{"id":101959,"date":"2019-05-16T08:05:28","date_gmt":"2019-05-16T14:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.craftbeer.com\/?p=101959"},"modified":"2019-05-28T08:11:23","modified_gmt":"2019-05-28T14:11:23","slug":"southwest-floridas-beer-scene-is-as-sunny-as-its-forecast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.craftbeer.com\/craft-beer-muses\/southwest-floridas-beer-scene-is-as-sunny-as-its-forecast","title":{"rendered":"Southwest Florida\u2019s Beer Scene is as Sunny as its Forecast"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In places where time is measured in beach hours, palm trees sway in the shimmering heat and colorful cocktails sparkle in the sun, craft beer can be a tough sell. The beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel are an exception to the rule.<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--><\/style>\n<p>The craft beer wave arrived late to this particular stretch of Southwest Florida shoreline&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fmbrew.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fort Myers Brewing Company<\/a> established the first local option back in 2013&#8211;but the region quickly developed a distinct style shaped by the subtropical climate and the availability of local produce. The beer scene is sustained by year-round residents and energized by a constant stream of travelers from throughout Florida, the Midwest and East Coast.<\/p>\n<h2>Beaches, Baseball and Southwest Florida Craft Beer<\/h2>\n<p>Lee County \u2013 which contains the urban center of Fort Myers, sociable Fort Myers Beach, the quiet beaches of Sanibel and Captiva Islands, laid-back Boca Grande, Estero, and Bonita Springs, bohemian Pine Island, and more than 50 miles of white sand beaches, sleepy residential communities, swamps and wild spaces in between &#8212; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leevcb.com\/media\/32669\/2018-visitor-profile-and-occupancy-analysis.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">welcomed an estimated 4.8 million visitors<\/a> in 2018 alone . The annual migration of travelers charmed by sunshine, easy access to the tranquil waters of the Gulf of Mexico and a relatively low cost of living means that Southwest Florida operates on its own calendar.<\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_101969\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-101969 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190430084435\/Fort-Myers-Brewing-Food-Trucks-1200x700.jpg\" alt=\"Fort Myers Brewing\" width=\"1200\" height=\"700\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190430084435\/Fort-Myers-Brewing-Food-Trucks.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190430084435\/Fort-Myers-Brewing-Food-Trucks-768x448.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fort Myers Brewing at Gateway Industrial Park brews a wide variety of beers. (Fort Myers Brewing Co.)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p><strong>(More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.craftbeer.com\/craft-beer-muses\/baseball-beers-minor-league-2017\">Minor League Baseball Beers<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Floridians flock to the beaches, waterfront restaurants, bars and taprooms during the summer months. The high tourist season &#8212; which locals simply call \u201cseason,\u201d (as in, \u201cWe\u2019re swamped during season\u201d) &#8212; starts in November, when snowbirds from the East Coast and Midwest open up their winter homes around Thanksgiving. It kicks into high gear in January, February and March, when the hotels, campgrounds and RV parks are packed with sun seekers, surprisingly subdued spring breakers, and fans who arrive to watch major league spring training baseball in Fort Myers.<\/p>\n<p>Nate Sorum, who is a snowbird from Minnesota himself, serves beer at Hammond Stadium, the spring training home for the Minnesota Twins. The Twins might be on the field, but that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that the crowd is Midwestern.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a larger portion of Minnesota fans, but the Boston Red Sox also have a stadium here in town, so we get people who love baseball,\u201d he explains. \u201cA large group of retirees here are East Coast \u2013 Boston, New York, New Jersey, Philly. It\u2019s a melting pot. Ninety percent of people there are on vacation, and they want to try Florida beers.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Snowbirds, Locals and Millennials Flock to Fort Myers Breweries<\/h2>\n<p>Sorum\u2019s numbers are an estimate based on his experience, but the tourism stats are anything but anecdotal. Lee County\u2019s 2018 Annual Visitor Profile and Occupancy Analysis reveals that 80 percent of travelers have visited Southwest Florida before. And many of those visits are much longer than the typical whirlwind tour that most Americans pack into just a handful of vacation days. This is a place where baseball fans return to the same hotel year after year, RVers meet up for winter-long annual vacations and a retired gentleman breakfasting with his friends describes a \u201cquick visit\u201d to Fort Myers as a mere six weeks. As a result, many taproom visitors fall somewhere between a traveler and a local, a kind of seasonal regular that brewery staff recognize as a key part of their business model.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a lot of regulars that come between January and Easter,\u201d says Jordan Weisberg, brewmaster at <a href=\"https:\/\/pointybelbrew.