Editor's note: Each season, CL contributor and certified cicerone Thomas Barris showcases beloved brews from local beer industry experts and enthusiasts. Follow Barris (@theparchdbarris) on Twitter.
As the beer scene continues to explode and reach new tastes across the country, Tampa Bay is blessed to have such a variety in the former beer wasteland of Florida. Brewers are pushing the envelope season to season with unexpected styles that scoff at tradition, upping the innovation at the heart of the craft beer movement.
With this in mind, here are four beers — recommended by a few bottle shops that sling some of the best-curated selections around — to taste before summer's end. CL asked what brew helps them beat the summertime blues, and we weren't disappointed with their answers.
First up is Brandon's Craft Beer Cellar. An area staple, the store offers educational courses on all things beer, cider and mead, plus features a fine assortment of American, local and imported suds. Clown Shoes out of Ipswich, Massachusetts, makes CBC's go-to brew, simply called Mangö, that's summer in a can.
"This beer is surprisingly clean, bright, crisp and fresh with a slight bitterness that is balanced out by a mango on the end," CBC owner Joel Bigham says. "Great on a hot summer day."
Across town in Seminole Heights, neighborhood favorite Jug & Bottle Dept. has a different take on what the season calls for. An unexpected not-so-summer pick, Bamarillo — the Amarillo-hopped saison from Dexter, Michigan's Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales — hits on all cylinders for the shop's crew.
"It's not your typical summer fruit beer, but is still crushable and has nothing to do with the beach. It's dry, it's funky and has an ABV of 5.1 percent, perfect for the Florida heat," according to Jug & Bottle owner Aaron Schaub.
Next on the list is St. Petersburg-based Shep's Beer Emporium, an original craft beer stop since 1972 that touts more than 2,000 rare, one-of-a-kind and limited-production offerings from around the globe. Manager Courtney Klein's beer of choice? Maui Brewing Co.'s Pineapple Mana Wheat.
Weighing in at 5.5 percent, this lighter golden ale brewed with fresh Maui Gold pineapples is a solid selection.
A new kid on the St. Pete block, Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe, rounds out our summer beer search. The Grand Central District hangout suggests getting a taste of Sur Equinox from To Øl, a brewery based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
"The full line of Sur beers are a single-hopped sour pale ale. This allows you to experience the true expression of the hop, Equinox, while enjoying the best of both worlds — sour and hops. The result is incredible," owner Tegan Foster says. "[It's] a balanced and bright beer for the summer, full of citrus and pepper notes. Not to mention it comes in a baller can, which can accompany you to the beach, pool or boat all summer long."
