Those of you who know me or follow me on Twitter know how I like to visit breweries in my travels. When I saw that Gerard Walen, aka @roadtrips4beer, wrote a book titled Florida Breweries, my antennae quickly shot up. Having been familiar with his work, both online and in Beer Advocate, I had a hunch that it’d be worth reading. Boy was I ever right!
Gerard profiles sixty six breweries / brewpubs from around the state, devoting a couple of pages to each. The book is split up into geographical sections and includes a little background on each area. He also sprinkled in some extra info about the container sizes laws in Florida, the chains, beer in the theme parks and more!
It’s obvious that a lot of time was spent in the field doing research and spending one-on-one time at the featured breweries. There is a great article about each establishment which tells not only its story but also shares some interesting facts that one might otherwise never learn. I found it interesting to learn more about the places that I frequent as well as the back stories of people that I’ve spent some time with myself.
Not only does he give the facts about each – date opened, owners, brewers, system size, production amounts, hours, parking, tours, takeout beer, etc. but he also includes a rundown of the beers that they produce. Along with that list, each brewery has one beer that he labels as “The Pick” which is their one beer that really stands out. Having tried a number of the beers listed as picks, I think he hit the nail on the head with each and wouldn’t hesitate a second to trust his choices in the places I haven’t been to.
With the distribution areas expanding quickly for many of these breweries, this book is definitely a must read for not only the diehard craft beer aficionado but also the casual beer drinker who likes to know a little about that they’re drinking.