We continue our annual celebration of all things Mezcal with William Scanlan, founder of Heavy Metl Premium Imports. Heavy Metl is the exclusive importer of several top Mezcal brands such as Real Minero, rey Campero, and Caballito Cerrero. They had what was easily the biggest lineup at this year's Grand Tasting, and we spoke to William about what to expect out of some of the incredible expressions they were able to bring. Listen in... Executive Producer: Jaime (“Jemmy”) Legagneur, Chief Enthusiasm Officer Field Producer/Photographer: Steve Pekala Editor: Daniel Delgado Guest: Wi ..read more

We are still celebrating Mezcal Lauderdale 2024! This year the Grand Tasting took place on June 22nd at Sistrunk Marketplace in Ft. Lauderdale. We spoke with Phil Reis, Miami Market Manager for importer Global Beverage Team. They import Xicala, a series of three Espadin expressions that will be featured at this year's event. We spoke to Phil about Xicala, the differences between each expression, and the gorgeous wooden animals that adorn each bottle. Listen in... Executive Producer: Jaime (“Jemmy”) Legagneur, Chief Enthusiasm Officer Field Producer/Photo ..read more

It's time for Mezcal Lauderdale 2024! This year the Grand Tasting will take place on June 22nd at Sistrunk Marketplace in Ft. Lauderdale. But it's not the only Mezcal festival out there. We are chatting with Isra Bistrain, co-founder of MezcalFest in Mexico City. We sat with him to discuss Mezcal's ancient beginnings, the growth and importance of Mezcal in modern-day Mexico, and how MezcalFest is continuing to promote the spirits in Mexico and beyond. Listen in... Executive Producer: Jaime (“Jemmy”) Legagneur, Chief Enthusiasm Officer Field Producer/Photographer: Steve Pekala Editor ..read more

2014 saw the reintroduction of distilling in north Florida with the opening of St. Augustine Distillery. Housed in a previously unused ice plant set a stone's throw away from the San Sebastian River, St. Augustine Distillery's lineup of gin, vodka, rum, bourbon, and more are available across the state and to their satisfied throngs of visitors from across Florida and around the world. We spoke to Will Hensler (COO) and Zach Wildrich (Production Lead) to talk about spirits in St. Augustine, reclaiming and renovating their current location, the joys of bourbon, and so much mo ..read more

This is Part 2 of our interview at MIA Bruhaus! If you haven't, I'd recommend you go back and listen to episode 172, first. MIA Bruhaus has been around almost as long as Florida Beer Blog. Starting life as MIA Beer Co., they've been releasing a wide variety of delicious beers from their Doral home since 2014. I sat down with Founder, Eddie Leon, to talk about getting into the craft beer industry in south Florida, getting into (and out of and finally back into) distribution, their new line of spirits, and exactly why they had to open with a kitchen. Listen in... Executive Produce ..read more

MIA Bruhaus has been around almost as long as Florida Beer Blog. Starting life as MIA Beer Co., they've been releasing a wide variety of delicious beers from their Doral home since 2014. I sat down with founder, Eddie Leon, to talk about getting into the craft beer industry in south Florida, getting into (and out of... and, finally back into) distribution, their new line of spirits, and exactly why they had to open with a kitchen. Listen in... Executive Producer: Jaime (“Jemmy”) Legagneur, Chief Enthusiasm Officer Field Producer/Photographer: Steve Pekala Editor: Daniel Delgado ..read more

Hot off the heels of Irie Jungle last week, we are featuring the rest of our recent interview with Tripping Animals Co-Founder, Ignacio Montenegro, and Sales Manager, Alejandro Masferrer. We spoke about the formation of Tripping Animals, finding a home in Florida and Doral, their wide selection of beers, the collaborations they engage in, and so much more. Listen in... Executive Producer: Jaime (“Jemmy”) Legagneur, Chief Enthusiasm Officer Field Producer/Photographer: Steve Pekala Editor: Daniel Delgado Guest: Ignacio Montenegro and Alejandro Masferrer, Tripping Animals Bre ..read more

This Saturday, April 20th, 2024 (and yes, the date is intentional), Tripping Animals is holding their much-loved Irie Jungle Craft Beer Festival. As a sneak preview of the event and our interview at Tripping Animals, we spoke to Co-Founder Ignacio Montenegro and Sales Manager Alejandro Masferrer to get more details! Listen in to this bonus sneak peek... Executive Producer: Jaime (“Jemmy”) Legagneur, Chief Enthusiasm Officer Field Producer/Photographer: Steve Pekala Editor: Daniel Delgado Guest: Ignacio Montenegro and Alejandro Masferrer, Tripping Animals Brewing Equipment Sponso ..read more

Brewsaki is a south Florida-based rice lager starting to gain significant traction in both the restaurant scene and package sales around the state. It is the brainchild of Dr. Rob Streisfeld--part of a larger vision to bring the fun of the sake bomb out of sushi bars and to the masses. I spoke to Rob about his sake bomb invention, the recipe for Brewsaki, and next steps for growing the brand. Listen in... Executive Producer: Jaime (“Jemmy”) Legagneur, Chief Enthusiasm Officer Field Producer/Photographer: Steve Pekala Editor: Daniel Delgado Guest: Dr. Rob Streisfeld, Brewsaki Equ ..read more

We are back for Part 2 of our interview with St. Augustine's Ancient City Brewing. We are sitting down with Founder, Greg Tuttle, and VP/General Manager, Britta Messler, in their downtown tap room--located in what used to be the lobby for the Matanzas Theatre. We talk about business post-COVID, the rising cost of business, and what is coming next for Ancient City. Listen in... Executive Producer: Jaime (“Jemmy”) Legagneur, Chief Enthusiasm Officer Field Producer/Photographer: Steve Pekala Editor: Daniel Delgado Guest: Greg Tuttle and Britta Messler, Ancient City Brewing Equipmen ..read more