A Craft Beer Movement Grows in Miami
Miami is known for great weather, over-the-top cars, expensive bottle-service clubs, and a generally free-wheeling vibe with a soundtrack of Salsa. What it has never been known for is being a notable part of America's burgeoning craft-brew scene. But all of that's beginning to change.
This weekend I happened upon Abbey Brewing Company, a snug little bar located on 16th Street, about a half mile away from the Atlantic Ocean. Inside, dark paneled wooden walls shut out the day. We choose the bar, not a table, and enjoy chatting with a pair of friendly bartenders. I ask one of the guys, who wears a red tee shirt with a sketch of a bust of Bill Murray on it, "What can you tell me about Abbey Brewing" and he replies, "We make these beers, you can't get them anywhere else." He guides me and my son to the section of the beer menu with their offerings. My son gets an Abbey Immaculate IPA, which he tells me has "mild hoppiness, malty and citrus flavors." I go for the Abbey Oktoberfest Marzen, a tasty Bavarian style fest beer, which also had a slight citrus note. It is Sunday at 3:30 p.m., and regulars are coming in for beers and free hotdogs and chips (one hotdog per beer ordered.) The Bill Murray shirt guy tells us their beer is brewed up in Melbourne, four hours north of here, but they only serve it at this place.
Another bartender comes to give my son his next glass, a Father Theodore's Stout. He likes this stout, which is smoother than many Imperial stouts he's tried. It had the typical coffee, chocolate flavors and was a winner.
The patron next to me, who wears a well-loved leather jacket and looks like he could have been in a band 20 years ago, tells me he's from Chicago. He loves this place and it's his Sunday routine to come in for some beer and chill.
Our second bartender has an enthusiastic grin and ball cap, and recommends we head west across the water to Wynwood, where there are three craft breweries as well as some cool graffiti walls to check out. He likes to dine at Kush, a gastropub with a good craft brewery selection and Gator tacos.
A couple tourists come in. The wife says, "I don't see Coors Light on the menu..." "Yeah you don't" laughs our Bill Murray shirt bartender. She orders her husband an Oktoberfest instead. The bartender jokes, "If he closes his eyes, it won't taste anything like Coors Light." Our little group at the bar, which includes my son, myself, and the leather jacket guy, guffaw over this. This feels like the kind of local bar where you can make instant friends and keep them for as many years as you chose to live in the area.
We could have stayed for hours and gone through their delicious selection of unique beers, but other obligations called. But now, we had a mission: to return to Abbey Brewery for more fun and sampling, to take an Uber over to Wynwood to check out the more developed craft brew scene, and to keep an eye out for new breweries on our next trip to Miami.
