Rules of Engagement

 
 

How can I trust you?

Full transparency. That’s the only way this guide is going to be of any value to you. I am not a beer expert. I don’t know how anyone could or would say they were to be honest. But that being said, I love beer. I have ever since I was a kid. My Mom says I used to sneak out to the garage and drink my Dad’s beer when I was six. My wife and I don’t build vacations around beer, but we always stop at breweries no matter the city. There’s a reason that immediately following the necessities like developing law, planting crops, and building homes, the Mesopotamians, the earliest human civilization, immediately started brewing beer (which, by the way as a fun piece of trivia, was most likely done by female priestesses). That’s how serious they were about beer. 

Beer doesn’t have the snootiness of wine, or the LET’S GET DRUNK vibe of hard liquor. Beer is something that makes everything better. What can beat a Corona on the beach? A good, hearty Guinness on a rainy day? Trying a new IPA and getting a rush of excitement because you know that is the best thing you’ve tasted in weeks?

Sure, I’m not an expert on beer, but I still love it. Every beer has its place in my view. From Hamm’s, to Utopia, to Todd the Axe Man. That all being said, there is still bad beer. And here in Saint Petersburg, which is quickly becoming quite a brewery hub, it’s hard to know where to go. This is only complicated by the fact that I am a brand new dad (Alice, please don’t steal my beer out of the fridge).

Brewery reviews online are all obvious. They don’t give you information that can be easily digested, they don’t let you know about the space, family friendly vibes, the overall experience. Does that mean this guide is an end all be all, absolute law, never to be argued with, Bible? Of course not. Beer is art, and in turn, is opinion based. Breweries are nothing but decorated space, and I might like something you don’t or vice-versa. But my hope is that if you’re new to the area, or if you’re on vacation here and looking for a way to experience the best beer in town, this website will show you how to do it. 

Let’s establish some of the rules I used to grade these breweries:

  1. For the beer grading, I allowed the brewery to give me what they considered their best beer. If they had a flight, I got a flight, and if they didn’t I asked for half pours of multiple beers to make sure I got a well-rounded experience.

  2. Location is based on what’s around and how safe it feels overall.

  3. Variety of beer is more about the different types they had. For example, if a brewery only had IPAs or Stouts that would be a low grade on variety. 

  4. Atmosphere is pretty subjective, but it’s the aesthetic of the environment.

  5. Family Friendly is all about my daughter. How comfortable did I feel about having her there? Did we feel welcome? Are there changing tables in the bathrooms? The kinds of things you don’t pay attention to until you have a kid.

  6. Overall is what I think of the brewery as a whole.

And, well, that’s it. Let’s drink.

Cheers!