SOF Brewing: On A Mission

For Patriots Lager, from SOF Brewing
(photo: Linda Johnson/BrewNymph)

July 29, 2020: With a Mission Statement that begins with "We came here to kick ass and make beer ...", one might expect some "force" behind this new Tallahassee brewery. One look at the biographies of the three guys behind SOF Brewing Company gives special meaning to the word.  

Kris Hasenauer: US Army Officer, National Guard and Special Forces Group member. Kyle Harth: Army Paratrooper, Green Beret. Brian McDowell: National Guard, deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. And now, the trio wants to show others the "camaraderie of Special Operations Forces" and give their brothers and sisters a "place to drop their ruck and relax." Realizing that many have "paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we can pursue our passions," SOF Brewing has partnered with the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. It's no wonder that the brewery's motto is "Freedom Doesn't Brew Itself!"

While the founders of SOF Brewing may have found a formidable foe in Covid-19, they found a way to start the process of "brewing awesome beer for awesome people," as their mission statement continues. With the help of award-winning brewery 26° Brewing Company in Pompano Beach, where SOF Brewing's first beer, For Patriots Lager, is currently brewed, the Tallahassee startup has recently begun canning and distributing the lager. As of July 20, For Patriots Lager is available throughout the 22-county North Central Florida territory of Cone Distributing. 

"We're excited to partner with a brewery like SOF Brewing who is focused on delivering quality beer and giving back to the military and local communities," said Douglas Cone, President and CEO of Team Cone in a press release. "SOF Brewing's For Patriots Lager has a great story and salutes the men and women of the armed forces and the everyday heroes in our communities."

SOF Brewing CEO Kris Hasenauer stated that the young brewery partnered with Cone because of its "close-knit team and family corporate culture." Another factor, he explained, was Cone's "work ethic and 'take care of each other' mentality," which align with the brewery founders' military and special operations backgrounds. 

For Patriots Lager is a 4.6% ABV, 30 IBU American Lager. A first-hand tasting revealed a beer which pours a light golden color, with an appropriate carbonation, for an enjoyable, pleasant drinking experience. This lager exhibited no fruity or off-flavors. The taste is malty, bready, with a slight sweetness, together with a medium body. Although it is light, it has substance. The lager is repeatable and certain to be a "go-to" beer at any time of the year or to accompany any type of dish. It gets a thumbs-up! 

In addition to the new distribution area, the beer is available at SOF Brewing's brewery for to-go sales only for the time being. 

SOF Brewing is located at 603 W. Gaines St., Tallahassee. (Yes, you will recognize this location as the former GrassLands Brewing.)  Its current hours for to-go sales are Tuesday-Saturday, 2-7pm. According to the SOF Brewing website, its IPA, Night Stalker, is in the works. 

Cone Distributing, with facilities in Ocala and Tallahassee, sells beer from 40 suppliers throughout 22 counties in North Central Florida.

Thanks to Team Cone and SOF Brewing for the chance to taste the beer! This will be another reason to make a future visit to Tallahassee!

Til next time,

Linda

Linda Johnson
Certified Cicerone®

Run. Golf. Beer.™
Escapades, Brews and Running Shoes™

Exploring Florida

www.brewnymph.com

© 2020 BrewNymph, LLC. All text and photos. All rights reserved. BrewNymph; Peace, Love, Pints; Where the Beer Meets the Beach, and Beer is my Trademark are federally-registered trademarks of BrewNymph, LLC; Run. Golf. Beer.; Escapades, Brews and Running Shoes are trademarks of BrewNymph, LLC

North Florida Breweries Team With Sierra Nevada Brewing to Brew Resilience IPA for California Camp Fire Relief

UPDATE, 12/28/2018: I've now obtained the Resilience IPA in cans: it's a hearty, hoppy IPA, with notes of citrus, floral and pine. KEEP READING...... 

Photo: 12-28-2018. Cans of Resilience IPA, along with
coasters of the five North Florida breweries featured in this story.
(photo: Linda Johnson)

December 10, 2018: It seems that breweries, large and small, are no strangers to charitable causes or donating supplies to assist those in need when disaster strikes. In November 2018, California saw wildfires tear through acres upon acres of forest, destroy cities and towns in their paths, and claim lives. The images were stunning and heartbreaking. A number of employees at California brewery Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., of Chico, were personally affected. Shortly thereafter, the brewery established a fund, the Camp Fire Relief Fund, with $100,000 to start efforts to assist those impacted by the events. 

Graphic by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Being a large brewery, though, founder Ken Grossman also set out to brew a beer and donate all of the proceeds to the cause. And, what about asking every brewery across the nation to also participate in brewing this special beer and donating the sales back to the fund? With malt and hops suppliers agreeing to donate the raw materials to the endeavor, "Resilience Butte County Proud IPA" was born. Over 1400 breweries pledged to brew the beer, with a recipe provided by Sierra Nevada. With brewing having started in November, the beer will hit taps throughout the country in December and January. Sierra Nevada will distribute the special beer in cans. The IPA is 6.8% ABV and 65 IBU. 

Over 60 Florida breweries are participating in the nationwide brew.

When asked why Jacksonville's Bold City Brewery decided to join the effort, Co-Owner Brian Miller simply stated, "the question is, why wouldn't we?" He added that "the decision to get involved was easy" and that with peoples' lives destroyed, and although Bold City Brewery's part is minimal, "anything will help," and they are happy to be a part of it. Bold City's brewers will brew the beer in January, and it will be available on tap late January to early February.