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Point Ybel Brewing Company<\/a>. \u201cWith the surge of breweries in all of those peoples\u2019 home towns, now that\u2019s their thing &#8212; to seek out breweries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>(More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.craftbeer.com\/beercation-destination\/easy-tips-traveling-beer\">A Beer Geeks Travel List<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have people that come from places that are used to good craft beer,\u201d agrees Fort Myers Brewing Company co-owner Jen Gratz-Whyte, as she surveys the busy taproom and patio that\u2019s brought fresh energy to Gateway Industrial Park, a growing area east of Interstate 75 not far from the airport. \u201cYou look around and it\u2019s young families, young people and snowbirds. We\u2019ve got something for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_101971\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-101971 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190430084709\/Palm-City-Bar-Top-Pints-Paradise-1200x700.jpg\" alt=\"Southwest Florida's Palm City Brewing\" width=\"1200\" height=\"700\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190430084709\/Palm-City-Bar-Top-Pints-Paradise.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190430084709\/Palm-City-Bar-Top-Pints-Paradise-768x448.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southwest Florida&#8217;s Palm City Brewing has half a dozen New England-style IPAs on tap. (Palm City Brewing)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>About 10 miles southwest (and in another industrial park area) <a href=\"http:\/\/www.palmcitybeer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Palm City Brewing<\/a> co-owner Marianne Bowen weaves through students from nearby Florida Gulf Coast University, young professionals in sleek sheath dresses and John Candy look-alikes in Hawaiian shirts. Her husband, Palm City\u2019s brewer and co-owner Ryan Bowen, leads a tour group.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I started this, my research dictated (the average customer) was a 25 to 50-year-old-man, but with our clientele, you can throw that out the window,\u201d Ryan Bowen says. \u201cOur first customer was a 75-year-old man. He comes in every week and gets our porter every time he comes.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Fort Myers Area Brewers Make Use of Local Produce<\/h2>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_101970\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-101970 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190430084601\/Point-Ybel-Brooke-Jordan-Weisberg.jpg\" alt=\"Point Ybel Brewing Southwest Florida\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190430084601\/Point-Ybel-Brooke-Jordan-Weisberg.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190430084601\/Point-Ybel-Brooke-Jordan-Weisberg-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190430084601\/Point-Ybel-Brooke-Jordan-Weisberg-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brooke and Jordan Weisberg of Point Ybel Brewing show off medals. (Point Ybel Brewing)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s just one of the many excellent porters and stouts on tap in Southwest Florida. Two more include Point Ybel\u2019s rich and subtle Grey Mangrove smoked porter and Somebody Else\u2019s Dream, Fort Myers Brewing Company\u2019s sumptuous chocolate stout, which both medaled at the 2019 Best Florida Beer Competition. But since they\u2019re not exactly the first thing a customer craves in the heat of a Florida afternoon, two styles consistently emerge as the most regionally distinct go-to beers in Fort Myers and Sanibel &#8212; fruited sours made with regional produce and juicy, hazy New England IPAs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.craftbeer.com\/craft-beer-muses\/sour-beer-pickle-american-brewing\">The Sour Beer Pickle<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Florida, we\u2018re kind of known for what\u2019s called the Florida Weisse, which is a kettle sour using local fruit,\u201d explains Point Ybel\u2019s Jordan Weisberg.<\/p>\n<p>The availability of local produce makes a fruited sour more cost-effective here than in other parts of the country. And long-established regional tastes makes the style an easy sell, even for new beer drinkers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything in Florida is based on tropical fruits \u2013 mangos and papayas and pineapples,\u201d explains Palm City\u2019s Ryan Bowen. \u201cI think that\u2019s just the culture of the area.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Tropical Tastes Popular for Southwest Florida Beer Lovers<\/h2>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_101972\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-101972 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190430085250\/Point-Ybel-Beer-Local-Produce.jpg\" alt=\"point ybel sour beer\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190430085250\/Point-Ybel-Beer-Local-Produce.