The Great American Ale Trail - Christian DeBenedetti [172]
Alabama
Birmingham
J. CLYDE HOT ROCK TAVERN & ALEHOUSE
1312 Cobb Ln. • Birmingham, AL 35205 • (205) 939–1312 jclyde.com • Established: 2007
SCENE & STORY
Full of classic beer-bar appointments (exposed brick, wood rafters, beams, and tables), J. Clyde has some forty-three taps and another two hundred bottles on offer, in addition to a late-night menu with items like steak au poivre and fried green tomatoes.
PHILOSOPHY
Cask and ye shall receive. On most days, and infallibly every Friday at 4 p.m., something notable happens here in the state’s best beer bar: a vessel of the only cask-conditioned ale in the state is tapped (and then drained in short order). Generally, the term “cask conditioned” refers to lighter British-style ales fermented and then “conditioned” or rested for a period of time at temperatures around 50°F–55°F with some natural fining agents in the beer, resulting in clarity, softness, and a delicate carbonation. (I say “generally” because cask conditioning is migrating into other, not-exactly-British styles, like the Italo American experiments at Eataly New York’s rooftop Birreria.)
KEY BEER
Look for Coffee Oatmeal Stout from Birmingham’s Good People Brewing Company on draught (and maybe cask). It’s a 6% ABV sipper with deep roasted coffee and cocoa flavors.
Florida
THE SUNSHINE STATE HAS EMBRACED CRAFT BEER WITH THE FORCE of a tropical storm. It seems hard to imagine that in the soporific land of blue hair retirees, Disney rides, and plastic nightclubs that earthy, DIY craft brewing would take such hold, but in fact it has, with some sixty (!) breweries and brewpubs open and several more in planning stages. And loungey, Latin-inflected South Florida has a world of its own, a curious but worthy mix. The following is but a fraction of what’s worth exploring.
Tampa
CIGAR CITY BREWING
3924 W. Spruce St., Ste. A • Tampa, FL 33607 (813) 648–6363 • cigarcitybrewing.com • Established: 2009
SCENE & STORY
Beer writer and Tampa native Joey Redner was immersed in beer—selling it, writing about it, running a bar, and generally loving the entire craft beer scene. Wayne Wambles was a home brewer gone pro; he had discovered the wonders of craft brews during 1996’s Hurricane Opal, when a friend shared home brews with him over the course of three days as they waited for the power and water to return. When Redner and Wambles met, the die was cast for Cigar City, a company quickly remaking the entire Florida beer scene with innovative, award-winning beers. There are tours Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; reservations are required, so e-mail info@cigarcitybrewing.com to schedule.
PHILOSOPHY
Brewery-as-melting pot. Redner is an aficionado of Tampas’s culinary brew that melds Sicilian, Spanish, Puerto Rican, traditional Southern and soul food, and especially Cuban traditions. The mission driving Cigar City is to create ales and lagers that pair perfectly with Cuban dishes, such as boliche and picadillo, and Wambles is a tireless experimenter, employing everything from additions of apricot, mango, pomegranate, scuppernong grapes, and peppercorn to various sorts of barrel-aged beers with cedar chips, lavender, and heather.
KEY BEER
Wambles’s favorite beer, the bombastic 7.5% ABV Jai Alai IPA is a walloping beer with a fat caramel malt backbone and six different hop varietals, including Simcoe, used only in dry hopping. It’s hugely citric and resinous with the waves of tang and fruit in the balance that are required of great IPAs.
Oldsmar
OLDSMAR TAPHOUSE
SCENE & STORY
300 State St. East, No. 107 • Oldsmar, FL 34677 (813) 855–9181 • oldsmartaphouse.com • Established: 2008
SCENE & STORY
Foosball