20 March 9-15, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | News | letters | coNteNts | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | — and he’s correct. The menu reads like a “best of” from all of Kuscher’s restaurants — burgers, bang bang shrimp, and chicken tenders. There are craft beers and cocktails with cute names. Also the bathrooms don’t look like something out of American Horror Story anymore. But look closer and you’ll find a list of “Shitty” beers that are OG Tobacco Road approved, there’s live music on the weekends, and just walking through the door under the Tobacco Road canopy sends a frisson of nostalgia up your spine. Tripping Animals Brewing Co. 2685 NW 105TH AVE., DORAL 305-646-1339 TRIPPINGANIMALS.COM Tripping Animals’ partners Daniel Chocron, Ignacio Montenegro, Iker Elorriaga, and Juan Manuel Torres founded their brewery in Doral with the idea that everyone could get trippy. To that end, the Tripping team im- bues everything they do with party-hearty gusto. The taproom is well-known for its large-format festivals, insanely fruity sours, heavy-hitting IPAs, and creative animal- themed can art. Hungry? Tripping Animals has teamed with Miami-based Meat ‘n Bone to provide an ever-rotating selection of burg- ers, steaks, and more. Tropezón 512 ESPAÑOLA WAY, MIAMI BEACH 305-763-8523 TROPEZONMIAMI.COM Lost Boy & Co. cofounders Randy Alonso and Chris Hudnall (cf. Fox’s Lounge) have brought the art of the gin and tonic to Miami Beach’s Española Way with Tropezón. The Andalusian-themed tapas and gin bar, tucked inside the Esmé Miami Beach hotel, proves that a G&T is more than ice, booze, and soda. In Spain, the cocktail is infused with fruits, flowers, and herbs to create a fragrant and re- freshing beverage with multiple complexi- ties. At Tropezón, you start with your choice of more than 20 gins infused in-house with teas, seasonal, fruits, nuts, and meats. Trans- lation: Your cocktail can range from floral to earthy. Pair your pick with the bar’s selection of meats, cheeses, and tapas, and savor. Tropical Distillers 2141 NW TENTH AVE., MIAMI 786-294-0328 TROPICALDISTILLERS.COM The creator of J.F. Haden’s Liqueur, a Magic City-inspired line of mango, espresso, and citrus liqueurs, Tropical Distillers resides in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood. Although the distillery also produces its own rum and vodka (with more spirits on the way), the venue aims to offer guests an immersive and educational spirit experience of its brands via tastings, tours, and events. The 8,000-square-foot space houses a 30-seat bar and tasting room, open Thursday through Saturday. Decked out with colorful, old- school Florida tropical accents, it’s the spot to order up creative cocktails made with Tropical Distillers spirits, from a mango mar- garita and citrus spritz to an espresso martini and an ever-changing lineup of fruit-infused frozen libations. Unbranded Brewing Co. 1395 E. 11TH AVE., HIALEAH 786-332-3097 UNBRANDEDBREWING.COM Hialeah’s first brewery, Unbranded Brewing Co., takes its name from the founder’s grand- father, who opted not to brand the cattle on his Texas farm. Today, Unbranded stands for its beers, which don’t have catchy monikers. Ask for a Golden, a Guava, or a Hazy — the names are simple and descriptive. Unbranded has an in-house smokehouse offering smoked brisket and pulled pork in platters, sand- wiches, and tacos. Consider the brewery a welcome touch of Texas in Hialeah. Union Beer Store 1547 SW EIGHTH ST., MIAMI 786-313-3919 UNIONBEERSTORE.COM Located on famed Calle Ocho, Union Beer store is your best SW Eighth Street bet for local brews and rare beers alike. But this isn’t merely a beer bar and neighborhood taproom that of- fers 18 unique brews on draft served along with a variety of eats. It’s also a beer market, where refrigerated cases hold a rotating selection of whales — that’s beerspeak for hard-to-find and limited-release bottles and cans. And it’s a growler bar, where they’ll happily fill your to- go jug with your choice from the tap so you can partake of your Union Beer Store bounty wher- ever your craft-beer-loving self desires. Unseen Creatures Brewing & Blending 4178 SW 74TH CT., MIAMI 786-332-2903 UNSEENCREATURES.COM Unseen Creatures Brewing & Blending hus- band-and-wife cofounders Marco and Vicky Leyte-Vidal offer Miami-Dade a different type of brewery in the heart of Miami’s Bird Road Art District. This is one of the few South Flor- ida breweries with an onsite blending facility specializing in oak barrel-aged, mixed-fermen- tation wild and sour beers that use local ingre- dients and microflora. Unseen Creatures’ beers are influenced by the farmhouse traditions of Belgium and France but aren’t limited to the same set of guidelines or