There isn’t really a season that’s not conducive to enjoying a great locally crafted beer — particularly in Florida, where the concept of seasons can sometimes seem like something you’ve definitely heard of but aren’t sure you’ve actually experienced firsthand, like Nigerian food or a song by The Weeknd.
But thanks to the probably trillions of dollars spent by massive mainstream brands on ads featuring bikini-clad women, beaches, and all-around Fun In The Sun (along with plenty of condensation-dappled cans ejaculating foam), the season we most readily associate with beer drinking is, of course, summer. And all over the country, craft brewers are readying their hot-months seasonal beers.
But what about here in the Bay area? Is there such a thing as a summer beer season in a place that’s about 70 percent summer?
“Yeah, I still think it’s a good season,” says Josh Wilson, brewmaster for Sarasota’s Big Top Brewing Company. “You have people visiting, that alone can drive a seasonal beer.”
Micheil McElvey, head brewer for Mastry’s Brewing out on St. Pete Beach, agrees, adding that it’s as much a function of the calendar and the body clock as it is of the weather.
“There’s a break where we come out of whatever little winter we get, before it becomes unbearably hot,” he reasons. “Rather than a season, I think it’s a mindset, a mental thing. The kids are getting out of school, people are making vacation plans. And if you’re staying here, you gotta endure the heat — how can we help you with that?”
Unlike purveyors in, say, New Hampshire or Colorado, many local breweries alleviate the argument altogether by offering summer-centric beers year-round. It’s a savvy business model for Florida, where a porter-cold Friday night might give way to a Saturday afternoon perfect for a fruity Florida weisse.
“With our brewery, we don’t really have any specific plans as far as, ‘Hey, these are hot, let’s do that,’” says Joey Redner, founder of Tampa’s iconic Cigar City Brewing. “But just in our normal lineup, we’ve got our lager and our wheat beer, so we’ve got the summer beers all year long.”
For Mad Beach, located amid the touristy trappings and fishing charters of St. John’s Pass, the endless-summer vibe is built right into the character of the brand.
“There are so many we already have, [another summery beer] might get lost in the mix,” says owner/brewer Matt Powers. “We’re definitely gonna try it, it’s nice and fun to have new things out, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
The last couple of summers have seen an uptick in the number of crisp pilsners and lagers — styles that, despite being the foundation of the most familiar Big Beer labels, can be difficult to execute for smaller craft brewers — rolled out by local companies alongside easy-drinking dog-days favorites like session IPAs and all manner of sours and wheat beers. Should local beer fans expect that trend to continue this year as the warmer months approach, or be on the lookout for a shift in what brewers are going to be bringing to the table?
“Session is still very strong as far as a summer release, obviously,” says Redner. “Lagers are still very strong, fruit variations, usually citrus, those are always very strong.”
Big Top’s Wilson concurs.
“I still think you’ll probably still see more lagers and pilsers,” he says. “We just did a collaboration with [Bradenton’s] Darwin Brewing, an altbier, which is a lager.
“We’ll also definitely have goses, we’ll have Berliners,” he adds, referring to the Northern German-style Berliner Weisse sour.
“I would think so, I drink a lot of lagers and pilsners, I drink a lot of everything, really,” agrees Tim Ogden, head brewer for Tampa Bay Brewing Company’s Ybor City brewery, with a laugh. “But I would suspect more India pale lagers.”
McElvey, of Mastry’s, is working on a special super-summery, super-Floridian take on the sour Teutonic gose style for the coming heat. He thinks the constantly improving state of craft beer distribution will bring more innovation and influence to the local scene from other parts of the state, and hopes an ever-widening array of choices will arrive with summer.
“I see more Kölsch-style ales coming out for that production cycle, it’s not as intensive a process as making a lager or pilsner,” he says. “I also expect to see more Florida weisse. You’re gonna see more fruits, more of that tropical flair, that local thing… What I’m hoping to see is some more chelada-style, that softer style, like Bahamian pilsner.”
Everyone’s got their preferences and expectations, but one thing is beyond argument: As the Tampa Bay beer scene continues to both expand and mature, fans can continue to expect more of the same, and more of — well, more from local brewers this summer.
“Generally, I think you’re going to find a variety of things,” says Redner. “Which is great. That’s what this industry is built on — variety.”
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 2, 2017.
