The Bar Towel

I'm heading down for some fun and sun over Christmas/New Years. Since it is a popular destination perhaps some of you have recommendations for dining, pubs, etc.

I note there is a Beers of the World Outlet on Gulf to Bay Blvd (my first stop) but recently their web site was updated and suggests that either they are opening a second store or relocating to Tampa...not sure which...I e-mailed them and am waiting for a response. If I have time I intend to hit the Dunedin Brewery (anyone been?)

Anyway, any suggestions would be appreciated.

They're non-responsive via e-mail, and the guy that owns/works there is a cranky bast@rd. But they're still there, I had some family pick me up something there about three weeks ago. Apparently it's a tiny place, too.

Unfortunately I know very little about bars and such there as it's been so long since I was there personally.

Cheers,
Rick.

I was in Redington Beach for the August longweekend... stayed at the Sea Oats place right by the peer. Yes it was quite warm at that time of year, but wasn't as bad (or nearly as humid) as Tampa... that was hell.

Not a whole lot of craft, and I wasn't with beer guys... so I mostly drank German Hefeweizens around the pool.

I went to Beers of the world on the way to the airport. It's small, but it's mostly refridgerated, and there's some great finds. Nothing is priced, which I find irritating. I thought the owner was great. He was really enthusiastic and had plenty of stories. Some of his facts were a little off though.

I didn't go to Dunnedin, but I did have a few of their Pale Ales at Rays ballgame:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1620

I've heard this Belgian place is worthwhile too:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/7538/?view=beerfly

Thanks to both of you for taking the time to respond.

Was there any indication if that World of Beers outlet is moving or is it a second outlet that is opening?

Thanks again.

We usually go to the St Pete's area every couple of years, so here's what I remember from our last trip:

- I don't remember any great pubs along the coast (we've stayed in condos in Madeira Beach and Indian Rocks Beach). Most places will have some decent beer (e.g. Sam Adams).

- I've only been to the Dunedin brewpub once, and I'd rate it as okay. I don't find their beers to be my favourites.

- I like going to the Tampa Bay Brewing Co brewpub (in the Ybor City area of Tampa). Lots of good beer there, plus 'Beer Is Your Friend' t-shirts . Good thing my wife drives back from there...

- I liked World of Beer the one time I went there. As others have said, it is small but it had a very good selection. I remember I got Rogue Imperial IPA and Old Crustacean in the big ceramic bottles.

If I think of anything else, I'll post a followup.

Responsible Drinker wrote:I
I didn't go to Dunnedin, but I did have a few of their Pale Ales at Rays ballgame:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1620

I'm pretty sure that I did go to this brewpub. Worth a visit probably, although the beers weren't particularly memorable.

There was no indication of World of Beer moving at that time.

Unfortunately, Tampa Bay Brewing Co was moving, so they weren't producing any of their own products at that time.

In case anyone else is heading that way sometime, I ran into a new beer (& wine) store. It's called Total Wine and it claims to have > 1,000 "microbrews & imported beers" (http://www.totalwine.com/).

The location I visited was on SR 580 in Clearwater (not far from Dunedin for anyone going to see a Jays spring training game). The store is the huge with lots of wine, etc. Some of the beer is in a cooler, but nothing I wanted to buy. They also have kegs, but the 1/6 kegs of DFH 60 or SNPA seemed just a bit too much for my couple days in Dunedin . It didn't look like > 1,000 to me, but it certainly had a lot, and a lot of very good beers (to my tastes). You can buy singles of some beers.

There is another location on Dale Mabry near Tampa airport, and a few other locations around Florida.

Thanks for the tip. Heading down there next week.

I'm anxious to try here next time I'm down...

http://www.theworldofbeer.com/

BeerMonger wrote:I'm anxious to try here next time I'm down...

http://www.theworldofbeer.com/

I didn't get to the bar/restaurant, but did get to the store on Gulf to Bay Boulevard when i was down at the beginning of the month. The owner is very proud of their new restaurant and i was very impressed with the bottle shops selection. The Bottle Shop is on Gulf to Bay Boulevard, its in the same buildings as a Greyhound Bus Station. I can get the address from the pamphlet at home tonight.

Suffice to say, i brought plenty home (some from World of Beer, some from Knightly Spirits in Orlando closer to where i was staying). Nothing too over the top in my shopping (though it was available), I just things that looked interesting to me when browsing while traveling, its so much easier than trying to have a shopping list.



I would also recommend a visit to the Dunedin Brewery. It is on Douglas Ave, just north of the downtown area. I think they open at 4pm (which was perfect, straight from the Jays game to the Bar). Nice place to drink, and some tasty beers to boot!!! (Note they do not sell their own beer in bottles at the brewery, you'll need to hit a store to get some).

Don't accidentally drink the air freshener!

Nice haul there Duct Tape...I also had the Monk Madness and the Great Divide Beers you picked up...I could do with a couple of months of "research" down there...

I intend to make Dunedin late this year on my next trip.

Just curious, what was your "session" beer down there? I was partial to the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

BeerMonger wrote:Nice haul there Duct Tape...I also had the Monk Madness and the Great Divide Beers you picked up...I could do with a couple of months of "research" down there...

I intend to make Dunedin late this year on my next trip.

Just curious, what was your "session" beer down there? I was partial to the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

I was down for a week, i bought a 6 of DFH 60 Minute, a 6 of the Titan IPA (which obviously i didn't finish), and a couple of the Rogue St.Rogue Red Dry Hopped of which one made it home for general consumption.

When i was in California last year the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was my beer of choice, but when i was shopping my first day in Florida i couldn't resist the pull of Hoppy American IPA's for the week