style requirements. How? It’s all thanks to those unseen “crea- tures” — locally foraged yeast and bacteria that lend these beers their unique flavor profile. Beers here are inherently refreshing and ses- sionable. Look for core offerings, including Marco’s solera blend, Artifact, a tart and funky beer dry-hopped with Cascade hops. Veza Sur Brewing Co. 55 NW 25TH ST., MIAMI 786-362-6300 VEZASUR.COM Veza Sur Brewing Co. may be owned by An- heuser-Busch InBev, but its roots are firmly planted in Miami. The brewery, one of the most beautiful in Miami, has dug deep into the community. Its beers range from chopp, a refreshing, traditional Brazilian brew served nearly to the point of freezing — to beers made with tropical fruits like mango and lulo (AKA naranjilla). Along with live entertain- ment and other events, the brewery hosts charity nights to raise funds for local organi- zations — all in a lush, junglelike setting. Vinya Wine & Market 328 CRANDON BLVD. #122 -123, KEY BISCAYNE 305-361-7007 VINYAWINE.COM Wine can be intimidating. Who hasn’t pe- rused rack after rack of wines only to pick up a bottle that has a cat on it out of sheer desperation? Varietals, terroir, and vintages all become a blur when you simply want a nice bottle to pair with the pasta dinner you’re making for your new boo. Allegra Angelo, the sommelier at Vinya, hears your soul crying out for some good wine, hold the intimidation. Wines at Vinya are catego- rized by sweetness, price point, and even signs of the zodiac. If, say, you’re a Leo who wants a sweet dessert wine under $50, they’ve got you covered. Vinya is also a wine bar, so sit back and order anything from ba- con-wrapped dates to a “Caviar Experi- ence,” select any wine in the shop (a $15 corkage fee applies), and enjoy. Water Lion Wine + Alchemy 1671 COLLINS AVE., MIAMI BEACH 212-111-2233 WATERLIONBAR.COM Tucked inside the lobby of the Sagamore Hotel, Water Lion Wine + Alchemy feels like a secret you don’t want to share. This cozy little ten-seat bar and 12-seat dining area is the respite you need in the frenetic epicenter of South Beach. Water Lion spe- cializes in unique offerings that cover wine, beer, cider, sake, and an in-house fermentol- ogy-based mixology program of artisanal low- and no-ABV cocktails. The wine menu is an ever-evolving selection that includes a wide range of flavor profiles — from a vari- ety of micro-vintners that offer everything from light and effervescent sparklers to juicy reds and full-bodied whites. For food, find fresh-shucked oysters alongside a bevy of light dishes like charcuterie, a chopped shrimp dip, and deviled eggs. Don’t be sur- prised if all the wine and oysters work a lit- tle magic. Word is that this little spot has been the site of more than a few marriage proposals. Guess there’s something in the water...lion. The Wilder 701 E. BROWARD BLVD., FORT LAUDERDALE 954-918-7212 INTOTHEWILDER.COM The Wilder is Fort Lauderdale’s answer to the lack of destination drinking for a higher- class clientele. Think of it as a social club for a truly sophisticated imbibing experience. South Florida hospitality veteran David Car- daci and his wife, Vanessa, used their travels as inspiration for the unique watering hole. Three distinct spaces offer unique experi- ences, each with a distinct personality: a hotel lobby-like front bar offers up masterfully-ex- ecuted libations; a European-style outdoor courtyard for sun-soaked revelry; and a dimly illuminated great room with a second bar that hosts near-nightly events from a burlesque show and live music acts to a weekly jazz night. There are plenty of nooks and crannies for cozying up or grabbing a seat at the long back bar. The libations roster mixes OG cock- tails like the rum-forward tiki-style “West In- dian Handshake” with a rotating selection of seasonal picks filed under “Adventurous.” Drinks are smartly paired with upscale bar bites such as goat-cheese croquettes and day- boat fish ceviche. Wynwood Brewing Company 565 NW 24TH ST., MIAMI 305-982-8732 WYNWOODBREWING.COM Nearly a decade ago, the father-and-son team of Luis and Luis Brignoni opened Wynwood Brewing Co. as the first brewery in the City of Miami proper, paving the way to transform Wynwood into a mecca for beers. Today, Wynwood Brewing’s beers can be found at most local restaurants and grocery stores. But it’s worth your while to go to the source to get a true feel for the beers and the brewery’s heart and soul. The taproom remains tiny and intimate, a place where the beertenders know your name. There are games in the corner, a chalkboard listing the beers in rotation, and comfortable benches and tables. That’s it: No pretension, just great beer, friendly faces, and a Miami success story. Vinya Wine & Market Photo by RMStudio Corp
