Wynwood Brewing

During this last trip home to South Florida, I was able to visit Wynwood Brewing Company.  I have been wanting to visit ever since they began welcoming guests.  I convinced my mom to drive me (shut up, I don't have a car while I am there) and off we went.

Wynwood portion of Miami is an arts area that has blown up over the last few years.  Previously, it was mostly warehouses.  It's amazing to see what's been done.  Although there are some concerns about the driving cost and what it will do to some of the local merchants and artists.

Wynwood Brewing is a real great addition to the burgeoning Florida brewing scene and Miami in general.  It was founded by a father and son team and is definitely a family affair.  

I first became interested in what they were doing when I saw the Miami Herald article about their opening.  Being the first brewery to open made them trailblazers that had to deal with a good deal of red tape and absurdity.  They overcame that and even found a novel way to fundraise in securing a government loan to open their business.  I hadn't heard about many other breweries taking advantage of that in the past.

After entering the tasting room, I ordered a flight that included their signature beer La Rubia.  La Rubia is a blonde ale made with a combination of German Pilsner Malts, British Crystal Malts, Czech Saaz Hops and German Ale Yeast.  It's incredibly refreshing with mild bitterness that leads to a smooth finish.

I also checked out the Magic City, Father Francisco and Rickenbacker.  Magic City is a great example of a pale ale.  Father Francisco was light in body with some spicy and sweet notes.  Rickenbacker was more of a session beer done in the pilsner style.  It was light bodied with citrus elements on the finish. All the beers reference Miami in some way as in historical elements or geographically.

One thing that stayed with me after the tasting and tour was the "Miami water makes Miami beer" comment.  Water is definitely a crucial element of beer, but how crucial?  I am clearly a novice in this, but still I would love to read more and hear other thoughts by more knowledgeable people about the water question.

In the end, I would highly recommend visiting Wynwood Brewing and the area in general.  If Wynwood Brewing is any indication on what Miami can do, expect big things.