Local Beer Year – January
I set out to consume only local beer in 2015, and after one month, it has been a fun challenge.
I'd been considering the idea for most of the fall and only decided to commit to it on New Year's Eve. I wrote a quick blog about the attempt on my company's website here:
http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/blog/2014/12/2015-the-year-of-local-beer.html
I expected some of the bigger challenges I would face would be things like access to variety and options at events like stadiums and concerts.
Variety has not been an issue so far. Here in Tampa, I easily can get canned beer from three local breweries and bottled beer from two others. There is plenty of variety (although we had a recipe last week that called for a stout and i couldn't easily get one so I bought a Guinness for the pot roast).
The issue I didn't expect was turning down free ones. Fewer than 12 hours into New Years Day, I was at a tailgate for the Outback Bowl and had to turn down a Rolling Rock.
I have met dudes who say they wouldn't drink a cheap beer under any circumstances. I am not that kind of guy. Do those guys turn down free ones? That just felt unnatural to me.
I spent a large part of the game looking for local suds. One place on the concourse had options from Tampa Bay Brewing Co., so I drank Reef Donkey – which is wonderful.
I also went to a Lightning game this month. The World of Beer at the stadium had two options from Cigar City Brewing. I had one Jai Alai (that's about as much as I can ever drink of Jai Alai for some reason).
It's a big change to drink heavy sipping beers at sporting events where you are accustomed to drinking cheap gulping beers.
Today is the Gasparilla day parade and will present some new challenges, too. Taking Cigar City's Invasion Pale Ale with me. So, the month will begin and end with an event challenge.
Did I "cheat" yet? I had the shot and a beer special at Gaspar's Grotto in Ybor. The beer in that special is PBR, probably, but it was only 10 oz.
Thanks for following along.
