Charity beer tasting in Sarasota

Morton's Gourmet Market, 1924 S. Osprey Ave. in Sarasota, is hosting its annual Celebration of Brewing event on Saturday, Aug. 29 from 4 to 7 p.m. The event will benefit All Faiths Food Bank.

They say they'll have beers "from around the world" and "beer-friendly cuisine," which I would argue is pretty much all food because beer is so versatile, far more versatile than wine. (Check out the menu for Mattison's Brooklyn beer dinner to see what I mean.)

I also hope the international selection of beers isn't just the usual Bud-Miller-Coors suspects with Heineken and Corona thrown in.

There will also be cooking demonstrations with Morton's chefs and a charity raffle.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Call (941) 955-9856 or visit mortonsmarket.com for more information and to buy tickets.

Details on Mattison's beer dinner

To update a previous entry, Mattison's Forty-One restaurant, 7275 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, is hosting a five-course beer tasting dinner on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. They are featured beers from Brooklyn, an awesome New York brewery. They supplied details on the menu:

Grilled Peach Salad: 
shaved prosciutto, bitter greens, goat cheese fondue and 
honey-thyme vinaigrette
. The beer: Brooklyner Weisse

Shrimp Cocktail: 
jerk-ginger marinated shrimp, avocado relish and preserved lemon cocktail sauce
. The beer: Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

Fish and Chips: 
Brooklyn beer tempura-fried grouper, fingerling potato chips,
 caper/garlic remoulade and malt vinegar syrup. The beer: Brooklyn Lager



Pork Tenderloin Medallions: 
herbed-caraway crusted pork medallions, apple/pancetta braised cabbage and
roasted pork demiglaze. The beer: Brooklyn Local 2



and for dessert:

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout Brulee served with Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

The event is $40 per person and reservations are required. Call (941) 921-3400 or go to mattisons.com to buy tickets.

Beer tasting dinner in Sarasota

Mattison's Forty-One restaurant, 7275 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, is hosting a five-course beer tasting dinner on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 6:30 p.m. They are featuring beers from the Brooklyn Brewery, an awesome brewery. It's $40 per person and reservations are required.

Call (941) 921-3400 or go to mattisons.com to buy tickets.

Thanks again to H-T Assistant Business Editor Gerard Walen.

Cigar city draft lineup for 7/31

I'm late with this news, but Cigar City Brewing in Tampa is having a release party tonight for their Barrel Aged Big Sound Scotch Ale. In addition to Big Sound bottles, they will be offering a very cool draft lineup of some limited beers:

Coco Loco: Bolita Double Nut Brown Ale aged on Cuban espresso beans, coconut flakes and Peruvian cacao nibs. 9% ABV 

Barrel Aged 110K+OT Batch #2: An Imperial Stout dry hopped with Mt. Rainier hops and lightly aged on toasted Spanish Cedar then further matured in former bourbon oak barrels. 11.5% ABV 

Mocha Cubano: Our Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale aged on Cuban espresso beans and Peruvian cacao. 5.5% ABV

East India Trader: Bolita Double Nut Brown Ale aged on flaked coconut and chai spices. 9% ABV

Coconut Bolita: Bolita Double Nut Brown Ale aged on flaked coconut. 9% ABV

Jai Alai India Pale Ale: An American style India Pale Ale brewed in homage to the original extreme sport, Jai Alai. 7.5% ABV

Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale: An English style brown ale. Lots of flavor yet nice and sessionable. 5.5% ABV

And this time they will be offering growlers of the above beers, but only after 9 p.m.

Their tasting room is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. today.

Cigar City releases barrel-aged Bolita today

Just a reminder that Cigar City Brewing Co. will be having a special release of their Bourbon Barrel Aged Bolita today from 6 to 10 p.m. They are selling 170 bottles ($20 each, limit 3) of this brown ale that they aged for five months in a Maker's Mark bourbon barrel.

They will also have some surprise beers available on tap, as well as food.

More info is on Cigar City's blog.

Cigar City special event

Cigar City Brewing Co. will be having a special release of their Bourbon Barrel Aged Bolita on Friday, June 26, from 6 to 10 p.m. They are selling 170 bottles ($20 each, limit 3) of this brown ale that they aged for five months in a Maker's Mark bourbon barrel. Sounds extreme, indeed.

They plan to hand out placeholder tickets at 6. The sale itself starts at 8. They said they're using tickets because they weren't sure what the demand would be like.

They will also have some surprise beers available on tap, as well as food.

More info is on Cigar City's blog.