This is finally the last entry in my St. Petersburg through Sarasota trip.  I am planning on heading over to Miami and Ft. Lauderdale in a couple of weeks, so the Wine and Dines and Pub and Grubs will have to hold you over for a while.  This week’s blog focuses on Sarasota Brewing Company.  The beers here were solid and the food was good food at a good price. However, the atmosphere was a little off for a microbrewery.  The place is sort of dark and dreary– reminding me more of a dive bar than a microbrewery.  The crowd was also a lot older than most breweries– we were by far the youngest people in the joint. Granted we did stop by on a Sunday afternoon but still it just seemed off.  The other customers didn’t appear to even be drinking the homemade brews but were sticking to the regular stuff.

The Sarasota Gold was yeasty and bready with a slight hop to the nose.  The Sequoia Amber didn’t have much nose but was a solid amber.  The Honey Mead Ale also didn’t have much nose but had a good taste of honey– a bit too sweet for me. The Ginger and Rosemary Spiced Lager was an unusual beer and to me the best.  You could smell the ginger on the nose and it tasted like fresh ginger. I really wanted a piece of sushi to try with this beer.  The Sarasota IPA had a hoppy but not piney nose as it is made with Summit hops (not my favorite hops).  There were slight sulfur undertones to this beer which I am not sure were intentional or were a flaw.  The Midnight Pass Porter had a toasty nose with a slightly burnt aftertaste making it a solid porter.  The Maibok had floral undertones with a yeasty, fermented taste and was not the best beer.

I have to say I would return to this brewery– not necessarily for the beer but for the food.  Prices were very reasonable and portions were large.  The staff was friendly and helpful, giving advice on beers as well as food.  I just have to reiterate that the atmosphere kind of threw me for a loop– not what I expect in a microbrewery.