I don’t know what I expected from 3 Daughters Brewing but I was pleasantly surprised.  The selection of beers here was fantastic with something for everyone.  The tasting room was cozy and stylish.  The staff was friendly and pleasant.  Customers were lively and engaging.  This was a solid beer experience!

I started with the Beach Blonde Ale which was really not my favorite of the beers here.  I got a bit of a strange aftertaste that I would consider a flaw for the type of beer.  Of course, I am not much of a fan of blondes so maybe I am not best to judge.  However, I would probably skip this one if I went back.

The Pale Ale, on the other hand, was a solid pale ale with a slightly bitter taste and hint of hops on both the nose and palate.

I was most surprised by the Brown Pelican Dunkel.  I am not a fan of dunkelweizens as I prefer their lighter cousins, the hefeweizen.  This dunkelweizen had a nice toasty nose  with good herbal taste.  I would recommend this one as it was probably my favorite beer here.

The Summer Storm Oatmeal Stout was another solid beer with a hint of chocolate on the nose and good taste of roasted malt.  Mouth feel on this was also good.

Red Mesa was a special beer for Cinco de Mayo.  A red ale with a hint of lime flavor to the hops, it would make a good accompaniment to Mexican food and a good alternative to some of those mass produced Mexican beers (yeah you know that ones I am talking about).

The Belgium Strong was a well balanced Belgium beer with good hints of herbs.

The IPA was interesting in that I didn’t get much hops on the nose but really got a good hoppy, piney taste.

Looper was a cask porter that was also another solid beer having a hint of coffee on the palate.

The Barrel Age Porter gave a great nose of whiskey with an oak and toast taste.

The Imperial Stout gave the impression of sweet on the tongue but had a great stout nose.

Finally, the Breakfast Beer Stout was very unusual tasting bacon and coffee; however, I didn’t really get the boldness of a stout but would have considered it closer to a porter.

For only being open 4 months, 3 Daughters is doing a fantastic job.  They are already available at establishments in 9 counties.  Why? Because this is good solid beer.  St. Petersburg’s beer reputation is well intact with this brewery around!

Motorworks Brewing in Bradenton is definitely worth a stop.  The beer selection is great, the food is good, and the staff is friendly. When we visited, they only had 4 beers of their own on draft but a good selection of other craft brews on other taps.  A food truck provides food and the Portobello mushroom wrap was fantastic.

The first beer we tried was the Motorworks Kolsch style.  This was an acceptable Kolsch but I got a little bit of skunk on the finish. Not being a huge fan of Kolsch, this wasn’t my favorite of their beers.  It did have a good wheaty nose and finish. The beer was definitely the lightest of the lot and would have a large appeal, especially to those who are fans or traditional American lagers.

The coffee porter was quite good.  The nose and finish were both of fresh ground coffee which gave the beer a fresh appeal.  The coffee lingers on the palate and would be great for a little hair of the dog after a night of drinking.

The Scotch Ale was worth the stop at Motorworks. I am generally not a fan of Scotch Ale but I found this one quite appealing.  This beer seemed to be almost a mix of a Scotch Ale and a Scottish Ale embracing the best of both.  The nose had a great malty aroma with a slight hint of hops while the finish had a slightly burnt, toasty taste.  The alcohol content at 7.3% also made this a more drinkable beer than many Scotch Ales.

Finally, the Cascade IPA was a good solid IPA with a milder hop flavor than many American IPAs made from Cascade hops.  The hops  are evident on the nose and palate without the overwhelming piney taste and aroma. This is a good balanced IPA that would be easy drinking and a great way to introduce a newbie to the world of the IPA.

Without 30 beers on draft, there is a great selection here of not only their beer but others.  I had to try the Birrificio del Ducato Brett Peat Daydream which is a combination of three different beers–  a Barley Wine Style Ale, a Marzen with part aged in Scotch Whiskey barrels and a Brett Ale containing Brettanomyces. Although classified as a sour wild ale, I didn’t find this on the sour side but thought  it was a very drinkable beer in which you could get a sense of toasty malts, whiskey and a hint of sour.  I might have to see if this is available locally.  Another of my favorites was also on draft, Old Rasputin Imperial Stout from North Coast Brewing Company.  This is one of my favorite stouts and reminds me of an adult chocolate milk– a must try if you have never had it.

After visiting here, I really wished we had somewhere local that offered the combination of cheap but good food, friendly staff, and large beer selection with a neighborhood feel.  Although some local joints might compare, there was really something unique here. Definitely worth a stop next time I am headed through Bradenton!

 

Since this article didn’t make it into Coastal Life, I am posting it here.

On Saturday, March 29, the First Annual Clues and Brewz fundraising event to benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Lee County was held at Gulf Coast Town Center. The event was sponsored by The House of Brewz  and featured a scavenger hunt followed by a craft beer festival.   The money raised goes to help NAMI  Lee County provide free support, education and training to those with mental illness and their families.  NAMI Lee County also provides crisis intervention training to law enforcement and first responders to help them interact with individuals with mental illness. 

 

The scavenger hunt took place in the morning from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm.  Participants were given clue books to find certain locations or perform certain tasks in Gulf Coast Town Center.  Executive Director, Vacharee Howard, said that many participants were so excited by the hunt, they wanted to do it again.  

