It's #FloridaBeerFriday. Every Friday, we take a look at a beer brewed in the Sunshine State, giving analysis to the burgeoning craft beer movement of Florida.
It's not just in Tampa anymore.
The Tampa Bay Brewing Company is celebrating 14 months in its Coral Springs location, having opened in February of last year. Since then, head brewer Norm Lehman has been busy getting the place into tip-top nanobrew shape.
Originally located only in the Ybor City district of Tampa, the company decided to open a second brewing operating in South Florida in 2013. Through their multiple award winning beers, they've been able to introduce the small batch experience to its patrons.
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This week, we're going to dive in to their most popular beer, the No Dave's American Pale Ale, a slightly boozy 6.2% APA that's hopped with Cascade and is named after employee David Marks.
For those following at home, the APA falls under Beer Judge Certification Program category 10A. One should expect "a moderate to high hop flavor, often showing a citrusy American hop character... Refreshing and hoppy, yet with sufficient supporting malt."
How does it stack up?
The pale ale comes in a brilliant gold. The aroma is super floral and nectary, with an almost sweet candy hop character. The body is juicy without being cloying, with a slight hit of bitterness that falls off at the end. It's dangerously quaffable.
As a pale ale, it's not as grassy as a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, nor as hopped as Stone's. I find it to fall under a mellower version of Jai Alai IPA or similar east coast balanced profile.
Follow #FloridaBeerFriday for more reviews of Sunshine State brews.
Get out there and #DrinkLocal.
Doug Fairall is a craft beer blogger who focuses on Florida beers, and has been a homebrewer since 2010. For beer things in your Twitter feed, follow him @DougFairall and find the latest beer pics on Clean Plate's Instagram.
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