With two weeks on the west coast of Florida we had multiple opportunities to explore local breweries.
First up was Corporate Ladder, our favorite brewery in central Florida – we stopped by three times during out stay! Our first visit was the afternoon we rolled into town. I had the Fireable Offense (Mexican hot chocolate) and Eric had a Tiki Sour: Painkiller. Both were delicious per usual. We also picked up an Untitled Art NA S’mores Dark Brew and Work Day Doodles (an Imperial Stout snickerdoodle clone). Second trip: I got the Fair Trade (an imperial stout with coffee, cinnamon and vanilla – delicious) and Eric got the Raspberry Overtime which tasted like a frambuesa / raspberry juice, amazing. We also split a Tiki Sour Painkiller. On this evening we met another couple originally from Chicago with an adorably active 22 month old. For the third visit, we met our friends for beers on a Saturday afternoon. No more dark beers on draft so I opted for the Tiki Sour: Pain Killer and split a 0.5 liter pour of the Corporate Tmavé 15° (a Czech dark) with Ron. Eric got the Mango Overtime and the Strawberry Overtime. We all noshed on a surprisingly good charcuterie box that Cindy grabbed from the food truck.
We visited Calusa Brewing after our trip to Red Bug Slough. Thankfully they have a large parking lot because it was very busy on a Friday at 5pm! I got the Black Blade (baltic porter) and Eric had the Pass a Good Time, a sour beer that tasted like a tropical mimosa. We found a picnic table to sit outside and people watched.
We met Eric’s aunt and uncle for lunch at Three Bridges Brewing. The beers were all good but we are certain they forgot our food order as everyone after us received their food first. I got the Jetty Rat imp stout and Eric got the Jam Band (Blackberry, Blueberry, Raspberry Ice Cream). While waiting for our food to arrive, we split a Hickory Dickory Bock (smoked bock). When our Cuban wrap arrived it came with fries, not the tater tots we ordered, but we were so hungry we just ate it. Everything tasted good but the experience was partially marred by the delays – the kitchen was severely understaffed for such a busy Sunday afternoon.
Brew Life Brewing is located in a strip mall a couple of miles from E’s parent’s place so we stopped in after work mid-week. The inside was more inviting than it looked from the street and there were free arcade games to play! We each got two beers: I started with the Dude! Itz Coconut brown and followed that with a Jetty Rat (Imp Stout from 3 Bridges). Eric got the Cherry Jolly Rancher Sour and the Bee Life Blackberry (aged in wine barrels since 2021; tasted like a solera!).
After our visit to Eckerd and dinner in downtown St. Petersburg we opted for a nightcap at Pinellas Ale Works (PAW) because they had the largest selection of darks and sours to choose from. I got the Pomeranian Porter and Eric got the Sour Pineapple Pucker P’up. Both were solid.
Our final brewery of the trip was 3 Car Garage Brewing. After a lovely overnight with friends, we all drove over around 3pm for the Southern Smoked by JP food truck special, a brisket sandwich with one side and any beer on the menu for $15 – a great deal. I opted for the Stoop Stout and Eric got the Orange Tangerine Pale Ale. The brisket and collard greens were tasty and the atmosphere was nice.
