Florida Beer Company & Whisper Creek Farm - Surplus Honey Citrus Ale

Grande Lakes is an Orlando resort composed of the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott, and in 2015 they opened Whisper Creek Farm: The Kitchen (a farm-to-table restaurant) and The Brewery (the first nano-brewery at a Marriott property), with their on-site farm supplying fresh ingredients to both endeavors. The nano-brewery produces 5 different beers, but maxes out at 28 gallons weekly, so to produce their flagship recipe, Surplus, they’ve partnered with Florida Beer Company to produce the quantity they need. We’re excited to have a chance to bring our members this interesting brew, crafted with real grapefruit & orange zest, and actual honey from Whisper Creek’s on-site apiaries.

Hazy golden with persistent foam, Surplus delivers big fruity aromas of candied and zesty citrus melded to a noticeable touch of honey. On the palate, there’s a pretty robust core of pale malts along with a subtle but very complementary thread of honey, the sum of which provides a firm stage on which the citrus zest and citric-floral American hops can perform. The hops also add plenty of drying bitterness that lingers in the finish. This is best described as American Pale Ale meets honey and real citrus, and we dig it. Enjoy with a Hawaiian pizza, lemon pepper chicken, or spicy Southeast Asian fare. Cheers!

The Florida Beer Company has been among the leaders of Florida’s craft brewing renaissance. Founded originally in 1994 as Ybor City Brewing Company by Humberto Perez, a third generation brewer (his grandfather began one of Venezuela’s largest breweries back in 1929), the company grew to feature several different beer brands, with each offering a sense of Floridian pride in their beer names and label art. Around 2003, Perez moved brewing operations from their original Ybor City location to another brewery in Melbourne, FL: Indian River Beverage Corp., mid-way down the state’s Atlantic coast.

Not long after, Jim Massoni and Ed Scott purchased the company and renamed it Florida Beer Company. Between 2012 and 2014, after reaching capacity at the old Melbourne location, brewing operations transitioned to a new, much larger facility in Cape Canaveral. Residing in the former home of Chrysler’s missile operations, which supported such NASA programs as Mercury and Apollo, FBC boasts a new visitor center and tap room where you can sample all of their tasty brews. For more information about the brewery, their tap room, and tours, call 321-728-4114, or visit them at www.floridabeer.com.