Thursday, December 12, 2024

Brewery Review - Grove Roots Brewing Co.

The outside of the industrial looking white building of Grove Roots Brewing Co.
Grove Roots Brewing Co.




5.2 miles and 11 minutes in the car!

I’m not a LEGO guy. I have family members, many adults who are. I’ve never been to LEGOLAND Florida. Honestly, I don’t know when I would for a variety of reasons. When I did have kids that were of the prime age, well we didn’t go. This is a place for kids, and if you want to laugh Google “adults and Legoland” to see some complaints this resort isn’t catering to adults. Hey, the Dragon’s Den has local craft beer! Clearly they want to capture the adults who bring the kids.

Please don’t take this as me hating on LEGOLAND. It’s just not currently relevant to my interests. And I applaud their efforts to provide children of all abilities an accessible resort and place to play. 

The look at the stainless steel brewing equipment in the brew house.
Love That View!



As I was saying, 5.2 miles. So, let's say you have worn yourself out being surrounded by kiddos at LEGOLAND, and you find yourself needing a more adult stop, Grove Roots Brewing Co. in Winter Haven could be for you with it being just 5.2 miles from the theme park. The building is largely metal construction, think Morton Building or industrial shed. But the inside is roomy, with plenty of space for youngsters worn out from brick building without really getting in the way of adults. The space is heavily decorated with orange farming posters and memorabilia. The brewery is the creation of a local, and locals are a big part of the vibe. I could see numerous thirsty citizens drinking from their own personal mugs. It felt like there were more locals than visitors on this Saturday. We were very comfortable, and we were sipping and looking straight into the brew house, which has a lot of metal, more than I expected for a hometown brewery. 

The seating in the tap room with garage doors lookng out onto the street.
An Orange Tap Room!


So, let's talk about the beer. I only got one, there was an Imperial Stout on tap. “Nightmare Cupcake” is a big 12% ABV with no IBUs beer. It is dark and thick. The description notes a life spent in a bourbon barrel and vanilla and cocoa flavors. Honestly, I didn’t taste strong tones of vanilla or chocolate in “Nightmare Cupcake.” I found it pleasant, but more woody from the barrel than sweet. My partner in crime grabbed a peanut butter stout, “Peanut Pickers” which they found extremely pleasant. Overall, they were solid pints, the type that any local could be proud of. 

A chalice of dark Nightmare Cupcake beer.
"Nightmare Cupcake"



Who Drinks Here? Winter Haven locals, this is your spot. I’ve seen your Grove Roots’ mugs with your name on it! If you are running out to LEGOLAND, and you want a side trip, it’s worth the stop. But if you were looking to stage a brewery adventure from a city like Orlando, I don’t know if I’d spent the time and miles to only visit a fine yet local brewery that is a little out of the way.

Thursday, December 5, 2024

Beer Review - Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale



A carmel colored pint of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale being held up in The American Adventure
Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale



“I’ve never bought a beer in America before!”

My buddy was sincere. The awesome thing about Epcot’s World Showcase is there are so many food and drink options, that pints that seem familiar are ones that you can skip. And unless it’s a quick sandwich from Regal Eagle, like my buddy, I often skip over The American Adventure.

While wandering with our families, my buddy wanted a drink. At that moment, Block & Hans Fine American Ale was right beside us on the walkway in Epcot’s The American Adventure. He saw the phrase Bourbon Barrel and he wanted a try. So we each grabbed a caramel-colored draft from the list of six craft beers. Among the six there were beers like Orange Blossom Brewing’s “Orange Blossom Pilsner”, 3 Daughters Brewing’s Beach Blonde Ale, and Golden Road Brewing's’ “Mango Cart Wheat Ale” which can all generally be found in other locations within Walt Disney World. You could get a flight. But nothing here overlay screamed special beer.

