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Mike Smith


Last Updated: 12/3/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: Swinger
Age: 39
Sign: Pisces

City: ORLANDO
State: FLORIDA
Country: US
Signup Date: 6/5/2006

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Saturday, November 21, 2009 

Category: Parties and Nightlife
A few new nightlife faves
Social Chameleon.

Social Chameleon in Orlando's Milk District. (Orlando Sentinel File. / November 19, 2009)

  • Kelly Fitzpatrick
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    Every year during this issue I try to mix things up a bit. So it's not necessarily a rundown of all my generic favorites. In fact, my favorite bars and clubs don't necessarily change as much as they just close on me. But some have stood the test of time (and by that I mean five years or more).

    My favorite bar is still McRaney's Tavern in Winter Park (although I'm not happy about their choice to go nonsmoking on Dec. 12), and my favorite nightclub is still Independent Bar in downtown Orlando. Sloppy Taco Palace is still my favorite for bar bites, and Ember is still a downright beautiful nightspot. But there were some new faves that I crawled up on this year and I figured I would share those with you.

    •Best new "old" bar: OK, maybe this isn't necessarily fair because everyone that reads this column knows how much I loved the old Will's Pub in Orlando. But I have to give it to owner Will Walker for bringing the old bar's feel to his new place at 1042 N. Mills Ave. in Orlando. This is what really edged it out over Scruffy Murphy's in College Park, another oldie that reopened last year. Although a fine place, the new Scruffy Murphy's has a different vibe and look than its downtown Orlando predecessor. Even though I wish Will's new music room was closed off from the rest of the bar like the former location, the old atmosphere is definitely there. It's nice to have back again.

    •Best happy hour: Over the last year I've found myself gravitating toward one particular happy hour spot more and more: WaiTiki Retro Tiki Lounge at 26 Wall St. in Wall Street Plaza in downtown Orlando. With not a lot of cash to spare this year on going out, Waitiki's half-price specialty drinks and appetizers was a perfect solution. That mean mojitos, cosmos and pina coladas for $4 and under and coconut shrimp and conch fritters for $4.50 and under. I've stuffed myself and walked away with a buzz for under $20 many a night here. Happy hour is 4-7 p.m. Monday-Friday.

    •Best place to sing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall": You'll not only be singing the song on the Beer Bomb Bus Tour, but you'll feel like you drank close to that many beers by the time it's over. Shipyard Brewing's grassroots marketing guru, Mike Smith, runs the bus tours that bring you to beer-savvy bars that will teach you a thing or two about the brew you're sipping. In between stops Smith hands out beers on the bus from Shipyard and talks a bit about them. This is seriously one of the best times I've had in a while; you should try it. There is one coming up on Nov. 30 that will include a stop at Cigar City Brewing in Tampa. Tickets go on sale today for $30. For more information and to buy tickets go to myspace.com/beerbombofthemonth.

    •Best reason to drive to Hunter's Creek: I try not to drive out to Hunter's Creek unless I have to but House of Beer at 13526 Village Park Drive #208-210 in Orlando is certainly a reason you should. This beer lover's bar could easily fall into the last category if I meant number of beers literally on the wall — well maybe half of that, with 48 beers on tap and close to 200 bottles. Jax Fifth Ave. Deli & Ale still takes the crown as far as most beers served but House of Beer runs a close second.

    •Best late night eat: Social Chameleon at 2406 E. Robinson Ave. is a new player in the Milk District in Orlando, but after one bite of their flatbread pizzas or slurp of one of their delicious soups, you'll be frequenting this bohemian-vibed restaurant after a night out drinking again and again. It helps they serve food until 2 a.m. most nights (open 6 p.m.- 2 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 2 p.m.- midnight Sunday and 6 p.m.- midnight on Mondays). Recently the small outside patio has not only served as an ending spot for my friends and me most evenings, but a starter spot as well. Along with its always-fresh menu, the beer and wine selection makes it a fantastic place for small birthday gatherings or a date spot.
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Wednesday, June 03, 2009 

