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/

Name

My brother can be quite the sucker for beers that are a novelty or have some sort of gimmicky name or label.  Sometimes he finds some hits like Skull Splitter but a lot of times is a miss.  I try not to buy into the novelties but sometimes I stumble.

I found myself buying into a novelty when I bought the Magic Hat Night of the Living Dead variety pack.  I was just strolling down the beer aisle in Publix while getting some dinner when I saw it.  With George Romero’s original zombie classic stamped on the case I was hooked.

People tend to be downers on Magic Hat saying they make less than stellar beers.  I like to think that they make great gateway beers.  They may not be as big and bold for a regular craft drinker but they are different enough from your everyday swill to maybe catch a few macro converts.

Today’s review is on the Odd Notion from this pack.  The Odd Notion beer is only available in the variety packs and it’s recipe changes each season.  This one is being called a Green Apple Wit.

It pours into my pint glass an amazingly clear golden yellow color.  A nice looking white head tops off the brew but is gone pretty quickly.

In the nose I am definitely getting granny smith apples in there.  There is also a very sweet bubble gum scent I am getting.  A definite yeast quality can also be smelt in here as well.

On the first sip I am hit with the yeast taste immediately.  It also seems to stay with you throughout the taste.  It then has an apple taste to it as well and then there is really nothing.  The flavors come and go pretty quickly.

The body of this is quite light and it is crisp and refreshing.  I’m guessing their idea here was to go with something apple like without making a cider for the fall.

All in all I think it was an interesting concept for a beer but the hit and run of the flavor just leaves with a whole lot to be desired.  I guess it is an acceptable session beer at 4.5% and the ladies might like it as well.  It just wasn’t really my cup of apple cider.

Grade - C

Beerfests can be a lot of fun for many reasons.  Number one of course is the ability to try a bunch of beers for one price.  But sometimes good times can come at fests for other reasons.  And the New Times Beerfest definitely brought some of those.  Some of us in South Florida are a little spoiled by how awesome the Jupiter festivals each year are that some others just don’t stack up.  I will definitely admit that I can be that way at times but then actually being at the event changes things then.

Thanks to the awesome folks at Fresh Beer, the number one craft beer distributor in South Florida, I was asked if I would like to volunteer and pour beer.  Of course I said yes as I had a great time with them helping at the Best Damn Brew Review in February.  I helped pour Avery beers most of the night in the VIP section featuring India Pale Ale, White Rascal and the Reverend.  Fresh also brought a respectable line up from Flying Dog, Shipyard/Sea Dog, Magic Hat, Summit and some great Florida brewed beers in Monk in a Trunk, Holy Mackerel and Native.  I helped set things up and had some time to walk around before the VIP section opened up.

The star of the festival beer wise was definitely the Funky Buddha Lounge and Brewery out of Boca Raton.  They had their Kolsch, Porter and IPA on tap there and all three were very good.  The Kolsch is going to be a favorite when the hot, humid summer hits us all.  The IPA uses 6 different hops in it and continuously hopped for the entire 60 minute boil.  You would think this is a big bitter bomb right?  Well now I get to tell you that you are wrong with that assumption.  There is a really nice balance of hops and malts in this sucker and it is so easy to drink.  It was definitely my favorite of the bunch.

If you paid the $70 to get into the VIP section you were treated to a number of beers, food and liquor that you could not get in the general admission area of the festival.  You also got air conditioning and nice bathrooms as the VIP section was held inside the Museum of Discovery and Science.  The set up was kind of odd just seeing all these booths set up around museum exhibits but it worked.  And outside on the balcony of the museum was the best food vendor there, Charm City Burgers.  They served up some sliders of their increasingly popular burgers along with some wings.  The burgers were outstanding to say the least.  I definitely have to make the trip down to Deerfield Beach to visit the location.  And I demand you to go as well if you live in Palm Beach or Broward counties.

Now besides the offerings from Fresh Beer, Funky Buddha and BX Beer Depot the selection was pretty macro.  Brooklyn and He’Brew were there but didn’t have any of their top stuff.  It was just the basics for them.  So how does one keep entertained after you have had the good beers and good food and not want to leave?  You people watch my friends.  And pouring beer at the festival you get to see them all.  Watching a person go from sober to drunk is quite a site.  Their eyelids become heavy, their steps are not as coordinated and their speech becomes slurred to non-existent.  And if I had a nickel for every time someone asked for the “lightest thing you got” or “whatever has the most alcohol in it” then I would have…..well a lot of nickels.  And because of the later statement we had to hold back and stagger opening bottles of the Reverend because a lot people didn’t enjoy it but just wanted the big ABV beer.  The part if found funniest of them all were the people that came back to the table multiple times and had no idea each time what we had.  It was as if it was their first time at the table.

So all in all I think it was a good night.  I got to have some good beers, eat some good food and watch people get drunk and make fools of themselves.  I think this is comparable to any night out for dinner, a movie and drinks.  I have to once again thank all the great people at Fresh Beer for asking me to help out.  They are such awesome people and they truly love craft beer.  They are helping make South Florida a better place for good beer everyday.  It was also great to hang out with good friends Phil and Kelly from Dos Beerigos and Brian and Vanessa.  A brief cameo of Dori, writer of Fat Kids Club, was also great but far too short.  So always make the best of every situation you are in and have a good time.  Even if it is at the expensive of watching others be drunken messes.