Mike Loves Beer

I told you I would be back to remind you.  This Saturday is the 4th Annual Treasure Coast Beer Fest in Fort Pierce, FL.  To get you prepared, or push you over to the right side if you’re on the fence, I am going to list for you 5 things to look forward to at this years TCBF.

1. A Great Location – The Fort Pierce City Hall Parking Garage may not sound like the most glamorous location.  Hell Fort Pierce doesn’t sound all that enticing to many in the first place.  But trust me it works.  Rain?  No problem.  Sun beating down?  No problem again.  Being inside of the parking garage keeps you out of the elements and allows the fest to go on easily.
2. Due South Brewing – They did the cask festival in St. Pete a few months back but this is really their first fest around the home market.  The future Boynton Beach brewery will be bringing you a number of beers to sample including what they plan to have as year round brews and a couple treats.  I’ve been told to definitely try the Red Hoptober.
3. Funky Buddha Brewery – Yeah yeah.  You’ve heard me praising these guys for well over a year now.  But it’s well warranted.  You can be sure to expect a few special brews from them along with a their year round offerings.  Be sure to stop by their booth to see their time releases for the special brews.
4. Treasure Coast BrewMasters – The home brew club with the home field advantage.  These guys always bring out something awesome to taste.  Be sure to stop by and say hi but most importantly try a brew.
5. Fun – This fest back in it’s first year was my first ever beer fest.  So it holds a special place in my heart.  The organizers are great people and have done a great job in the past to make this a must attend event for beer lovers and all.  So be sure to have a good time and drink in moderation.

The fest starts at 1 pm and goes until 5 pm.  You can still purchase tickets online and at a few select locations.  Visit the ticketing page of the site for all the details.  I hope to see you there!

I like to give fair warning for some special events in South Florida and this is no exception.  On Saturday October 22nd is the 4th Annual Treasure Coast Beer Fest in Fort Pierce, FL.  I’ve been to the first two TCBFs and had a great time at each.  I unfortunately missed last year’s as I was working and getting ready for going to GABF.  This year the organizers have pushed the event back to October as not to conflict with GABF.  This year is looking to be just as great as the previous years.

There will be over 150 beers to taste from brewers all over the country.  But more importantly there will be plenty of representation from Florida at the event.  You will see Cigar City, Funky Buddha, Saint Somewhere, Florida Beer, Due South, Holy Mackerel, OBP, Inlet and more.

Tickets are $30 in advance on the website, $25 in advance at one of the ticket purchasing locations in Florida or $35 at the event itself.

So mark your calendar down for this one.  It’s going to be a great time.  I’ll remind you in a week.

For more information and to purchase tickets online visit www.treasurecoastbeerfest.com

Yesterday me and Chris along with my fellow beer blogger Danno and his wife Amy attended the first annual Treasure Coast Beer Festival in downtown Ft. Pierce, FL.  It was held in the lower floor of the newly constructed parking garage in the downtown area.  This was nice so that everyone wasn’t out in the beating sun all afternoon.  Upon paying our admission we were given our TCBF mini mugs for all our tasting needs.

We worked our way around the perimeter sampling from many of the top breweries in America that were present.  Many of these tables had actual representatives from the company there to explain the different beers that they offered for tasting.  Unfortunately some did not and were only run by volunteers but that wasn’t that big of deal.  Many of the breweries had literature on their different brews along with little pieces of swag like stickers, coasters, buttons, etc.  Two very well placed water coolers were put out to allow people to wash out their mugs in between tastings so not to contaminate the taste of each beer.

Some of the brewers that I sampled were the following: Dogfish Head, Yuengling, Sierra Nevada, Samuel Smith, Shipyard, Lagunitas, Rogue, Bell’s, Brooklyn,Terrapin.

The festival also included food provided by Hurricane Grill as well as some independent vendors.  The local PP Cobb General Store had a booth and provided $1 off coupons for when you buy a mix and match six pack.  There was a free raffle for 4 baskets of beers, which none of us won.

Overall we all had a really good time and after speaking to the even organizer hope that this does become an annual thing.  The Treasure Coast Beer Festival was well organized in a nice location and with some great breweries.  We look forward to this happening again.