category 16: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer, 32 entries
Gold: Bourbon Barrel Aged Piper Down, Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego, CA

Category 18: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer, 39 entries
Silver: Rodenbach Vintage, Palm Breweries, Steenhuffel, Belgium – Coming Soon

Category 19: Aged Beer, 20 entries
Silver: Gonzo Imperial Porter Vintage 2007, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD

Category 21: Smoked Beer, 35 entries
Silver: Smoke Ale, Rogue Ales, Newport, OR

Category 23: German-Style Pilsener, 69 entries
Gold: Pilsner, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA

Category 27: Vienna-Style Lager, 28 entries
Bronze: Heavy Seas Marzen, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD

Category 34: American-Style Lager, 75 entries
Gold: Olympia, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Silver: National Bohemian, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL
Bronze: Coors Light, Coors Brewing Company, Golden, CO

Category 35: American-Style Specialty Lager, 19 entries
Silver: Mickey’s Malt Liquor, Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, WI
Bronze: Colt 45, Pabst Brewing Co., Woodridge, IL

Category 38: Australasian, Latin American Light Lager, 19 entries
Silver: Quilmes Cristal, Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes, Quilmes, Argentina

Category 44: Belgian-Style Sour Ale, 23 entries
Gold: Geuze Mariage Parfait, Brouwerij BOON, Lembeek, Belgium – Coming Soon
Silver: Oude Geuze Boon, Brouwerij BOON, Lembeek, Belgium – Coming Soon

Category 45: Belgian-Style Flanders/Oud Bruin or Oud Red Ale, 20 entries
Gold: Oude Tart, The Bruery, Placentia, CA

Category 47: Belgian-Style Tripel, 53 entries
Silver: Samuel Adams New World Triple, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA

Category 49: Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale, 46 entries
Gold: Witte Noire Imperial Amber Wheat Ale, De Proef Brouwerij, Belgium
Bronze: Brooklyn Local 2, The Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, NY

Category 52: Classic English-Style Pale Ale, 29 entries
Gold: Summit Extra Pale Ale, Summit Brewing Co., Saint Paul, MN
Bronze: Heavy Seas Pale Ale, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD

Category 76: Irish-Style Red Ale, 26 entries
Silver: Samuel Adams Irish Red, Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA

Category 79: Golden or Blonde Ale, 50 entries
Gold: Heavy Seas Gold Ale, Clipper City Brewing Co., Baltimore, MD

Category 83: Imperial India Pale Ale, 69 entries
Gold: Hardcore IPA, BrewDog, Fraserburgh, United Kingdom

Category 89: American-Style Imperial Stout, 37 entries
Gold: Seven Imperial Stout Niepoort Barrel, Nørrebro Bryghus, Copenhagen N., Denmark

Category 90: International Pale Ale, 28 entries
Gold: Sculpin IPA, Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego, CA – Coming Soon

http://www.worldbeercup.org

April Craft Calendar

Here are some of April’s Best Craft Bets around the Bay…

Monday, April 5^th
Datz Deli
2616 S MacDill Ave, Tampa

Beer Blast Dinner sponsored by Lefthand Brewery
Three courses, Three beers for $30

Event starts at 630pm

Monday, April 5^th
Kelly’s Chica Boom Room
319 Main St, Dunedin

Beer Training Class

Event starts at 1000am

Tuesday, April 6^th
Cork
406 S Howard Ave, Tampa

Free Beer Tasting sponsored by Abita

Event starts at 700pm

Saturday, April 10^th
Mr. Dunderbak’s
14929 Bruce B Downs Blvd, Tampa

Pints for Prostate Charity Event sponsored by Cigar City and Bells Brewery

Event goes all day / night

Saturday, April 10^th
Jenn’s Wine Shop
11724 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa

Springfest sponsored by Red Stripe, Abita, Belekus and Brooklyn Brewery

Event starts at 600pm

Saturday, April 10^th
PhilFest 2010
14301 Nine Eagles Dr, Tampa

15^th Annual Philippine Festival sponsored by Abita, Sierra Nevada and Bells Brewery

Events goes from 1100am to 700pm

Monday, April 12^th
Datz Deli
2616 S MacDill Ave, Tampa

Beer Blast Dinner sponsored by Chimay
Three courses, Three Beers for $30

Event starts at 630pm

Thursday, April 15^th
Mellow Mushroom
10959 Causeway Blvd, Brandon

“Buy a Chimay and Keep the Glass!” sponsored by Chimay

Event starts at 700pm

Saturday, April 17^th
Mellow Mushroom
10959 Causeway Blvd, Brandon

Avery Brewing Night, pouring 5 different Avery drafts sponsored by Avery Brewery

Event starts at 700pm

Saturday, April 17^th
International Beer Garten
16540 Pointe Village Dr, Lutz

Local Beerfest! Live music, cookout and lots of beer samples. 
Sponsored by Monk in the Trunk, Cigar City, Dunedin Brewery, St. Somewhere, Holy Mackeral and Florida Beer Company

Event goes from 400pm – 700pm

Monday, April 19^th
Datz Deli
2616 S MacDill Ave, Tampa

Beer Blast Dinner sponsored by Diageo
Three courses, Three beers for $30

Event starts at 630pm

Tuesday, April 20^th
Mellow Mushroom
10959 Causeway Blvd, Brandon

Pouring Bells Hopslam Firkin sponsored by Bells Brewery

Event starts at 700pm until the Firkin is gone

Thursday, April 22^nd
Babes Zaharis Golf Course
11412 Forest Hills Dr, Tampa

Free Beer Tasting

Event goes from 600pm – 800pm

Saturday, April 24^th
Gino’s
10006 N Armenia Ave, Tampa

Local Beer Benefit benefiting Pediatrics Charity sponsored by JJ Taylor

Event starts at 400pm

Monday, April 26^th
Datz Deli
2616 S MacDill Ave, Tampa

Beer Blast Dinner sponsored by South Hampton Brewery
Three courses, Three beers for $30

Event starts at 630pm

Friday, April 30^th
Datz Deli
2616 S MacDill Ave, Tampa

“Collaboration Celebration” sponsored by Sierra Nevada and Anchor Brewing
Will be pouring 5 Sierra drafts and 4 Anchor brewing drafts you can’t get every day! 
Also tapping a Sierra Nevada and Anchor 30^th Anniversary keg

Event starts at 700pm