Florida Beer Co - Key West Southernmost Wheat

Today was another gorgeous Florida day. I almost feel bad saying that, considering the type of weather those up north are getting. Actually, I don't feel bad, because in about 5 months, the entire U.S. will be sweating it out in 80-90 degree weather, and we'll all be wishing for cooler temperatures. We might as well enjoy what we've got, while we got it! So considering the weather, I thought it would be a good idea to wake the BBQ up from it's winter slumber and cook up some chicken. My wife went along with it, and actually went a step further. We typically use pretty standard BBQ sauce on the chicken, however, she had a Key West Southernmost Wheat calling her name. She answered that call by not only poppin' open the bottle, but by adding some Caribbean flair to our BBQ sauce. The chicken turned out really well, and the beer I'm about to type about was a great companion to the dish. Actually, the second beer I'm going to write about tonight, Ommegang Witte, was also a good companion.

My wife originally picked out this beer. She's a fan of lighter beers, so the wheats are a pretty good choice for her. I was pretty excited about this selection because of the brewing company - Florida Brewing Company, based out of Melbourne, Florida. Melbourne is my old stomping ground, and my parents actually still live there. FBC is technically based out of West Melbourne; but let's not get technical, this technically isn't a blog about geography. I always enjoy trying beers from places that I lived. Another intimate favorite of mine are the Magic Hat products. Magic Hat is based out of Burlington, Vermont, which is a lake away from where I grew up in up-state New York. Good times.

Back to the brewery at hand: FBC was originally formed in 1996, but was reorganized in 2003, and according to "reports", they are the largest craft brewer in the whole State of Florida! Not bad (West) Melbourne! According to those same reports, their yearly output is 20,000 barrels. Damn, how'd I get pulled back into these technicalities?! Let's get to drinkin!


Pour before you GULP! Wheat beers always have such a great color to them, and the Key West Southernmost Wheat did not disappoint in this department. Greeting it's eventual 'user' (to borrow a phrase from Tron) with a golden yellow/orange color and foamy white head, the 'South by Southwest' meets the industry standard!


GULP! It up! The thing about beer bottles is that they tend to spoil the fun. Que, you say? I mean, they tell you what flavors to expect before you drink, so what's to stop me from typing, word for word, what is said on the bottle? Well guess what, sometimes when you're searching for hidden flavors, to eventually try and describe, you need that extra nudge of information to get that "ah-ha!" moment. Luckily for the Southernmost Wheat, those nuggets of information weren't really needed. It was fairly apparent to me that I was tasting orange peel  and  key lime (I wonder what gave that last part away *cough* image on bottle *cough*). I guess what I'm saying is that this was a pretty delicious Belgian wheat with nice hints of orange peel and key lime - and it was quite drinkable as well. Unlike IPA's or amber red's, there is no hoppy bitterness at the end, which can be nice. 


Grade the GULP! I'm going to try to be ethical here and not let my ties to the City of Melbourne construe my grading. Florida Beer Co. is in luck tonight though, because I don't need any extra tugging to give out a nice grade. The Key West Southernmost Wheat is a solid Belgian wheat with a little south Florida kick, thanks to the key lime. It's a good substitute to the typical summer lagers such as Dos Equis, Landshark, or Corona. Because of that, I will give Southernmost an 7.5 (the key lime counts for .5). So if you're from Central Florida, or just visiting, go support the largest craft brewer in the State, and while you're there, take a dip in the ocean! End of Line.