Let me get back to the beer I grabbed. Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company’s “ Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale” is an 8.2% ABV and 19 IBU Strong Ale. The beer has some sweet caramelly tones from the combination of the style and the time spent aging in a bourbon barrel. The flavor is not overly strong, it does not hit you with whiskey tones. But it feels like it has been kissed lightly by time aging in a barrel after brewing. Honestly, it’s easy to drink, with the 8.2% ABV also not becoming apparent as I was willing to have another. It’s definitely better for me than a lager as the barrel and style impart just a tad more flavor.

I do chuckle. As “Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale” was over a decade for me a beer that I gave a 5 rating to on Untapped. Today, I give it a 3.0 rating. The reason today is that it is professionally made and meets my expectations of a Strong Ale. It is tasty. But it’s also not a game-changer that I would ever seek out intentionally when there are still so many great beers out in the wild. I would like to see the barrel be more pronounced to raise my rating. Just remember, your opinions can and will change.

Strong Ale is a beer that is as it says, strong. It is an ABV of more than 5%. But let’s be honest, so many craft beers are now over 5. So really you are looking at 7 to 11% ABV. A barleywine (meh) and old ale (which I more strongly equate to strong ale due to its sweetness). But a Strong Ale with some sweetness in the brew is fantastic after living in a barrel. But I really do look for the Old Ale callout to know that the beer has some sweet tones on its own.

“Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale” is a year-long beer that you will likely find in any market. Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company is a Lexington, Kentucky-based brewery and distillery that has been around for over 20 years. This brew has been sold since 2006, and in a chaotic beer market that is some staying power. Often with barrel-aged beer, the source of the barrel is a big selling point. Here, I assume they are using their own barrels from spirits that they make in-house. So no special statement is made about the barrels. I’d assume that the used barrel is from the Town Branch label that Lexington Brewing and Distilling bottles.

Who Drink This? I mean, for those who are wandering right next to Block & Hans, this is the beer I’d likely select from the list of widely available beers. But in most cases, I would keep wandering to another pavilion to try something more difficult to obtain outside of Epcot. If you want to begin to play with a barrel-aged brew, this is a good starting point. It has sweetness and it's not overwhelming in barrel character. So it’s a fine place to start. I’m a barrel-aged beer Disney adult. But for me, I want to have a more pronounced barrel character.

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Beer Review - Dufftoberfest



A plastic pint of copper colored Dufftoberfest being held in the air.
Prost to Dufftoberfest!



I’m old! I’m still on Facebook!

As an old dude, I’m in Facebook groups focused on theme parks. Suddenly in one of these groups, there was an explosion of posts, “it’s back, I can’t believe it, go now.” But it was in Springfield at Universal Studios Florida…the portion of the park that I enter the least, usually when just passing through. But everyone was raving about the winterish return of “Dufftoberfest”!

“Dufftoberfest” is another specialty beer at Universal brewed by Carib Brewery USA. It’s a Marzen, or as you might think of it Octoberfest. It’s a nice copper-colored brew with 30 IBUs and a 5.5% ABV. Honestly, it’s nice. It is a very typical Marzen flavor, slightly less malty and bready than Yuengling’s “Octoberfest” my current Marzen of choice. But it is truly brewed to style, refreshing, and has more of a flavor backbone than one would expect from a lager like “Duff which I’ve not had for several years. I think I like it a little better than Samual Adams’ current recipe. 

A partially drank plastic pint of Dufftoberfest sitting on a blue and white menu.
Dufftoberfest!


I just don’t find myself pulled into Springfield even though there are themed beers. This is likely the first time in a year that I intentionally pointed to the land of Bart Simpson, despite the “Duff” that drinkers can find everywhere. I feel like the Wizarding World of Harry Potter has both themed beers and theming that I just enjoy more.
 

Who Drinks This? If you find yourself in Springfield for a meal, you are going to need to sample a “Duff” beer. “Dufftoberest” is by my style preferences, the one I would personally select off a menu. I just don’t often find myself here but instead, head to other areas of the park. But in this case, it was enough to pull me into the land and I will admit I like it better than some of the Wizarding lighter beers. I will say it again, let’s make drinking Marzen normal all year long. And I can find myself wandering back if it’s still on tap during other times of the year.

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