Key West baby - The Waterfront Brewery

OK, if you are ever in Key West - you need to check out The Waterfront Brewery.  Even if you are not a craft beer fan - this place has something for everyone.  First of all, they are located in a prime location.  They are located at the north side of the island and 2 blocks from Duval Street, right next to the Ferry Dock, marina and other popular restaurants.

This place is huge.  When you walk in, it's very spacious and pretty cool to see all of the brewing equipment behind a glass window.  I also noticed a bunch of tables and chairs inside this glass room and which I assume is where they can hold private events.

They also have numerous pool tables, an air hockey table, skeeball and other video games.  There's a large projection screen - one of the largest I've seen.  We asked to be seated in the back of the brewery where there was a row of booths literally right next to the dock with a perfect water view. They had 8 beers of their own and a bunch of other local brews.  We ordered 2 flights, which came with 4 beers each.

The beer was good - I would say much better than average.  We were a bit disappointed because they ran out of one of the beers we were really interested in trying - a chocolate peanut butter porter.  But the other ones were pretty decent.  My favorites were The Truman (their double IPA) and the Key Lime WitNess, which had a great key lime flavor.  Our waiter/bartender told us that their head brew master came from Cigar City (in Tampa, FL) which explains why the beer was so good.  Also, he told us next time we come back, we would need to check out their burgers, which he claimed were about a pound of meat and would keep you full for 24 hours.




I would definitely come back to The Waterfront Brewery, especially to try their food.  I just hope they have enough capital to stay open and make a decent profit.  Key West is very competitive when it comes to restaurants.  Even though they've been open for 5 months, they don't have a strong webpage and rely on their Facebook page to promote themselves.  According to TripAdvisor, many people complain about the poor service.  This wasn't the case in my experience, but I'm sure the majority of their customers are tourists and tourists rely heavily on TripAdvisor and the restaurant's website itself to decide how to spend their money.  Even though The Waterfront Brewery is the only primary brewery in Key West, they still need to promote, promote, promote and in order to differentiate themselves.

You can't beat this view!!!

Brewery hoppin in the Florida Keys

So as I'm sure everyone is aware based upon my multiple check ins and photo uploads on my personal Facebook page - I am officially on vacation.  Which means I can check out some breweries!  It just so happens we planed an "explore" day in Islamorada (correctly pronounced Eye-La-Moore-A-Da)...not, as my aunt likes to call it, "I-Slam-A-Door-A".  Islamorada is located in the Florida Keys and only about an hour and a half drive from Miami.  Also, it's where the show "Bloodline" on Netflix is filmed.  It just so happens they have 2 breweries - The Florida Keys Brewing Co and  the Islamorada Beer Company.

If you are ever in the area - it's best to go to both of them, they are less than a mile away from each other.  We started at The Florida Keys Brewing Co.  I loved this place.  It was nestled back from the main road in a row of warehouse space (didn't know such thing existed in the Keys).

It was open and airy with plenty of seats.  Speaking of the seats, each table was very bright and colorful and almost looked like a work of art.

You can either get a flight of five or sample all 10 of their brews. We asked for all 10 and they came on a nice round, lazy susan type of tray.  They were numbered the tray even spun around.  I've never seen anything like it at a brewery, and it sure made sampling a bit more convenient.  For the non-beer drinkers in my group (my husband and my mother), there was plenty of other options for them as well.  My mother was able to order a pineapple cider.  Also, there was a corner with a bunch of old-style games which kept everyone entertained as my father and I sampled the 10 brews.

As far as the beer itself - I would say it's about average.  The lightest, the Flakeys Key Lime Witbier sounded amazing, but fell flat in taste.  Their Kritter IPA was the best, but still not up to the standard of a good IPA.  What makes this place special is their outdoor seating, charm, and variety of things to do for the beer and the non-beer drinkers.  Also, it was very dog friendly - we saw 2 dogs sitting with their owners inside at the bar.

We then headed over to the Islamorada Beer Company.  This place is right off of the main highway in a very bright yellow building.  It's a bit bigger inside than The Florida Keys Brewing Co and has the distinct brewery smell when you walk in.  We were looking forward to sitting outside; however the back exit door was locked (somewhat concerning), so we settled on a table near the front window.  

After the bartender poured our sampler, she shared with us her card and said she is also a private stand up paddle board yoga instructor.  Good to know.  Welcome to the Keys.  The Islamorada Beer Company had 6 beers on tap.  All of the brews were very light, but more flavorful than the previous brewery.  These brews would be perfect to take out on the beach or fishing.  Nothing really stood out as the "wow" factor.  In fact, one of the brews was simply a combination of the first two, so really they only had 5.


They did sell small snack items, including pre-packaged Boars Head meat and cheese packets as well as flavored popcorn.  It seemed a bit touristy with a gift shop in the bar.  Interesting.

On the way out, we saw that they had a sandy volleyball court in the back of the building.  Both breweries had their strengths; neither of which was the beer itself.  However, you can't beat being on vacation in The Keys and spending some quality time enjoying the scenery and ambiance of a brewery.  If I could pick a "winner", it would be The Florida Keys Brewing Co. because of the variety of beer, variety of things to do and overall charm.