Category: Travel and Places
5/31 Rockstar Bowling Season 10 opener
6/4 First Thursday at Orlando Museum of Art
6/6 Beerfest at Jackie Robinson Stadium
6/9 Left Hand Brewing Flight Night at Redlight Redlight
6/14 Rockstar Bowling 10.2
6/15 Shipyard Night at Daytona Cubs
6/20 Legacy Run at Sanford American Legion
6/21 Lagacy Run at Sanford American Legion
6/28 RockStar Bowling 10.3
6/29 Shipyard Night at Daytona Cubs
7/12 Rockstar Bowling 10.4
7/16 Thirsty Thursday @ Daytona Cubs
7/19 Beer Bomb Bike Tour
7/26 Rockstar Bowling 10.5
8/3 Taste of Daytona at Daytona Cubs
8/9 Rockstar Bowling Season 10 Finale
8/16 Rockstar Season 10 Shootout


Here comes Summertime, so we are kicking into summertime mode with our beer adventures. Gonna start gearing things toward inside events, outside nightime events, and of course Baseball/Bowling/Bikes/Busses!

Thanks to everyone who showed up at the first South Eola Sofas and Suds on may 23rd. While the weather didn't help things out, it was still a great day with alot of great beers and great couch racing. Congratulations to Team Stardust for winning the first ever sofa race, stop by to check out the trophy at their bar. Stay tuned, we are looking to do another one soon (looking at October 17th). myspace.com/beersofarally

We will also be doing another Beer Bomb Bike Tour on July 19th Now that we are oficially in the dog days of summer, I will move the rides back to evening time. This ride will begin at 7 pm at 903 Mills Market and will wind through downtown Orlando. As usual, there will be a great microbrew featured at each stop. myspace.com/beerbombofthemonth

Doing a beer fest at Jackie Robinson Stadium on June 6th. Will proabably put together a Shipyard Bus trip out to Daytona and back for that. Let me know if you are interested. Also, if you are interested in going to any of the Shipyard Nights at The Daytona Cubs, just let me know. I always have free tickets and a few seats in my van open . . .

Wish you could try alot of new beer to find a new favorite? Wish you could do in a quick, effective, and inexpensive manner? Come out to Left Hand Brewing Flight Night at Redlight Redlight on Tuesday, June 9th. We will be featuring two flights made up from great Left Hand beers such as: Sawtooth, Polestar Pilsner, Jackmans Pale Ale, Warrior IPA, Smokejumper, Haystack Wheat, Brandy casked Imperial Stout and of course their Milkstout.

We have a couple of beer dinners in the works, a night golf competition coming soon, first Thursdays at OMA, last Fridays at Audobon Park, and maybe a baseball game or two this summer . . . but we always have great beer everyday, try one! myspace.com/orlandobeerdinners and myspace.com/orlandobeergolf and myspace.com/orlandobrats

Please go to FloridaMicroBev.com to see all of our product lines. We now boast a full and well-rounded catalog of some of the best Microbrews in the country . . .
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Thursday, October 18, 2007 

Current mood:  bouncy
Category: Parties and Nightlife
 

Dreams do come true: A beer bus ride


Kelly Fitzpatrick | BARS & CLUBS
April 10, 2009

Get on the bus

The Shipyard Bus stopped at Sanford Wine Company during its tour. (Mike Smith / April 7, 2009)


..

Living in Central Florida, we're all used to the attractions and excursions offered to the tourists constantly coming in. But recently I went on a bus tour definitely appreciated best by locals — although it may take you a day or two to recover.

The "Beer Bomb Bus Tour" takes nearly 20 folks to experience different bars around Central Florida that really take pride in their beer selection, and have the chops to educate you on the beer as you sip it. For $45, the "Shipyard Bus" takes its passengers to four bars to sample four beers, and bar staffers educate you on each brew. In between, the bus is stocked with three different kegs of Shipyard you can imbibe while singing "99 Bottles of Beer" between stops.

The bus tour is brought to us by Mike Smith of Shipyard Brewing Company, a master at grass-roots marketing around town for a brewery based in Portland, Maine. He acquired the bus in 2007 and started the tours shortly after to "combine great beers, great people discussing great beers and traveling to some of the best beer bars in Central Florida." I'm sure the Shipyard products painted all over the bus isn't a bad advertisement, either, but that isn't all that you're sampling. This is seriously one good time.


