Miami On Tap : The Top 6 Places to Grab a Pint

July 7, 2008 4:51 PM
by

[Article Written by Michael Maryanoff]

Let’s be honest with ourselves: Miami is better known for its Cosmopolitans and Mojitos than its Double IPAs and Imperial Stouts. With all the glitzy and glamorous South Beach martini bars out there, it’s easy to ignore the fact that Miami has many different places with great beer selections. It even has establishments that brew their own beer, and damn good beer at that. So we here at CoolJunkie have visited the best beer halls, hole in the walls, and brewpubs in order to compile a list of the six best places to grab a brew in Miami. Chocolate Appletini lovers need not apply.

The Abbey Brewing Co.

The Abbey isn’t your typical Miami Beach haunt. While most bars on South Beach will boast of their decadence and high-profile clientele, The Abbey humbly describes itself as a “friendly, European style pub.” But don’t be fooled by the modest description, the owner and Brewmaster Raymond Rigazio is incredibly passionate about his beer. Ray’s passion for beer is reflected in The Abbey’s three home brews, which are nothing short of spectacular.

Their Abbey IPA is hoppy enough to satisfy the IPA aficionado, yet mellow enough for the average beer drinker. Father Theodore’s Stout is one of the best Imperial Stouts around, with a chocolate flavor, smooth consistency, and a much mellower finish than the average Imperial Stout (it also won a gold medal in the 2006 Best of Florida Beer Championship). Last but not least is Brother Dan’s Double, which can hang with the best of the Belgian trappist brews.

They also have some beers that you usually won’t find on tap, such as Delirium Tremens, Rouge Dead Guy Ale and Lindemans Framboise Lambic. Their bottle selection is also very extensive, consisting of 21 different beers. Happy hour is from 4PM – 7PM Monday-Friday, with a dollar off select drafts.

Titanic Restaurant and Brewery

Out of all of the independent brewpubs in Miami, Titanic boasts the widest selection of beers brewed in-house. They’ve won many awards, but their most notable achievement is the fact that they’re also the only Florida brewery to win a world beer cup award.

“We are really pushing the envelope,” says owner Kevin Rusk. “No one is doing what we’re doing.”

Although they only brew ales, they have something for everyone, with six beers permanently on tap and three rotating seasonal beers. One of the most notable beers of the bunch is the Double IPA, which boasts about 10% alcohol by volume. Hop-heads will love the beer, but the taste isn’t overpowering and you can barely taste the alcohol (which explains why there was a one-per-customer limit at one point).

Titanic also does things that most brewpubs will not, occasionally serving their Britannica Bitter in a traditional hand-pumped cask and infusing liquor with different flavors (such as their sugarcane infused mojitos).

If you want to grab a bite while downing a brew, their menu is made for beer drinkers, with such pub favorites as ribs, fried chicken wings, Po-Boys, and burgers (but don’t fret, they still have salads, sandwiches, and seafood). Happy hour is 4PM – 8PM, with a dollar off drafts.

The Gordon Biersch located in Brickell might be one of 33 around the country, but don’t expect the watered down offerings typical of chain microbreweries. Unlike Titanic, which specializes in Ales, Gordon Biersch specializes in German-style lagers, which are crisper, less sweet, and include no added fruits or flavorings (in compliance with “Reinheitsgebot,” or the German purity law of 1516).

Their heaviest (and most popular) beer is the Märzen, a strong but sweet beer with 5.7% alcohol. Most of their beers are lighter, however, such as their Golden Export which is crisp, refreshing, and not too hoppy. Their Schwarzbier (literally “black beer” in German) is the darkest in color, but is light bodied and lowest in alcohol content. Their menu, consisting of steaks, seafood, and oven-baked pizza, can get a bit pricey but isn't unreasonable.

In September, to celebrate Oktoberfest, they’ll debut their seasonal Oktoberfest beer and will feature a tradition German menu. Happy Hour is 4PM – 6:30 PM Monday through Friday, and 10PM – close seven days a week, with $5 Grey Goose martinis and a dollar off drafts.

Zeke's

If you aren’t looking for it, Zeke’s is the kind of place that’s easy to miss, and at first glance it’s nothing special. The décor is cluttered, the inside is a bit cramped, and they serve everything in plastic cups. But there is one incredibly redeeming quality about Zeke’s: every beer, from cheap American swill to tasty exports, is only $3.

Their on-tap beers rotate, but they’ve featured such gems as Young’s Double Chocolate stout and Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA. They also stock the standard selection of mass-produced American beers, such as Yuengling and Budweiser, but their vast collection of imports is hard to resist. I wouldn’t recommend having a family dinner at Zeke’s, but they do offer hot dogs, popcorn, and pretzels to munch on while you drink.

Luna Star Cafe

Even if Luna Star Café didn’t sell 120 different varieties of beer, it would still be a great place to hang out. While they do specialize in beer, it feels more like a coffee shop than a beer hall, featuring open mic nights, acoustic performances, and the occasional raspberry espresso. They don’t specialize in specific region or type of beer, but they do boast an eclectic selection.

Serving five out of the seven available Trappist beers, 11 different varieties from the Flying Dog brewery, and such hard to find brews as Corsendonk Abbey Ale, Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus (one of Alexis’ personal favorites), and St. Peter’s Cream Stout. They do offer mass-produced beers such as St. Pauli Girl, Guinness, and Presidente, but owner Alexis refuses to serve Budweiser, Coors, Heineken, or Amstel Light. Luna Star is also a good place to grab a bite to eat, serving pizza, pasta, salads, sandwiches, and burgers, and even offer a Lindemans Framboise Lambic ice cream float.

Hofbräu Beer Hall

There are a lot of places that claim to be authentic German restaurants, but not many are as authentic as Hofbräu Beer Hall. Their glassware, beer and chefs are all imported from Germany and their menu consists solely of authentic German food (with a few exceptions, such as cheeseburgers and grilled fish).

While the Miami location of Hofbräu Beer Hall has only been open for about a year, the original brewery in Munich (which brews all of the beer) is over 400 years old. To this day, it is still the official state-owned brewery of Bavaria. They have three beers on tap year-round, with two rotating seasonal beers. Surprisingly, most Germans who visit the restaurant order “Radler” a mix of beer and Sprite. The beers that really stand out are their Strong Bock, which is high in alcohol content but smooth, and their Hefeweizen, which has very strong banana and clove characteristics, but isn’t too sweet.

Another thing that makes Hofbräu unique is the fact that it is the only restaurant that ships kegs of beer straight from Oktoberfest in Munich to the United States. What that means is that what’s on tap on Lincoln Road is the same stuff being served in their beer tent in Munich. If you’re feeling adventurous (or just finished watching Beerfest) try drinking it out of one of their two-liter boots. Happy hour is every Wednesday from 5PM- 7PM, with two-for-one half liters.