I'm heading to Miami in a few weeks for a brief family vacation and seek the collective wisdom of BA for beer recommendations. I'll have the wife and toddler in tow, so I have to minimize the amount of time I spend on beer, and prioritization is essential. We're staying in South Beach, so that's the relevant location for this call for assistance. Bars: If you were a fan of boozy, adjunct-heavy, and barrel-aged imperial stouts and could only hit one bar close to South Beach, what would be your pick? Don't get me wrong, I love DIPAs and sours/wilds too, and I won't mind some variety, but heavy stouts are, by far, my #1, and I know South Florida has a reputation for knocking these out of the park. Breweries: If you could only stop by one brewery for bottles/cans near(ish) South Beach, which would you choose? I won't have the luxury of time to line up for super limited releases, so if bottles/cans aren't likely to last until after the kiddo's bedtime, that's not going to be a priority for me. Definitely important to have a taproom for some pours while I'm there. Trading: I'm not much of a trader and tend to only do it on travel (like this trip). I'm planning to arrive with some Aslin stouts (e.g., Bale, Dreams) and (maybe) IPAs, and I can snag some Veil while passing through Richmond this weekend. I'm hoping to score some limited, South Florida stouty goodness to bring back with me. I have a general awareness of some of the bigger names (Angry Chair, J. Wakefield, Funky Buddha, Cycle) but I genuinely have no clue on the trade value, scarcity, availability, etc. of individual brews from any of them. What would you suggest are my best prospects? Bottle Shops: If I were to snag a few bottles to bring home, what's the best bottle shop near South Beach? And do the barrel-aged Funky Buddha brews (e.g., Last Buffalo) tend to sit on shelves, or are they pretty limited? Thanks and cheers!
I think there is 1 brewery in South Beach? Abbey Brewing, never been, never really heard much about it. There is a Total Wine on the beach also, don't know any good bottle shops outside of that. Best best is probably Wynwood area. Not that far from South Beach and you have J Wakefield, Wynwood Brewing, Veza Sur, and Concrete Beach all to check out. You also have BoxElder which is a bottle shop and taproom.
I'll save my friend @HeartofMiami the heartburn. A quick search reveals: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/miami-guys-need-some-advice.591356/#post-6221820 https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/visiting-miami-reccomendations.550785/#post-6156295
J Wakefield is the only must hit brewery. Union Beer Store and Boxelder are the bottle shops to go to
Not from Miami, but having been there recently I would hit up Funkky Buddha. I know it is a hike, but definitely worth it! JWakefield would be a good side distraction when you venture with the wife and toddler and walk the artsy district (definitely worth it, the artsy district). Don’t forget to hit the Taco place on the corner by the brewery in the artsy district!
Not from Miami but was just there the last 2 weeks. Ricky’s Southbeach had a killer tap list if you’re looking for IPA’s. Civil Society, Finback, Aslin, Commonwealth, Mikerphone etc... Really cool place to. And as someone else mentioned, for bottles, Boxelder and Union Beer store both had good bottles and tap lists.
Boxelder isn’t far from south beach and the best one stop shop for you, especially if you’re with a baby. Good tap list, lots of bottles, and relatively chill and a nice spot.
One last Miami question for you guys: What are my chances of finding barrel-aged Funky Buddha bottles at shops? I'd love to snag a few to bring back with me if I can track them down. Cheers and happy new year!
I’ve been seeing the BA Funky Buddha bottles sitting around at a lot of stores in South FL, even at some grocery stores, so it should be easy to find. Don’t overpay - they should be around $27 per bomber.