1st stop: Redlight Redlight

Last Sunday's tour started at Redlight Redlight in Orlando, a bar with one of the best selections in town and prices that can't be beat. Our first beer was a wonderfully hoppy Cigar City IPA. Owner Brent Hernandez gave a brief history lesson on India Pale Ale for the group, and then we were off to our next stop at Sanford Wine Company.




Kelly Fitzpatrick Kelly Fitzpatrick Bio | E-mail | Recent columns
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2nd stop: Sanford Wine Company

I love beer but a liquid lunch is a bad idea, so lucky for us when we arrived in Sanford there wasn't just a Smuttynose Porter waiting but also some of the best pork I've tasted in a while, provided by Stone's Throw Bistro. Even though Sanford Wine Company has wine in its name, the bar has a diverse menu of fantastic beer options.


3rd stop: Tir Na Nog Irish Pub

Next it was off to Daytona Beach to Tir Na Nog Irish Pub. I had heard about the pub but had never been. No central air, but blowing fans kept it at a comfortable temperature. There were more than 30 beers on tap (including Woodchuck Cider, which you can't find anywhere on draft) at this dog-friendly establishment. Again, along with the Erie Brewing Co. Railbender Ale we sampled, we also had sandwiches provided to soak up the suds. Next time you're in Daytona definitely check this place out.


Last stop: Abbey

Our last stop was at Abbey in downtown DeLand. I've written about this place before but I'm still amazed by their sheer knowledge and selection of beer. Along with our complementary Pugsley Signature Series Shipyard Barley Wine and lesson about barley wines, I also got to try an Avery 12th Anniversary Saison Ale which was seriously the best couple of sips of beer I've ever tasted.


Get on the bus

In total the trip lasts roughly six hours and is a great time. Between bars, Smith had us guess the total mileage for the trip and played the movie Caddyshack (love that Baby Ruth scene). Smith is planning another bus trip in early fall, but he also holds other events including the Beer Bomb Bike Tour and Beer Dinners I've written about. To find out about the next one, go to www.myspace.com/beerbombofthemonth.


 
 
 
 
2 wheels, 2 legs can add up to a few pints
Kelly Fitzpatrick
Kelly Fitzpatrick
Published July 20 2006

Maybe it was the Action Figure from the Orlando Sentinel who inspired me last week to pull my Electra Cruiser off the bike stand in my hallway, give it a quick dusting, inflate the tires and actually -- gasp -- ride it.

But I really think it was the promise of a cold beer at the various stops of my bike run that sealed the deal. I'm going to be honest: The most exercise I've gotten during the past month is walking up and down the stairs in my house. Although I enjoy riding my bike, there's a reason why someone else writes about that kind of stuff in this publication.

An e-mail from Mike Smith, the organizer of the Beer Bomb Bike Tour, was the real motivation behind my recent sweating and huffing down Mills Avenue last Sunday night.

Smith runs the tour, an attempt at a biweekly (although the next ride is Aug. 20) pub run around downtown Orlando -- on bikes.

What began a couple of months ago as a few friends riding around town grabbing beers has expanded -- by word of mouth. The run is now 20-25 people strong . . . and growing. Smith, who works for Unique Beers, says it's great grassroots marketing for some of the products that Unique distributes -- the trek, which runs from 7 p.m. till 2 a.m., features bars that carry beers such as Orange Blossom Pilsner, Seadog Raspberry and Blueberry Wheat Ale, all distributed by Unique. (Smith's selected stops also run specials on these beers for the bike tour.) There is no charge whatsoever for the tour; just show up with a bike.

The run began at 903 Mills Market in downtown Orlando, a cute little place converted into a sandwich shop nestled in the neighborhood at Mills Avenue and Gore Street. This particular evening, the shop was doing a wine tasting and had hors d'oeuvres out for patrons. A top-notch beer selection helps make this place a local favorite. After a ½-mile trek (oh yes it was, buddy!), I was ready for salvation in a bottle. Luckily, the market had it, Avery Salvation Belgian Style Ale to be exact. While we munched and sipped, other bikers pulled up, hesitantly getting to know one another.

Smith has everyone sign a disclaimer, just in case some yo-yo forgets we're operating moving vehicles and is irresponsible. Helmets and lights are strongly recommended, but I soon found out the majority of this motley crew was about as adept at long-distance pedaling as I was.

