We traveled to Florida (my fourth trip in less than three months) in mid-September for my Dad’s Memorial service. I am not going to get into too much detail here but we made it through the experience with the help of my siblings, their families, my aunt and uncle, good friends and their pets.
Oh, and friends willing to lend us a very roomy minivan!
Restaurants + Breweries
Before dinner with my aunt and uncle, we stopped in to Oak & Stone in downtown Bradenton for several taster-sized samples. This is a self-serve beer situation, activated by a small chip that you get once a bartender scans your ID. Only later did we realize there were small glasses available, so we used a few of the larger glassed. Live and learn!
What Eric tried:
- Wild Sour Series: ‘Elima Hua, DESTIHL Brewery – Very nice, med sour and nice tropical
- Jam Up The Mash, Collective Arts Brewing – Like the Brooklyn Bel Air
- Bears On A Rampage!, Hidden Springs Ale Works – Better than expected, smoothie like with fruit and honey
- Sour Fruit Punch, Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company
My pours:
- Pumpkin Pie Treat, Prairie Artisan Ales
- Mayan Mocha Stout, Odd Side Ales
- Snowed In Vanilla (2022), Copper Kettle Brewing Company (Colorado)
- Quintuple Barrel Big Bad Baptist, Epic Brewing Co.
Afterwards we walked down the pier to have dinner with my aunt and uncle at Pier 22. Eric went for the Asian soy ginger salad with chicken, while I was quite happy to order sushi. We had a nice view of sunset, and our server was quite pleasant and never rushed us during our meal. We walked back to Oak and Stone for a nightcap.
The next afternoon we met Eric’s aunt for lunch at Shore, where we ate outside on the covered deck. Eric went for the Asian salad – he was craving greens – while I never pass up an opportunity for grouper tacos. We also enjoyed ourselves here, quiet during a weekday in September, but will likely be quite busy during the winter months. Also good to know that there is free 2-hour parking in a garage just around the corner – valuable info in St. Armands Circle!
Finally, we ended our trip at Corporate Ladder Brewing, Palmetto – a local favorite of ours, this time Eric got the Rum-barrel aged Missionary’s Downfall, while I got the strangely pink Banana Split Cobbler and picked up a six-pack of my Dad’s favorite Doppelbock.
