The Tipsy Boar

Hey all,

So my girlfriend and I were looking for a place after valentine's day to grab a drink and some good food.  We went to "The Tipsy Boar" in downtown Hollywood, FL.  It is right by the other place I previously blogged about, "The Greek Joint".  We were craving a beer and a bacon burger to be specific and we heard this place has good craft beers and awesome burgers.

Beers on tap at The Tipsy Boar

We went there on Saturday, 2-15-14, and sat at the bar.  It was somewhat busy but we found a couple seats right away.  They had over 40 craft beers on tap and all were written on a chalk board style menu in front of the bar.  I recognized many of the beers such as Cigar City Brewing (CCB) and many others. The menu was also very detailed and all their choices sounded delicious.  Since we had a burger craving, we decided to order their "Millionaire Bacon Burger".  It was one of their specialties along with Pizza.  I ordered CCB "Cubano Espresso" to drink and it is a coffee porter with a strong coffee flavor.  My girlfriend ordered "South Hampton Abbot" beer which I had before and she enjoyed it.  

The bacon burger came out within 15 minutes of ordering it and was extremely tasty.  It definitely satisfied our craving!  We ended up having just the beer and burger, but they do have many other foods such as pizza, steak, seafood, salad, and many bar bites.  They have about 12-15 TV's in there and the atmosphere seemed really "chill".  The pricing was a little higher than some other places with craft beer ranging from $6-$9 for a glass and the burger was $14.  I think it was worth it though, as we both loved our experience. We will definitely be back to "The Tipsy Boar" soon.  

The Greek Joint

Hey friends,

So over the weekend my girlfriend and I went to "The Greek Joint" in downtown Hollywood, FL.  It was located on the busy strip there right by Young Circle.  It is not too far from "Hollywood Organic Brewery" which I blogged about previously.  

The name of the location has changed a few times over the years but this last change was a relocation of a former business.  "The Greek Joint" was previously on Harrison Street in downtown Hollywood, FL, which is just one block away.

The Greek Joint Logo

They primarily had focused on their Greek style food and did not really have a bar.  We were there before and enjoyed our food every time we had gone.  Since they relocated, their main focus is on the bar with numerous craft beers on tap featuring many local breweries such as "Cigar City Brewing" (CCB) and "Wynwood Brewery" and they were in the process of acquiring beers from "Funky Buddha Brewery".  Click here to read more on "Funky Buddha Brewery"  

They also still feature their Greek style foods and also offer delivery.  I ordered Maduro from CCB and I loved it.  I had it previously before when I was in Tampa, which is where CCB is located, and it is a top brown ale choice of mine.  Overall, it was not that packed when we were there and the prices were about average.

Riverside Market Cafe

Hey all,

So yesterday, January 31, 2014,  I went to "Riverside Market Cafe" with my girlfriend.  It was my second time there, and her first.  I had an awesome experience the first time I was there and I knew I had to be back!  

Well, finding this place was not easy to begin with.  It is in a residential area in Fort Lauderdale, FL.  Not saying that's a bad thing, but let's just say it is easy to get lost.  We walked inside and explored our surroundings at first.  They have about 6-7 tables outside and a bunch of different seating options inside such as couches, high tops, etc.  The beer selection is more than I have ever seen in one place.  They carry a few local breweries on tap but where they stand out is their bottle selection.  They have over 550 craft beer bottles from all over the world in their self serve coolers.  In addition, they also have a kitchen for food.

Riverside Market Cafe self serve coolers pictured above.

I had a stout beer from Colorado and it was very smooth and rich.  We had ordered red pepper hummus with pita chips and also their pulled pork sandwich.  Both were phenomenal! We ended up getting a couple more craft beer bottles and stayed for a couple hours.  It was definitely a cool, chill spot and we are already thinking of when we are coming back!  So, if you are in the Fort Lauderdale, FL area, check this place out!

Hollywood Organic Brewery

Hey all,

I went last month with some people to "Hollywood Organic Brewery" out in Hollywood Beach, FL.  A beer and the beach? What could be better?  That was my mind setting going into it.  We went on a Thursday night and decided to give this place a try.  I had previously researched the location and saw that they brew their own beer and its a nice atmosphere to drink a craft beer right there on the boardwalk.  We got seated right away, as we were the only people there.  I understand it was a weekday, but still, there should have been more people.  The concept they have is great but something must be messed up somewhere or it would have been packed. 

Store front of Hollywood Organic Brewery

Like usual, I ordered their dark beer, the "Russian Stout".  It came in a really nice glass and had an amazing taste. I definitely enjoyed my craft beer, sitting outside by the beach and enjoying the nice breeze.  They also had some NBA games playing on outside TVs and a projector.  But, it was at a low volume, so you could still have that relaxing experience. 

The pricing was $5-6 for a 10-16oz beer and $11 for a 34oz beer.  They also had food selections and "infused vodka".  We did not try the food, as we were there only to drink.  The "infused vodka" was very good.  It was a specialty of theirs and it was a big hit with us as well.  Ultimately, we loved our experience there and we will have to come back some time soon to this amazing establishment in Hollywood Beach, FL!

Funky Buddha Brewery

Hey all,

So I just wanted to start this blog by going over my experience a couple weeks ago to "Funky Buddha Brewery".  I went to the location in Oakland Park, FL.  They do have another South Florida location in Boca Raton, FL.

On January 11, 2014, I went there with my girlfriend and met up a couple friends there for the launch of their "maple bacon coffee porter" beer.  I was there previously and had seen marketing signs about this launch and I was eager to try it.

Flyer for their release of Maple Bacon Coffee Porter Beer.

The second we pulled up, we saw tons of cars outside and about 7-8 food trucks in front.  Then, when we opened the windows, we heard the live band outside playing rock music.  We parked about a block away and walked over.  They had at least 200-300 people outside and it was packed to say the least.  We walked over to the tents outside where they were selling tickets for $5 each and you were supposed to take that ticket inside to the bartender and order your beer.  They brew many beers in house and they were "tapping" a new limited release beer every hour.  We bought a few tickets and went inside.   It was extremely packed inside, but it only took about 5 minutes for us to get our "maple bacon coffee porter" beer.  It was amazing.  I personally love dark beers and this one was an instant classic!  It definitely had a maple coffee taste right away and a little after taste of bacon.  I felt like I was in heaven.  This was, by far, one of my favorite beers that I had ever tasted.  We ended up getting a couple more and tried out a couple other limited releases such as a "whiskey beer", which actually wasn't that bad, and we also tried a "mojito beer", which we thought was a terrible mistake. 

Store Front of Funky Buddha.

Ultimately, it was an awesome experience with great beers, music, food, and friends.  The pricing wasn't too bad and the beer was extremely flavorful!  We will definitely be back to "Funky Buddha Brewery" soon.

Introduction

Hello fellow readers!  This is the official Florida Blogery.  I will be traveling to local breweries, and local bars that have a good amount of craft beers and in-house microbrews.  I will give the college minded, young, expert opinion on not only the beer, but the atmosphere and pricing points as well.  I will be mainly in the South Florida area but I may explore all of Florida, as there are some really good breweries around the entire state.

A little about me:

I am Joey Basher, 25, and I will be graduating this semester with my BBA in Marketing from Florida Atlantic University.  I love beer and my dream job would involve marketing it!  So if anyone reading this has any connections, please feel free to contact me.  

I particularly love darker beers which include stouts and porters, but I will never turn down a beer!

So please follow me in my journey to explore Florida and what great beers it has to offer.