Thankfully, Smith knew that ahead of time and made sure that the stops were closely spaced, for the most part, the longest ride being the stop after 903 Mills, when we jumped on our bikes and headed to Wally's Mills Avenue Liquors. Along the way, neighbors in the Thornton Park area cheered us on as we chatted and waved. Smith worked as guide to the pack and made sure everyone stayed together on a leisurely ride that's not meant to be a race.

Once at Wally's, he chained all of our bikes together, and we headed in for another beer. Now people were talking and trading off light sticks for the next run.

An hour is paced between each run, which took the pack from Wally's to to Colonial Lanes Lounge on Primrose Drive -- if you haven't been to this sunken bar inside a bowling alley, it's a sight, with a great staff to boot.

The rest of the night took the group to Burton's Bar and Grill on Washington Street in Thornton Park, then to Cleo's on Court Avenue in downtown Orlando, and finally to Eye Spy and Bar-BQ-Bar off Orange Avenue.

For someone who considers taking out the trash to be exercise, this is a great way to get some, along with my other favorite pastime. Most of all, it's a great way to see downtown and to get to know new people. My cruiser will definitely see more of downtown as long as Smith keeps this tour going.

For more information and pictures from last week's bike run, and a schedule for the next one go to myspace.com/beerbombofthemonth.


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Friday, September 21, 2007 

Category: Parties and Nightlife

Yep, here they come . . .

Take a pint glass, half full of Shipyard PumpkinHead. . . .

Mix a chilled shot of Vanilla Vodka and Baileys . . .

Drop in and slam !!!!

Warning, they are addictive . . .  seriously . . . .

 

 

3:10 PM 
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Thursday, September 20, 2007 

Category: Food and Restaurants
This next Beer Bomb Bus Tour is going to highly unusual, the good kind of unusual . . . It's is going to be a combination of three one-course beer dinners at three locations.  It's also gonna include the Beer Bomb Bus Tour to travel between the three locations.  And, it's going to be three pairings of Pizzas and Shipyard Pumpkinhead, one pairing per location.  Each location is going to create a pizza that they feel pairs up with a Shipyard Pumpkinhead. . . The locations are as follows:  Rossi's Pizzeria, Mellow Mushroom, and Lazy Moon, in that order.  They are the three best pizza places with excellent beer selections in Orlando.  The Shipyard Bus will pick everyone from Redlight Redlight at 4:30 and take you on the tour.  There will be complimentary Shipyard products while on board, and your first PumpkinHead and paired pizza slice at each stop is included in the package.  There will be some giveaways and probably a few surprises . . . all for only $35 per person.  Purchase your seats now at Redlight Redlight, they will sell out quick . ..
3:27 AM 
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Sunday, September 02, 2007 

Current mood:  restless
Category: Travel and Places

The last one was a huge success.  This is a road trip, a set of beer classes, and a bar crawl all in one.  Here are the details for the upcoming tour Sunday, September 16th.

1 pm  Bus leaves Orlando from Redlight Redlight in Winter Park.  Get there early if you wish to have pre-board beer at the bar.  Everyone boards The Shipyard Bus at 1 sharp.  Aboard the bus, we will enjoy a couple of Shipyard products.

1:40  Sanford Wine Co.

Ken and Matt really take care of us there so we are starting our tour there this time to allow them to sell some seats to some of their regulars.  Ken will select his favorite Shipyard product and Matt will whip up something nice to snack on with it . . .  great stop . .  we will then head off to . . .

3:00  The Abbey in Deland

This was the last stop on the last tour, so things were getting a bit silly.  So we moved it up in the lineup to bettter showcase this Beer Mecca.  Todd, the local beer expert, has some great beer geek surprises for us there. 

4:20  OM Bar and Chill Lounge

New owners Elaine and Mark have injected their enthusiasm into this place to make it the place to go in New Smyrna for a great microbrew.  A nice place to hang out on the Flagler Ave. strip.  Elaine did mention something about a grill and their new patio out back .  . .  .

