Florida Beer Company - Sweet Stout

Florida’s Sweet Stout presents almost black in the glass with a rich head of brown foam. On the nose, it’s quite roasty with coffee notes, dry- and honey-roasted nut overtones, and even a bit of a bacon-like impression. Look for these notes to come forth on the palate too, with impressions of heavily toasted bread, very dark high cacao percentage chocolate, coffee, and subtle hints of dried dark fruit which peak through as it warms in the glass. Not as sweet as some versions of the style, Florida’s Sweet Stout still succeeds in delivering some residual sweetness which fills out and enrounds the beer and contributes – along with some oat additions – to the beer’s smooth creaminess. The roasted malts and moderately firm hops win out in the end as the beer finishes dry with a lingering roasty note. Pair this stout with charcoal-grilled beef, pork, or chicken, or get wild and drop a scoop of vanilla ice cream in your glass for a stout float. 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.