Darwin Brewing Co. brewmaster Jared Barnes with his second runner-up award for Best Beer in Florida 2013. (Photo provided by Darwin Brewing Co.)
Darwin Brewing Co., the brewing component of Sarasota restaurant Darwin's on 4th, won 13 medals at the Best Florida Beer Championships in Tampa on Sunday. This is the biggest annual competition for Florida craft brewers.
Brewmaster Jared Barnes' Summadayze IPA, which won a gold medal, also earned third place for Best Beer in Florida. Cigar City Brewing won first place for its Torcedores Series Vienna Lager and second place for White Oak Jai Alai IPA, which shows the level of competition Barnes was up against.
Here's the complete medal count for Darwin Brewing Co.:
Gold: Ayawasca, Charapa, Summadayze IPA
Silver: Cafe Arabica, Decimation, Oak Aged Ayawasca, Cornelius Pilsner, Vanilla Betrayal
Bronze: Citrica, Catracha pils, El Dorado IPA, Maduro Weizenbock, Lazy Pirate
"I was astonished," Barnes said today. They entered 16 beers and won medals for 13 of them. Barnes has been brewing in Florida just about a year.
