For a few months I have been told that next time I head up to the Martin County area I have to check out A Picky Gourmet in Jensen Beach.  I was told they had a nice selection of bottles to go with their gourmet food in this small store.  Well needless to say I didn’t get a chance to head up there through much of the times told.  But a few weeks ago I was told that they had moved into a bigger space in their plaza and had actually expanded into a bar as well and adding the name The House of Brews to the establishment.

Being off this past Friday I took the opportunity to finally head up and visit.  The plaza they are in is really small and looks rather new to boot.  Less than a mile from the Treasure Coast Square Mall it is pretty easy to find just east of US 1 off Jensen Beach Blvd.  Inside is a very nice and clean space.  Gourmet foods to the right (with a killer hot sauce selection) and bottled beer to the left.  And right in front of you a good sized bar that looks like it can seat probably 12 – 15 people.  There we 12 taps and I was happy to see that 11 of them were Florida breweries with beers from Cigar City, Tequesta, Swamp Head and Dunedin.

Brent, the owner, is a great guy with a great vision in the place.  They offer half and even quarter pints of the draft beers so that you can try to sample a number of the offerings.  An awesome complimentary snack mix (more bars need this).  They plan to have growlers shortly and even want to have home brewing supplies in the future as well.

So if you find yourself in northern Martin County or southern St. Lucie County you really have to stop by The House of Brews/A Picky Gourmet.  Have a few beers, hang out and then peruse the bottle section for something to take home.  I have a feeling it won’t be long before this hidden gem is well known and becomes a go to beer spot on the Treasure Coast.

The House of Brews/A Picky Gourmet
3311 NW Main Ave.
Jensen Beach, FL 34957
http://www.thehouseofbrews.com/

We sat at the bar and took a look at their chalkboard lists.  About 12 beers on tap and a helluva lot of bottles.  Some cool things graced the taps including Cigar City Marshal Zhukov, Tequesta Oaked Wee Heavy and Dogfish Head Chateau Jiahu.  I went for the Oaked Wee Heavy while Melinda had the Chateau Jiahu.

We enjoyed sitting at the bar with a few locals and another couple that was visiting.  A lot of cool artwork on the walls including many Star Wars centric pieces (big plus in my book).  Then we spotted something on the chalkboard called an Angry Munchkin.  We inquired with the bartender as to what it was and she informed us it is a shot of sake dropped into Magic Hat #9.  Melinda being slightly more daring than I decided to try it.  In her words it was “interesting.”

We had a couple more before heading out to get some food.  They don’t server food but allow you to bring in your own food or order delivery from any local establishments.  We saw someone eating a massive burrito and asked where it was from.  So we went to Amigos to enjoy a burrito.

Their pricing was on point for the most part.  A couple things were more expensive than normal but they did put some beers in pint glasses that normally aren’t in them.  So you got more of it.  So in that case I can understand the tad extra.

We enjoyed it enough to go back the following afternoon as well and enjoy a few more.  I would have to say it was my favorite beer spot of the vacation.  Great setting, laid back atmosphere and good beers on tap.  A must see in Key West.

The Porch
429 Caroline Street
Key West, FL 33040
http://www.theporchkw.com/

In a old Florida style house just off Duval Street (as the name mentions) on Southard Street, Krawl was the first craft beer spot we hit as it was closest to where we were staying.  The small place has a few tables with about 8 – 10 spots at the bar.  Overhead are a number of tap handles on display in a unique way I’ve never seen.  They were all upside down.

They have 26 taps with a large number of Florida beers on tap.  The day we went in they had around 9 Florida beers on tap ranging from Tequesta to Holy Mackerel to Native stuff.  They also have around 50 bottles as well.

We apparently were just a bit early for happy hour on our first beer but on our next we were given a poker chip that is good for our next beer.

Andy the bartender was extremely nice and chatted it up with us.  We also got to speak with one of the owners, Peter, as well and he too was quite personable.  Andy even gave us $1 off each beer for what it said “Local” despite he knew we were not locals.

Now I do have two gripes with the place.  First is their choice of stools.  They are the backless variety and these are just no good on my back.  I have to constantly lean forward and this over time adds a lot of stress on my back and it begins hurting.  I much prefer the chairs with backs on them so that I can lean back.

The second is that they were slightly expensive on certain products.  A Bell’s Two Hearted Ale on tap was $9!  Same with Melinda’s Unibroue Ephemere.  I mean we knew we were in Key West but those prices are not reasonable in any town.  But a couple of our other beers seemed more on point.  I don’t know.

Overall we enjoyed Krawl Off Duval.  We went back the next day for happy hour and had a couple more beers.  The staff is nice, the setting is great.  They just need to check on the pricing of some of their stuff.  I don’t expect to pay a 120 Minute IPA price on a normal easy to find IPA.  But I definitely recommend checking them out if you are in Key West.

Krawl Off Duval
506 Southard Street
Key West, FL 33040
305-735-4146