Pinellas Ale Works has brewed a beer that pays homage to a piece of local history.
Named "1888" after the year that the first train pulled into what would become St. Petersburg, this Russian imperial stout from the St. Pete craft brewery has its release party planned for 3 p.m. to midnight Friday.
Throughout the celebration, the PAW beer will be featured on tap and in 22-ounce bottles (the limit is five per customer per day). Draft offerings include 1888 vanilla bean, hazelnut, coconut and coffee treatments — plus a limited 1888 aged in a whiskey barrel from Dunedin's Cotherman Distilling Company.
"June 8th 1888, the day in which the first train pulled into the last stop in southern Pinellas County. That train arrived carrying empty freight cars and one passenger on the railroad built by Peter Demens. Eventually the city that arose around that stop was named after his birthplace of St. Petersburg, Russia," reads the 1888 bottle label. "To honor the arrival of that first train we present this beer which boasts bold roast barley, chocolate, toffee, dark fruit and coffee flavors big enough to satisfy even the most demanding aristocrats."
Oh, and if you're hungry, grab a hot dog from Grizzly's.
