• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • BOSTON BETTER BEER BUREAU
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • ABOUT
    • MASTHEAD
    • ADVERTISE
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Greater Boston's Alternative News Source

FLORIDA DAZE: BEER-WISE, THIS IS WHAT WARM WEATHER TASTES LIKE

Written by DIG STAFF Posted March 15, 2019 Filed Under: Better Boston Beer Bureau, Honest Pint, LIFESTYLE

 

Welcome to the Boston Better Beer Bureau, our latest incarnation of the trusty suds reporting we’ve done at DigBoston ever since people referred to beer as suds. Really, we remember the days when we’d spend half our checks on fancy German bottles just so that we could review them, whereas these days breweries from all around New England kindly send us samplers and stay in touch. The BBBB is a new attempt to return that love, all while sharing more news about the innumerable microbreweries and pubs among us. SIGN UP FOR THE FREE BBBB NEWSLETTER HERE.

 


 

Sometimes there are fringe benefits to working in journalism. They rarely add up to an acceptable salary, but sometimes they do involve lots of alcohol. Like a recent trip that some of us took to a journalism conference in Florida; in addition to getting us out of the chill for a couple of days, the event and its hosts introduced us to some serious suds worth writing home about. The list of local winners in the Tampa Bay market is long, with Jai Alai by Cigar City Brewing, which is distributed quite widely around Boston these days, right near the top. Otherwise, here are our favorite picks, some of which we understand may sporadically surface in Mass once the snow clears.

 

Circus City IPA

The folks at Big Top Brewing in Sarasota call this selection a “very rare English style IPA,” bursting with “amazing hop aroma, mesmerized by the vibrant copper hue, and fascinated with it’s [sic] hop flavor balanced with a caramel malt finish.” Aside from the misspelling, it’s actually a damn good description. We didn’t see the beer outside of the can for long enough to ogle the hue, but were quite fascinated by the caramel ending, since that’s a flavor that, at least in the context of beer, we typically associate with dirty draft lines. In this case, however, it really is a welcome surprise, and the perfect tongue treat for a lasting positive impression.

 

Bimini Twist IPA

We know that the word “serviceable” doesn’t typically come off as complimentary, but that’s nonetheless how we’ll chiefly describe this effort from the talent at Daughters Brewing in St. Petersburg, and we mean it in a good way. Sunshine State shores call for something light and tasty to sip through the afternoon, and since we aren’t savages who fall for mass advertising, it’s not like we’re going to tilt Silver Bullets all day. At 7 percent APV, Bimini Twist is definitely stronger than a lot of all-day IPAs, and by its own admission on the side of the can, leans harder on the bitter than the sweet. But if you are an aficionado of sorts on vacation in the region, you’ll definitely want to pack a six of these in your beach cooler.

 

Big Nose IPA

The gorgeous trippy can for Swamp Head Brewery’s tribute to big schnozzes says “inherently Floridian” near the mouth hole. We’re not sure what that means, but wow oh wow this is a winner. The Big Nose claim is that the stuff’s “created with crystal clear spring water that originates deep in the Okefenokee Swamp” and is “a mystical nectar brewed for hop lovers” with a “rich malt backbone [that] combines with the intense hop flavors to deliver a balanced finish.” That’s hyperbolic but essentially the truth, as this Big Nose selection is a grade A pick, a rare nonfruity number that goes down smoothly. People beyond Florida should hope it finds some major distro, as this is something that could easily become a daily beverage.

DIG STAFF
+ posts

Dig Staff means this article was a collaborative effort. Teamwork, as we like to call it.

  • DIG STAFF
    https://digboston.com/author/dig-staff/
    Dig This: Thousands Of Furries Flocking To Anthro New England 
  • DIG STAFF
    https://digboston.com/author/dig-staff/
    Dig This: MFA & Citizens To Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy
  • DIG STAFF
    https://digboston.com/author/dig-staff/
    Dig This: New Drag Brunch Series At Laugh Boston
  • DIG STAFF
    https://digboston.com/author/dig-staff/
    Inbox: New Crab Shack Brings Asian-Cajun Fusion To Roslindale

Filed Under: Better Boston Beer Bureau, Honest Pint, LIFESTYLE Tagged With: BBBB, Beer, Big Nose IPA, Bimini Twist, Circus City, English Style, Florida, Hops, Jai Alai

WHAT’S NEW

State Wire: Bill To Expand Tax Credits Draws On Children's Health Data

State Wire: Bill To Expand Tax Credits Draws On Children’s Health Data

State Wire: Mass Legislation Aims To Improve Language Access For All

State Wire: Mass Legislation Aims To Improve Language Access For All

State Wire: Mass Launches Free Legal Advice Hotline Regarding Abortion Care

State Wire: Mass Launches Free Legal Advice Hotline Regarding Abortion Care

State Wire: Mass Bill Would Tighten Restrictions On Facial Recognition Technology

State Wire: Mass Bill Would Tighten Restrictions On Facial Recognition Technology

Mass Higher Ed Advocates Urge More Investment In Students 

Mass Higher Ed Advocates Urge More Investment In Students 

Guest Opinion: Promoting Metal Detectors In BPS Perpetuates Dangerous Narrative

Guest Opinion: Promoting Metal Detectors In BPS Perpetuates Dangerous Narrative

Primary Sidebar

LOCAL EVENTS

AAN Wire


Most Popular

  • Think Massachusetts Cannabis Prices Are Low Now? Just Wait Six Months!
  • A New Beginning For Formerly Incarcerated Women
  • Why Are Cannabis Prices Really Crashing?
  • Dig This: Thousands Of Furries Flocking To Anthro New England 
  • Jerrod Carmichael Has First Show After Coming Out—At the Wilbur In Boston

Footer

Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Advertise

Customer Service

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an email blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: sales@digboston.com To reach editorial (and for inquiries about internship opportunities): editorial@digboston.com