Black Friday is rolling around once again, and 2020 is no different. For many beer enthusiasts, Black Friday is the day to forget that Anheuser-Busch InBev owns Goose Island Brewing as they release a few bottles of barrel-aged stout that draw attention away from Goose Island’s strategy the rest of the year – namely releasing forgettable beers on repeated BOGOs and working to take cooler and shelf space away from independent craft breweries.
This year, as local and neigh breweries could use more support in the wake of the global pandemic, here are some Floridian brewery releases to line up for, ensuring that your well-earned dollars go to support neighborhood businesses and community gathering places.
1. Magnanimous Brewing Leftovers Pecan Pie Ale (Tampa Heights) – One of Tampa Bay’s newest breweries has not let their foot off the accelerator on bottle releases since they opened in October. With Leftovers Pecan Pie Ale, expect a decadent dessert-inspired ale suitable for sharing. And with the addition of Ginger Beard Coffee at Magnanimous Brewing, the beer will be available for purchase as early as 7am on Friday morning.
From Magnanimous Brewing:
2. Motorworks Brewing Frostbane Ale (Bradenton) – Motorworks Brewing of Bradenton is releasing their Frostbane Ale, a pastry stout with fruit and spice notes.
From Motorworks Brewing:
This rich, velvety behemoth of a pastry stout packs a full-bodied wallop of sweet heat. Intense black malt and bitter dark cacao flavors are balanced by notes of ripe blackberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, baking spices, and vanilla.
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3. Deep Brewing – Barrel-aged Narcosis Imperial Stout (Tallahassee) – Tallahassee’s Deep Brewing Company was recently a guest on the BeerWise podcast, and owner and brewer Ryan LaPete said he was especially excited for this release. Deep Brewing’s Narcosis Imperial Stout with no adjuncts, merely the flavor of the beer after a months-long nap inside a Four Roses Bourbon barrel. Ryan also mentioned that these releases go quick, so make sure you set your alarms.
From Deep Brewing:
4. Tampa Bay Brewing Company – Magic Imperial Stout (Tampa Bay Westchase and Ybor City) While being released before Black Friday, the pastry stout collab between Tampa Bay Brewing Company, Hardywood Park Brewing, and Magnanimous Brewing is still a limited release, and not guaranteed to be available in large quantities, so some quick action may be required in order to score this limited imperial stout.
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5. Ology Brewing – Lost Pain Imperial Stout & Brett Blend Dynamic Fermentum (Tallahassee) This Tallahassee craft brewery has grown from being named Florida’s best new brewery in Beer Advocate Magazine’s 2018 list to their current state of three locations around Florida’s capital. Now, on Black Friday, the brewery is releasing two variants of their French-Toast-inspired imperial stout as well as new Brettanomyces version of their lauded Dynamic Fermentum.
From Ology Brewing:
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Two of the bottles are a blend of two barrels (Old Fitzgerald and Willett Rye) from a collaboration we did with our good friends, Hidden Springs Ale Works. The third bottle is a sour bottle that is also a blend of two barrels – Dynamic Fermentum: Brett Blend.
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Lost Pain (11.5% Barrel-Aged Stout)
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Lost Pain with Coffee (11.5% Barrel-Aged Stout)
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Dynamic Fermentum: Brett Blend (7% Barrel-Aged American Sour Ale)