Founder Gabe Grass of GrassLands Brewing, Tallahassee, saw the initiative as an extension of the brewery's "Craft. Community. Conservation." mission. With its assistance efforts following Hurricane Michael, GrassLands Brewing "was just as happy and as honored" to participate in the Sierra Nevada project. "We value engagement with the community, and in this sense, it's the community at large."  He added that the "camaraderie and selflessness of breweries like Sierra Nevada and the others is what fuels us on a day to day basis."  GrassLands brewed its beer on December 5, generally following the prescribed recipe. The beer will be available in the Tallahassee tap room in December. "Craft beer is universally popular, but the industry also represents a complex and intimate relationship with the community," he added. "This type of initiative is a great example of why I got into the brewing industry to begin with."

One of the first North Florida breweries to tap Resilience IPA is First Magnitude Brewing, Gainesville, with a tap room release on December 10. Co-Owner John Denny expressed not only his respect for Sierra Nevada Brewing and being "impressed with the scale of the effort," but "how quickly they pulled it together." Confirming the mindset of craft breweries to pitch in, he added, "it highlights how many craft breweries are community-minded and willing to help with charitable causes." First Magnitude's President Christine Denny worked in environmental science for 17 years, with one of her specialties being fire ecology. Having taught about the natural role of fire in Florida ecosystems and ways to protect homes from fire, the brewery wanted to help those affected, "even in a small way." 

"We were instantly on board," said Linda Horn, Co-Owner of Atlantic Beach Brewing Company in the Jacksonville area. "With the enormity of the devastation, we felt helpless while watching the news coverage." Atlantic Beach Brewing brewed ten barrels of the beer during Thanksgiving week, with an anticipated release of December 18. "It's one small way we can contribute to the rebuilding of people's lives, homes, schools and businesses," Linda commented. The brewery is "proud to be a part of such a great industry that gives back and helps one another regardless of business size or geography." (Ed. Note, December 15: ABBC will tap the beer on December 20).

According to Southern Swells Brewing Co-Founder Corey Adams, the brewery "got involved because it is a unique opportunity to make an impact by simply doing what we love, brewing." He added that being able to make a donation to the cause "through simply brewing Resilience is the least we could do." Southern Swells brewed the beer on November 28 "with just a little more dry hopping," and it will be available on December 20. With that level of devastation being unfathomable, he added, "Sierra Nevada’s idea to not only brew Resilience but to invite other breweries to do the same was amazing, and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to join the other breweries participating."  (Edited 12/15/2018)

When it's all said and done, over 17,000 barrels (4.2 million pints) of Resilience Butte County Proud IPA will make its debut throughout the country beginning in December, with all funds received from the sales of the beer being donated to the Camp Fire Relief Fund. 

In addition to the breweries mentioned above, other North Florida breweries also participating in the relief project include Ology Brewing, Tallahassee; Blackadder Brewing, Gainesville; Fool's Fire Brewing, Tallahassee; and Eastpoint Beer Company, Eastpoint.  

A full list of the participating breweries can be found here.  Homebrewers can also try their hand at brewing the beer with the homebrew recipe. 



When the beer is tapped at a location near you, give it a try, and help out the cause. 

And...... there's a badge for that, too!








Thanks to the above breweries for the comments! 


Til next time,

Linda

Linda Johnson,
Certified Cicerone®
www.brewnymph.com

6th Annual Florida Tap Invitational All-Florida Beerfest at Proof Brewing, Tallahassee: Circle It for 2019

Yes, a purple beer: Black Currant Aronia Evil Kiss Berliner
from Proof Brewing Co. (photo: Linda Johnson)

November 6, 2018: Just picture it: Blue skies and light breezes, comfortable temperatures hovering around 70°, a glass in your hand, and ... over 40 Florida breweries from all parts of the state assembled in one place for an afternoon of beer of all colors and styles. An island? Beachside? How about Tallahassee! It was an awesome day at the 6th Annual all-Florida beer event Florida Tap Invitational hosted by Proof Brewing Co. on the afternoon of Saturday, November 3. 

With folks at last year's event
trying to beat the late September heat, the 2018 beerfest was moved to November to take advantage of cooler temperatures, said Bryan Smith, Sales & Events Director for Proof Brewing. Scheduling this event also takes the Florida State football schedule into consideration, meaning that only a certain number of weekends are available. As it turned out, the weather was incredible, which made for a perfect beerfest afternoon. 

VIP ticketholders waiting at the entry gate before noon

making HEADlines: Proof Brewing, Tallahassee, Relocating

making HEADlines:

PROOF BREWING, TALLAHASSEE, ANNOUNCES RELOCATION AND EXPANSION PLANS

March 19, 2018:  Tallahassee brewery Proof Brewing Co. today announced its plans to expand its operations and relocate to a larger facility in downtown Tallahassee, which will allow for a 30,000 barrel production capability -- with room for additional expansion. 

According to a statement released today, Proof Brewing will begin renovations this month at the 34,000sf former Coca-Cola Bottling Company building at 1320 South Monroe St. When all said and done, the new brewery will include an expanded tasting room, retail store, private event space, kitchen and beer garden.  On the brewhouse side of things, the move means efficiency upgrades, a quality control lab and additional fermentation capacity, increasing the possible production to 30,000 barrels. 

making HEADlines: Proof Brewing

making HEADlines:

PROOF BREWING CO. HOSTS 5th ANNUAL FLORIDA TAP INVITATIONAL,
SEPTEMBER 29/30

Tallahassee, FL:  Craft beer aficionados constantly thirst for new beers to add to their never-ending lists of unique beers and ongoing quests to find elusive, limited, rare, and maybe never-seen-before, brews. On the other side, brewers continue to develop new recipes and creatively combine ingredients as they produce different types and styles of beers. In what may be a dream scenario for both, the 5th Annual Florida Tap Invitational, hosted by Proof Brewing Co., returns on September 29 and 30.