Do you have an incredibly kind and generous designated driver? Tell him to grab his keys and get ready to drive an hour down I-75 and visit Cock and Bull (975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota, 341-9785 or the-cock-n-bull.com), the best Gulf Coast beer bar that's not in the Bay area!
I could list the awards — Beer Advocate's sixth best beer bar in the country for 2006, innumerable Best Of awards from Creative Loafing Sarasota, an "essential visit" rating from ratebeer.com — or I could talk about their hand-pump beer engines or the exclusive John's Private Locker Stock from Rogue on draft, but that's just the tip of it. For a massive number of beer geeks and aficionados, many of them introduced to the fine world of brew by owners Dawn and Howie Hochberg, the Cock and Bull is a second home.
On your first visit, the camaraderie can be a little intimidating, but give it a few pints and you'll start to feel the love. Be prepared for a huge — if sometimes difficult to navigate — beer selection, a serious amount of indoor smoking (there's a deck out back … for fresh air) and a whole lot of beer lovers just like you.
This article appears in Oct 17-23, 2007.