For a well-spent afternoon in your own backyard, look no further than Tampa Bay Food Tours. CL previewed one of founders Kimberly McAvoy and Mari White's new walking-tour experiences, the Dunedin Craft Beer Tour, this past weekend in the heart of downtown Dunedin, where my journey starts on a warm Sunday.
The Dunedin Craft Beer Tour — whose guide for the day, Tim White, Mari's husband and a captain with Southwest Airlines, offers greetings and cold water for the adventure ahead — limits each group exploration to 12 people, as the smaller size allows for a more personal interaction with the participating breweries and brewers. It also ensures attendees don't get lost in a crowd, and that the group can fit comfortably in any brewery space along the way.
Five of Dunedin's seven breweries are featured on the tour, which truly aims to showcase the local brewing community. It's a way for residents and out-of-towners to enjoy great beer and meet the people behind their pints.
Off my group goes on a three-hour jaunt, beginning with a short stroll to the first stop. A generous list of brews is available at Dunedin House of Beer, but the selections offered by HOB Brewing Company are too tempting to pass up. With two to choose, I select the Peanut Butter Blonde and Mango Hefeweizen. The mango hefe, which is very refreshing, has an nice balance of mango, while the peanut butter blonde ale is best served with a touch of framboise to create the house special of peanut butter and jelly. Samples in hand, we're then treated to a quick tour of the brewery's 30-barrel system. This is where our first lesson in the beer-making begins: mash ingredients.
On the way to the second location, McAvoy tells us to keep an eye out for the Dunedin Oranges. No, it's not a minor-league team — rather an example of small-town artistry. What began as an anonymous, friendly act by local artists led to neighborhood businesses requesting to be tagged with their wonderful citrus drawings. Now, downtown has oranges hidden all over to discover. So, yeah, these walking tours are even served up with a side of games.
Cueni Brewing Co., a 9-month-old establishment nestled adjacent to the Pinellas Trail, is up next. Owner-brewer Jon Cueni is an Ohio native who found Dunedin after an extensive search.
"I lucked out with the space," Cueni said, "but it ended up being the perfect community to open a brewery."
He presents a trio of favorites in the form of Blonde… Jon's Blonde, McGrady the Mild and Redheaded Stepchild. While they're delightful brews in their own right, I find myself looking forward to the new projects ahead, including the McGrady the Mild infused with snickers bars. I'm definitely coming back for that.
This stop includes the first round of food, a picnic basket delivery from Sandpiper Cafe, provided by the Dunedin Craft Beer Tour. As we chow down on Cuban sandwiches, Tim continues to break down the brewing process with a second lesson: the boil.
After lunch, it's back on the Pinellas Trail toward popular 7venth Sun Brewery, and someone finds an orange along the way. Here, my samples of choice are clear — Graffiti Orange Creamsicle Wheat and Gin Barrel-Aged Kolsch, which is especially pleasing. Barrel aging mellows the brew, but also imparts lovely gin notes. Our captain goes on to tell the story of hops and the birth of the IPA.
Soggy Bottom Brewing Co. is our next destination, and the youngest operation on the tour. A Long Summer Walk, the brewery's blackberry wheat, seams appropriate for the occasion. Co-owner and brewer Cary Lamb recommends German Kracker, a tupelo honey kolsch. Adding a depth of sweetness to the beer, the honey comes with a great story, too, as some CL readers might remember. When the Soggy Bottom crew first brewed their kolsch-style recipe, bees arrived in droves to check out the source of the fresh nectar.
The tour's fifth stop — look, an orange! — is Caledonia Brewing, inspired by the city's Celtic roots. The young brewery looked to history for its name (Caledonia is the Roman name for the land that is Scotland), its property (the old Dunedin Times building), and to... unicorns. Pondering which unicorn tap handles to go with, I decide on Scream Cream Ale, Thrill Kill Kolsch and Ooh La La Saison, a more sophisticated take on the classic farmhouse ale.
As a final treat, The Dunedin Smokehouse delivers brisket sandwiches with house-made apple slaw to Caledonia, and Tim touches on our last lesson in brewing: fermentation. This is where the magic happens.
Tampa Bay Food Tours, including both the Dunedin Craft Beer Tour and the restaurant-forward Dunedin Food and Craft Beer Tour, kick off Sept. 2 on Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets, which cost $65, can be purchased online. Friday tours are set to follow soon after on Sept. 15.
The founders expect to bring their next neighborhood jaunts to St. Petersburg's EDGE and Grand Central districts, as well as The Heights in Tampa, sometime in October.