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190430085250\/Point-Ybel-Beer-Local-Produce-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190430085250\/Point-Ybel-Beer-Local-Produce-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Southwest Florida brewers weave local, tropical tastes into their craft beers. (Point Ybel Brewing)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>Point Ybel was the first to introduce sours to the Southwest Florida market, starting with a jackfruit sour soon after its establishment in 2014. It\u2019s since expanded to include kettle sours infused with passion fruit, pineapple and strawberries, hand-zested lemons, oranges and key limes, and earthier flavors like apples, pumpkins and beets.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe hot weather makes you crave something light and crisp and as close to light refreshing juice as possible,\u201d explains Point Ybel\u2019s Jordan Weisburg. \u201cA fruited sour and a New England IPA are both in that realm of juiciness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While Point Ybel consistently serves a variety of sours, Palm City Brewing typically offers at least a half dozen New England-Style IPAs. The style is both a brewery standby and a successful gateway beer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.craftbeer.com\/craft-beer-muses\/florida-berliner-weisse-champagne-south\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Champagne of the South<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving a softer mouthfeel, a higher level of drinkability and those tropical aromas really help,\u201d says Ryan Bowen. \u201cWe get a ton of crossover drinkers who like it because of those characteristics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tropical tastes pop up in other styles throughout the region as well. Look for favorite Florida fruits in Fort Myers Brewing Company\u2019s Mr. Brightside Salted Lime Gose (a must-try for margarita lovers) and Prickly Pear Gose, as well as Bury Me Brewing Company\u2019s Sangre de Fresas strawberry cream ale and other fruit-infused takes on blonde ales and the brewery\u2019s flagship Creamation Cream Ale.<\/p>\n<h2>Southwest Florida Ale Trail and Local Bars Support Local Breweries<\/h2>\n<p>For all its gleefully macabre imagery (fans can select \u201cRent a Hearse\u201d on the website to ensure that beers at their next event are carried and served in a tricked-out funeral ride), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.burymebrewing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bury Me Brewing Company<\/a>\u2019s beers are easy drinking and accessible. They\u2019re available both in the taproom and at House of Brewz, a craft beer and funky pub food joint (with some overlap between the two ownership teams) created to capture walk-up interest at Fort Myers Beach, where dining out is practically a pastime.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they don\u2019t have time to visit a lot of breweries, I\u2019d recommend some of those craft beer bars that carry a lot of locals,\u201d says A.J. Gurgal. He\u2019s something of an expert on the subject, having co-founded the Southwest Florida Ale Trail, which features 19 breweries in Lee, Charlotte and Collier Counties.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(Map: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.craftbeer.com\/breweries\/find-a-us-brewery\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Breweries Near Me)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gurgal says that a few flights at Keg &amp; Cow in Cape Coral or the Southland Taproom or World of Beers in Fort Myers can help travelers get a good overview of the local scene; Cape Coral\u2019s No. 3 Craft Brews and Beer Bar is another popular spot. With more breweries bottling and canning and so many local tap handles at restaurants, bars and ballparks in the region, it\u2019s increasingly easy to try beer from Southwestern Florida.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have 561 draft lines and most of them are in Lee County,\u201d explains Fort Myers Brewing Company co-owner and brewer Rob Whyte. \u201cWe\u2019ve really tried to keep it super local and grow slowly out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a strategy that\u2019s worked well for the brewers of Lee County. This combination of local tastes, neighborhood taprooms and the natural environment make beer from Southwest Florida unique. And in a country where one in five jobs is connected to tourism, the experience of enjoying local beer practically sells itself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re sitting outside drinking a nice, fresh craft beer under a palm tree,\u201d says Jackie Parker, communications manager for Lee County Visitors and Convention Bureau. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t get much better than that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Southwest Florida&#8217;s beer scene, surrounded by beaches and spring training baseball, has an vibe as sunny as the area&#8217;s forecast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6825,"featured_media":101967,"sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sticky_collection":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[241],"class_list":["post-101959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-craft-beer-muses","tag-beer-travel"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.7 (Yoast SEO v26.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Southwest Florida\u2019s 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Her first book, titled \u201cNorth Dakota Beer: A Heady History,\u201d was published in 2017. Follow her adventures across the American Midwest, prairie provinces of Canada and beyond at prairiestylefile.com. 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