 

The craft beer festival  took place after the scavenger hunt. The idea for this part of the event grew out of Howard’s husband’s love of home brewing.   Unlike other craft beer festivals in the area, the Clues and Brewz highlighted local Southwest Florida breweries and showcased our growing craft beer culture.    The event featured several local breweries  that have recently opened or are planning on opening in Southwest Florida within the next few months.  Local distributors also brought beers from Sarasota, Orlando, and Tampa area breweries.    

 

Howard said she really appreciated the support that NAMI Lee County received from the local beer community. She pointed out that  many of the brewery owners were in attendance to pour their beers and that really showed their commitment to helping combat mental illness in Lee County.

 

Bonita Springs’ new brewery Momentum was in attendance with three of their brews: Dress Down Nut Brown, Ride It Like You Stole It Stout, and Knee High IPA.  Momentum hopes to have their brewery off Bonita Beach Road open in the summer. 

 

 Fort Myers Brewery, which recently had its one year anniversary, featured a hefeweizen and their High 5 IPA.  Their tasting room is open Thursdays through Sunday (check website for hours)  and is located off Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers. 

 

Point Ybel brewery also attended with a black IPA, Black Mangrove, and their Snakebite IPA.  Point Ybel is open 7 days a week (check website for hours) and is located off of San Carlos Blvd north of Fort Myers Beach.

 

Among those in attendance opening later this summer were Old Soul Brewing, to be located at US 41 and Boy Scout Drive, and Bury Me Brewing, which will be located in The House of Brewz.  Bury Me Brewing hopes to be brewing by June and to provide 10 locally brewed beers on draft.  Bury Me Brewing has some creative names including From My Cold Dead Hands IPA and Dirt Nap Honey Brown.

 

Noticeably absent was Naples Beach Brewery located off of Enterprise Avenue in Naples.  Naples Beach Brewery is open for tastings Fridays and Saturdays (check website for hours) and brews are carried in several local establishments.  Fat Point Brewery in Punta Gorda was also not in attendance, although they  attended the last Hammond Stadium Festival of Beers.   Gulf Coast Town Center will also soon feature a BJ’s Brewhouse, which will offer its own line of beers.

 

Despite the possibility of inclement weather, 165 people attended the event.  Howard states that the event was so well received they have already started planning for the Second Annual Clues and Brewz. For more information about NAMI Lee County, visit their website at www.namilee.org or phone 239-337-9024.

 

Local Breweries

Momentum (to open summer 2014) 9786 Bonita Beach Rd, SE, Ste. 1-2, Bonita Springs, FL 34135, www.momentumbrewhouse.com

 

Fort Myers Brewing Company, 12811 Commerce Lakes Dr, #28, Fort Myers, FL 33913, open Thursdays through Sundays

 

Point Ybel  Brewing Company, 16120 San Carlos Blvd, #4, Fort Myers, FL 33908, open 7 days a week, www.pointybelbrew.com

 

Bury Me Brewing (opening summer 2014), located in The House of Brewz, 10045 Gulf Center Drive, E110, Fort Myers, FL 33913, www.burymebrewing.com

 

Old Soul Brewing (opening summer 2014), 10970 S. Cleveland Ave, #402, Fort Myers, FL 33907

 

Naples Beach Brewery, 4110 Enterprise Ave, Ste. 217, Naples, FL 34104, open Fridays and Saturdays, www.naplesbeachbrewery.com

 

Fat Point Brewery (unknown open date), 611 Charlotte St, Punta Gorda, FL 33950

Well I wish I lived in the northern part of Fort Lauderdale so Funky Buddha could become my new hangout. I was really impressed with the time and thought put not only into the beers, but into the tasting room. The majority of brewery tasting rooms have a kind of thrown together look that often brings to mind the brewmaster’s basement.  Comfort or class often seem to be secondary to the beer, which is OK. However, to attract a non-craft beer aficionado, you might need to add some style.  The Funky Buddha’s tasting room is spectacular with a huge bar, warm wood tones, lots of tables, comfortable seating areas, and accents that highlight the breweries name, like Buddha water fountains and trendy Pier One style decorations.

Not to harp too much on the tasting room, the beers are very good here too.  The Floridian Hefeweizen was very light and refreshing with traditional hints of clove and banana.  I had to go for a whole pint of this one as I am starting to rekindle my taste for hefeweizens.  The Crusher Session IPA was a low to medium hopped beer that would be great for someone who wants some hops but is not a true “hop head.”  The Missionary Blonde was not my favorite as it had a little bit of an aftertaste that reminded me of tar.  The Hop Gun IPA was similar to the Crusher Session in taste but had a bit more alcohol content and a more amber color. The Red Dawn Ale was OK according to my husband because as everyone knows I am not a fan of reds.  The taste reminded me a bit more of brown ale than a red and had a hint of spice reminiscent of nutmeg.  The OP Porter was a good solid porter and would be great if we ever had a cold night. The Combat Rock Amber was very mild and reminded me a bit of Killian’s red.  The most surprising beer of the evening was Fire in the Hole, a raspberry Habanero brew.  I personally would have never though that raspberries and Habaneros would go together, and I certainly wouldn’t think they would mix well in a beer.  However, I actually quite enjoyed this beer.  The raspberry and Habanero were both very evident on the nose and in the taste.  The Habanero imparted a short burn on the back of the throat that was not overpowering.  I don’t think it is a beer that I could drink more than a few ounces of– but it was a great and unique taste sensation.

Next time I am headed over to Fort Lauderdale. I am definitely going to make another stop at Funky Buddha!