Bluejacket

Back to DC we go to explore some good brews.  I've been to Bluejacket twice now and I highly suggest checking this place out.  First of all, its close to the Nationals Stadium - so perfect place to enjoy some unique brews before (or after) the game.  I'm not a big fan of driving in DC; however, there is some easy parking within a block or so from Bluejacket.

One this occasion, I went to Bluejacket with my parents.  I do highly suggest having a reservation if you come here during peak dining hours.  We came on a whim right around lunch time and grabbed one of the last booths in the bar area.  Bluejacket is in what was once an old factory near the Navy Yard.  The building itself is over a century old.  The entire area has been revitalized so it has a pretty cool feel to it.  Inside, its very open with high ceilings, multiple stories and you can see all of the brewery equipment.

I love natural light, especially in the winter when you can't sit outside.  There is outdoor seating and it is a very dog friendly neighborhood, so I can't wait to return when the weather warms up.

As far as the beer itself - it's awesome.   A lot of unique flavors and many are on nitro.  This is also one of the few breweries which tells you on the menu the specific temperature of which your beer will be served.  This is a huge part of the overall taste of the brew - too cold and it looses it's flavor.  So many breweries make this mistake and it can really impact the taste.








You can order tasters of each brew and pay per taster.  The food is also very enjoyable, They do not have an extensive menu (at least not for lunch), but the food is quality.  We ordered the pickle board, which had a variety of pickled veggies

The crowd was a mix of young and old.  I saw many people even bring their kids -it's fairly kid friendly, especially in the dining area.

I would definitely go back to Bluejacket.  The claim they rotate their beers often, although it had been 6 months since I've last gone and many of the same ones were still on the menu.

Overall, a must go if you are ever in the DC area.

Cheers!

Cheese + Beer = Shaw Brew Pub

My husband and I joined our fellow brew hoppers last week to visit the Shaw Brew Pub in Washington DC.  Shaw Brew Pub is a smaller brew house which features brews from Right Proper Brewing Company.  We had a great time; this is definitely a place to check out.  There is plenty of outdoor seating with some rustic picnic tables which will be perfect once the weather warms up.

Shaw Brew Pub seems to differentiate itself from other brew houses by not only offering a great selection of brews and food, but also having a pretty impressive cheese selection.  I was surprised not to find that highlighted on their website (maybe it's a new offering).  They have a cheese counter and an entire cheese menu to order from.

Let's face it, cheese is awesome, especially with beer, and the beer was good - definitely worth trying.  My only complaint/recommendation is the fact that they do not offer beer flights.  I'm a huge fan of beer flights.  First of all, I like to try everything and the only way I can physically do that is to drink 4-6 oz small glass of each brew.  Additionally, I don't like committing to an entire beer if I'm not 100% certain I will enjoy it.  Luckily, they do offer the ability for a customer to taste the brew before ordering.  I ended up ordering the Range Life which is a hop-focused, wheat beer (5.7% abv)  It was extremely flavorful.  My friend ordered the No Depression, which is described as a country alt (5.5% abv).

Another aspect is that the Shaw Brew Pub seems to be kid-friendly.  Maybe it was because it was a Sunday afternoon - but there was a small group of parents in a far corner celebrating their child's birthday.  Interesting.  Also, I'm sure when the weather turns and people sit outside, it seems like a place which might even be dog friendly in their outdoor seating area.  

One last (but most definitely not least) highlight to mention was the food selection.  In my opinion, this is the kind of place that you should offer multiple appetizers to share.  "Sharesies" is what they refer to on their menu.  We wanted every single one of them.  We ended up ordering the brussel sprouts with a sticky sweet tai sauce (and topped with crushed peanuts and scallions) as well as the smoked salmon mousse with house made pickles.  Amazing.  

     

Welcome!

Hi – and welcome to my blog.  My name is Mandy and I decided to create this blog to share my brewery experiences.  The craft beer and brewery industry is growing like crazy.  There are currently over 3,400 breweries in the US.  I love exploring new places, tasting different beer and taking in the ambiance of a good brewery.  It can be overwhelming trying to decide what new brewery to explore and what new beer to try.  There are some great resources that rate beer and breweries with a numeric system like BeerAdvocate.com, UnTappd and CraftBeer.com. 

However besides local blogs, I haven’t found a resource that gives me a complete understanding around which breweries are better than others.  And what constitutes a “better brewery”?  Is it strictly the beer itself?  The variety?  The ambiance?  What about food, is that important?  Which breweries are “children friendly”?  I hope to address these questions with each review in my blog.  I also look forward to sharing my discoveries some great breweries for you to check out.  As always, if you drink, please make sure you have a designated driver.

So feel free to read my reviews and what’s worth checking out in your local area.  I live in Columbia, MD which is right between Baltimore and Washington DC.  The majority of my reviews will come from this local area; however as I travel, I always enjoy checking out what’s around me and I’ll be sure to share all of my brewery experiences.

Please feel free to comment and ask questions, I love interaction and welcome everyone’s opinion.