Beer lovers unite!

American Craft Beer Week is finally over, and this past weekend had no shortage of events to draw you into the spirit of craft beer.

On Saturday night, to celebrate one of the biggest names in Florida beer, Cigar City, the Coffee District in Delray Beach offered up its taps to the Tampa based brew house. Beer lovers from all over flocked in, and many made it the after party for the Delray Beach Old School Beerfest earlier that night.

So, how did it go?

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delraycenterforthearts.org

American Craft Beer Week in South Florida is not over until the fat lady sings, or at least until the beer taps run dry at the Old School Beefest in Delray Beach.

The pouring starts at 6 p.m. and goes until 10 in the Outdoor Pavilion at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts. If you haven't already gotten your tickets, general admission can be purchased at the gate for $40.

See Also:
- Broward Homebrewers Aim to Take Their Craft Out of the Garage
- Whole Foods Coral Springs Launches Craft Beer Tap Bar

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Friday's here, so it's time for beer.

Every Friday, so long as the creek don't rise, this beer enthusiast will take a look at a Florida beer that, hopefully, should be readily available in a local shop or on tap at your favorite bar.

Sometimes a beer comes along with an idea in it that seems so simple, you wonder why brewers don't do it more often. This week, that beer made itself known while perusing the aisles in search for a Florida brew. I gravitated towards something that was familiar, yet excitingly different.

Many of you may already know of the honeycomb labelled Orange Blossom Pilsner offered by Tom Moench of OBP Brewing in Orlando. Somewhere along the line, in that constantly churning brewers brain, Tom decided to make the Pilsner with only half the water. Same amount of fermentables, but half the water volume. What came out of the tanks is Orange Blossom Pilsner (Squared).

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Sweetwater Brewing

You may have noticed a little extra tie-dye on your tap handles as of late, as Atlanta's signature Sweetwater Brewing has made its way down to the South Florida market. The 15 year old brewery has made a push into southeastern markets in the past few years, with an expansion of their brew house to handle more than 250 barrel batches, and an aim to be stocked in nine states by the end of 2013.

Owner and 'big kahuna', Freddy Bensch, is definitely a boss to rival any of the 'cool boss' stereotypes you might have seen. With his seasoned tan, wrap around sunglasses, shorts and flip-flops, it would seem as if he'd be more at home on the boat than in the brewhouse. This demeanor is no act, though. As we sit down to talk, he makes sure that we both have something to whet the throat; a couple of pints of 420 Pale Ale.

See also:
- Florida Beer Company Took Over Riverside Market, Beer Lovers Drank Local
- Five South Florida Food and Drink Events This Weekend: Beerfest, Suckling Pig Dinner, and More

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Grabbing pints of Florida beer

Tucked into the center of deeply residential Fort Lauderdale, Riverside Market has made a name for itself in the past years as the place to go if you're looking for craft beer from around the world and want to enjoy it in the most casual of settings, outside the stereotypical tiki hut.

The eclectic mix of craft beer enthusiasts from all walks of life make coming here feel like it's some secret club you've heard from your friend's friend's cousin; like a speakeasy from the days of Prohibition. It's anything but secret, however, just hard to find.

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Images courtesy Whole Foods

The craft beer choices.

A Coral Springs Whole Foods is the fifth branch of the national supermarket chain to offer a tap bar with a rotating selection of draft craft beers alongside an array of beer friendly bites.

"We're still in the beginning stages for this location," said Jonny Rose, a marketing team leader who's helping the spearhead the effort. In case you haven't realized it, South Florida has joined much of the rest of the country in the craft beer craze.

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American Social via Facebook

Breckenridge takes over the taps at American Social.

It's American Craft Beer Week's hump day, so where are you going after work to celebrate? How about a place that boasts nearly 50 different beers on draft, some good eats...and lets you play bartender?

We're talking American Social's tap wall and tap tables. It's kind of like those frozen yogurt places where you can make your own dessert....only with beer!

Read Also: Top Ten Beer Selections in South Florida

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Umberto Brayj

American Craft Beer Week officially begins May 13 and runs through the 19; a whole seven days worth of events and special tappings to keep your taste buds excited and your liver in a state of confusion.

This year marks the eighth consecutive week by the Brewer's Association. As they state, "America's craft beer industry is thriving, with over 2,300 small and independent breweries responsible for not only advancing the food arts world, but pouring money into the economy via tourism and jobs while creating an overall vibrant craft beer scene nationwide. America's craft brewers are certainly something to celebrate."

Without further ado, grab a stool, and discover where beer geeks will cross paths and where you can pick up and enjoy that perfect pint.

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Travelling to the Due South brewery is always an exceptional experience. It seems at times to be almost an illicit prospect, what with having to find parking around slabs of marble destined to be someone's kitchen countertop and making your way towards an enormous industrial warehouse. But it's that antithesis to any traditionally commercial hangout that's the draw for so many in this off-the-trail section of northern Boynton Beach.

The brewery has been making beer for a year now, and this past Sunday saw an anniversary party that brought beer lovers from across the area to this little warehouse on High Ridge.

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fixedgear via Flikr Creative Commons

Show mom the local craft beer culture for Mother's Day.

Mother's Day is an annual event dedicated to your first love--mom. If you're racking your brain trying to come up with something different to do this year, try thinking outside the box.

Perhaps mom would enjoy kicking back with brewski? After all, she might just be as tired of burned homemade brunch and wilted flowers as you are.

Whether you want to show your mom the local craft beer culture and introduce her to some fun craft brews or you've already got an unconventional suds loving mama, the scene has more to offer than ever before.

See Also:
- Mother's Day Brunch in Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach
- South Florida Food & Drink Events This Weekend: Fort Lauderdale Bus Loop, Derby Watching, and More
- Beer Plus Food at 3rd and 3rd: Friday's Cigar City Tasting Got Academic

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