(This is Adam. Look for him to answer all your craft beer questions in Gainesville. Or here--if you have a particular beer you're curious about, let us know in the comments)

The beer tasting turnout at the Gainesville store a couple of weeks ago was very nice.  We had Florida Beer Company featuring Key West Sunset Ale, Key West Pilsner Light, and Swamp Ape IPA.  Another table was going to feature Harpoon IPA and Harpoon U.F.O. (Unfiltered Offering) Hefeweizen, but the representative was a no-show.  Premier distributors featured Full Sail Pale Ale, Full Sail Session Black Lager (one of my favorites), Birra Moretti, and Birra Moretti La Rossa.  La Rossa is considered by some to be the best beer to pair with a fresh pizza. 

My table featured a plethora of "direct to you" beers (great values), mixed cocktails, and Castello Del Poggio Moscato d’ Asti.  The beers were Shipyard Prelude Special Ale, Shipyard Export Ale, Shipyard IPA, Hornsby’s Hard Apple Cider, Hansa, and Kalik.  Prelude was the hit of the night with its well-balanced caramel malts and gentle hop bitterness. The mixed cocktails were Senor Pedro’s ready to drink platinum margarita, Wiser Canadian whiskey and Coca Cola, and Northern Peak raspberry vodka and orange juice.  The margarita was too sweet for some but I suggested some fresh lime juice or triple sec to assuage the sugariness. The Northern Peak screwdriver was very good with the hint of raspberry.  The Wiser’s and Coke was a hit with a pleasant vanilla smoothness. I saw many familiar faces and new comers to the wine tasting scene.  There was lots of laughing, story sharing, and an all around jovial time.

Looking for something good to pair with this weekend's plans? Stop by!

Adam Shugan, assistant manager, Archer Road, Gainesville