On Thursday and Saturday, the Fort Collins, Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing and downtown St. Pete's Cycle Brewing plan to celebrate the release of their collaborative beer, Of Snow and Sand.
Keeping pace with New Belgium's knack for partnerships with other breweries, seven events will help introduce the new "Beers with Vrienden" release (vrienden means "friends" in Flemish) to the region. To put it simply, Of Snow and Sand, a toasted coconut Baltic porter, is what comes of a beer-making session between a Florida and a Colorado brewer.
A party at Cycle will kick off the local event series Thursday in St. Pete, followed by a World of Beer beach bash, featuring sand castle-making, and another gathering at The Ale and the Witch with live music and flurry machines for snow — all on the same day.
On Saturday, beer geeks can expect brunch and morning cartoons at Brandon's Stein & Vine, The Independent Bar and Cafe's outdoor movie with beer and popcorn pairings in Seminole Heights, a beer contest from Willard's Tap House in Largo, and a meet-and-greet with Of Snow and Sand brewers Eric Trinosky and Ross Koenigs at downtown St. Pete's Hops and Props.
According to a news release, another brew day will take place Friday, when Cycle and New Belgium are set to collaborate on a second beer. More details are to be announced.
