When I went to Florida, my friend Joe recommended Peg’s Pizza Cantina Brew Pub. Then when I got down there and talked with a couple of folks, they recommended it as well. When I read an article naming this the best brew pub in America (yes, it’s debatable), I knew we had to go. So, on the last night of our vacation in Madeira Beach, we headed over to Gulfport and had dinner at Peg’s.

The brewmaster at Peg’s is her son, Doug Dozark, who is the production manager and assistant brewer at Cigar City Brewing. They call their beers G.O.O.D. (Gulfport Original Beer On Draft) beer. This beer apparently took home the gold at the 2011 Florida Beer Championships.

Location: On tap and served in a regular pint glass at Peg’s Pizza Cantina in Gulfport, Florida.

Numbers: 6% ABV

Appearance & Aroma: It was light amber in color and was slightly hazy with a nice, thick, white, foamy head on it. The head left some nice lacing on the glass as I drank the beer. It had a citrusy hop aroma with some earthiness and hints of bready maltiness.

Taste & Feel: The body was medium and the mouthfeel was fairly creamy with a tinge of crispness. The flavors up front were slightly sweet maltiness with citrusy hop sweetness. Quickly, the citrusy hop sweetness became bitterness in the middle, incorporating a bit of earthy hop bitterness. The hop bitterness remained consistent throughout, allowing the bready, and slighly honey-like, malt background to make its presence known. The earthy citrusy bitterness contributed to a slightly dry finish and lasted for a bit in the aftertaste.

Food Pairing: I enjoyed this beer with Peg’s shrimp burrito, which came with rice and beans. The citrusy hop bitterness worked perfectly with the light, slightly spicy flavors of the burrito. The hop flavors contributed to the food flavors, and the bitterness and lightly dry finish prepared me for another bite.

Overall Impression: I had heard many good thing, from several people, about this place. This beer appeared to be one of their signatures, so I thought it would be a good indication of the rest of their beers. I was impressed with the balance of hop flavor and bitterness throughout, as well as the balance between these and the malt flavors. True to style, it was hop forward, but it certainly wasn’t a hop bomb. All of the flavors mixed very nicely, making it extremely drinkable. I was very impressed with this beer and would highly recommend it if you stop into Peg’s Pizza Cantina.

My Rating:

Reader Ratings[five-star-rating]