Let me start off by saying I am dead set against mixing alcohol with operating a boat, driving a car or when using a firearm. None of these mix well and there is no excuse in the world to suggest otherwise. With that being said, I am not above having a cold brew at the end of the day, when the boat is cleaned or the firearms are put away. I have told many a tall tale while sitting with my friends over a beer. There is a time and place for everything. What follows is a fun story about my adventures in Florida’s “Beer-muda Triangle”.
The Bermuda Triangle is a mysterious place in the Atlantic Ocean, somewhere between Florida and Bermuda. For this story its exact GPS coordinates are not important. The Bermuda Triangle is a well-documented place where weird things happen to ships and planes. Once again, exactly what has happened is not important to this story, with exception to the mysterious part.
The story starts out simple enough. I head out of the house at 4:00am to catch a flight to New York at 5:50am. From there I will catch another flight to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. For the next two weeks I’ll be in Florida on assignment; fishing, learning about food, culture and life in general. Wait for it. Here is where the mysterious part comes in.
I arrived at the airport on time and had no problems with TSA, despite the horror stories being told on the television. My flight to New York left on time and I arrived ½ hour ahead of schedule. Then it happens. My luck ran out. After a two hour layover between flights, the people at the gate came on the loudspeakers to say that our flight to Florida was delayed by a ½ hour. Then a few minutes later they said it will be an hour. Long story short, three hours later we were taxiing down the runway. Finally we land. I picked up the rental car and headed for my hotel. Marcus checked me in and was kind enough to direct me to the nearest grocery store.
For me, learning about any area and culture means eating what the local eat and drinking what they drink. Let me tell you, after what this day was like, I really needed to soak myself in some culture. I picked up a six-pack of Islamorada Ale, put out by Islamorada Beer Company, out of Islamorada, Florida. As soon as I popped the top and poured the ale into the glass, I was sucked into Florida’s “Beer-muda” Triangle. The crisp, citrus taste of this ale went well with the empanadas that I had picked up. I needed to find out more about Islamorada Beer Company.
Islamorada Beer Company was founded with the goal of making a quality craft beer that reflected the lifestyle of South Florida and the Keys. This they have done, and then some. I made it a point to stock my Yeti Hooper with more as I prepared for the next leg of my trip which took me into the Keys.
The traffic in the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area is insane. This was my first trip to Florida and if this is what the state was like, it was going to be my last. Fortunately, once out of the Miami area, things began to normalize. By the time I hit Key Largo, everything began to relax and by Islamorada, the trip was actually pleasant. I should have stopped at Islamorada Beer Company, but I was on a deadline. My final stop on this day was Marathon, Key.
The Keys, a series of islands of various size, that jut out of the south of the Florida peninsula, is a world all of its own. The culture is unique, influenced by many factors. It’s Caribbean and Latin background are clearly experienced in language, food and drink. Citrus and spices abound, but are not overpowering in either the food or the drink.
Packing up I headed to Key West. Rich in history and culture, Key West is a place to visit if you want plenty to do and plenty of places to get a good local cold one. After a day of sailing with Danger Charters I headed to Turtle Kraals down on the wharf. Temperatures were in the high 90s and I was hungry. At Turtle Kraals I ordered a bucket of bones (ribs), some potato skins (I guess I was down to “skins and bones”) and a cold Key West Sunset Ale, which is brewed at Florida Brewing Company out of Tampa.
I was not done with Key West yet as I wanted a brew made here. That brought me to Kelly’s Caribbean Bar & Grill. Owned by Kelly McGillis of “Top gun” fame, this eatery also brews their own beer. I sat down and my bartender Amanda (see above) told me about their house beers. Come to find out they produce three beers in a small brewery right on the premises; Havana Red Ale, Key West Golden Ale and Southern Clipper Wheat Beer. Unable to decide, Amanda presented a flight for me to sample. I ended up ordering a Key West Golden, which is an American IPA and the best pulled pork sandwich I have ever had.
My next stop in Key West came after a morning of fishing with Rampage Fishing Charters. I brought my catch to the hotel where it went into the freezer and then I headed to Smokin’ Tuna Saloon. There my waitress Timea (to the right) hooked me up with a Smokin’ Tuna Red Ale and their signature Smokin’ Tuna Dip.
The final leg of my trip took me to Orlando and the Orlando Brewing. What makes this brewery special, besides making some “Darn Good Beer”, is that all of their beers are organic. This really intrigued me so I contacted Bill Droste, (pictured below) one of the partners at the brewery. He invited me to stop by which I did.
The brewery is located in the industrial section of the city and it took me a while to find the brewery do to traffic in downtown Orlando, but once I did I was pleasantly surprised. I was greeted by Mary McGinn, who was working behind the bar. Behind her were 40 taps offering endless beer choices, all of which are brewed right here at the brewery. I ordered an English style pale ale called “Olde Pelican” and waited to meet with John Cheek, another partner here at the brewery.
My first question to John was, “Why organic?” John is very straight forward person and his answer was reflective of that. “We are concerned about what goes into our bodies. We use GMO free and pesticide free grains and hops to make our beers. Our beer is not pasteurized, a process that kills everything good in the beer”, John said. “It is the same reason why people eat organic food.”
My follow up question was, “If it is so beneficial, why aren’t there more breweries doing it?” “Cost”, was his answer. “It costs twice as much for organic grain and four to five times more for organic hops. All of this makes the return rather slim”, John said. “People don’t want to pay more for an organic beer. They will pay more for a good tasting beer, but not because it is organic”. I have to say that the beer produced at Orlando Brewery hat I have are some of the best that I have ever had. Visit their tap room and see for yourself. I walked out of there with a six pack of “Olde Pelican”.
My visit to Florida’s “Beer-muda” Triangle was coming to an end. Soon my flight will pull me loose from its grasp. I take with me the knowledge that there are some really great beers being produced here in Florida. Honestly, there is no such thing as too many really good beers.
By Dana Benner