5:45 Tir Na Nog

Bill has been fighting the good fight in Daytona for quite some time.  His bar has been the place to go to get quality beer in that area forever.  He will be discussing a beer he feels strongly about and I'm sure it'll be a good one.

We then head back to Sanford to drop of the riders from Sanford Wine Co., then back to Redlight Redlight. . .

$45 gets you a seat on the bus, your first featured beer at each stop, as well as beers on the Shiyard Bus.  There will also be some food at most of the stops.  Tickets are on sale at Redlight Redlight in Winter Park and Sanford Wine Co. and are very limited. 

p.s.  this is not a puke fest bar crawl, this is a tour of  great beer bars geared for people who can appreciate and handle great and big beers . . . Thanks. 

 

 

Here is a blurb thanks to Kelly Fitzpatrick in the MetroMix:

 

'Beer Bomb' alert!

Totally forgot to mention this earlier, the 'Beer Bomb' man himself, Mike Smith, has a bus tour going this Sunday. This is seriously something that can not be missed. I've gone on his bike tours and beer dinners before and not only are you getting sloshed, but you're learning something in the process. And meeting great new people.

This month's bus tour costs $45 and that includes the first stop at Redlight Redlight, where everyone meets, and addtional stops at Maggies Attic in Mt. Dora, The Abbey in DeLand, Tir Na Nog in Daytona and Sanford Wine Company. Between stops sample Shipyard beers on the bus and your $45 pays for the bus ride, first featured beer and food at each stop as well as those Shipyards you'll be downing on the bus. It's again, this Sunday, from 1 - 6 p.m. Trust me, you'll have a blast. Tickets are on sale at Redlight Redlight, talk to Brent.

June 21, 2007 in Orlando Bars |

 

 

And here is another blurb compliments of the Orlando Weekly. . . .

 

Event Location
..Location-->Redlight Redlight
535 W. New England Ave.
Winter Park [Map It]
407-539-1711
Website & E-Mail

Street parking and near by parking lot.

Ticket Info
$45

..> ..>
..> ..>
..-->By OW Staff
The idea of the Beer Bomb Bus Tour is simple enough: a multi-city pub crawl with 25 of the most beer-savvy folks in Central Florida, topped off by traveling the whole way in the Shipyard Beer Bus, complete with a couple of kegs on board just so you don't get thirsty between stops. How's that for a way to spend your Sunday afternoon? You'll stop at some of the finest taprooms in the state, and they throw in gourmet vittles here and there. The tour is educational too, allowing the on-site zymurgy expert to offer tasting notes about his favorite brew. For this second outing, the tour leaves from Redlight Redlight in Winter Park, and stops include Maggie's Attic in Mount Dora, the Abbey in DeLand, Tir Na Nog in Daytona Beach and the Sanford Wine Company. The event is masterminded by Mike Smith of Unique Beers, who finally gives us a reason to sing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall."

7:31 AM 
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Thursday, February 15, 2007 

Current mood:  excited
Category: Travel and Places

Beer Bomb Bus Tour coming May 6th!

This is a bar crawl, a beer class, and an out-of-town-excursion all in one, and in just 6 hours.  Here is an early framework for the trip, details are still evolving .  .

1 p.m. Redlight Redlight in Winter Park. . . .

 . . . The best surprise in W.P.  Participants meet and grab a seat.  Brent, owner and resident beer expert will dish out discuss his current favorite Unique Beer Product.  Discussions and perhaps a second beer will follow.

1:45 p.m.  Mobile Classroom

All aboard the Shipyard Bus for a ride to Sanford.  On the way, we will enjoy a Shipyard Beer, while viewing the Shipyard Brewery Tour DVD.  Discussion and refills afterwards.

2:30 p.m.  Sanford Wine Co. . . .

 . . . In Downtown Sanford.  Ken, owner of said business, is dying to utilize his new deck outback.  We will pull up, file in, and have a seat out back, weather permitting.  Ken will then distribute to everyone a Dogfish Head 60 min IPA.  It is a beer he really enjoys, and will convey that to you as he explains it. . . . .

3:15 p.m.  Mobile Classroom

All aboard for a ride to Eustis, enjoying another fine Shipyard beverage and engaging in a Q and A with Ron Raike.  Ron is a master brewer who also doubles as this regions Shipyard Representative.  He can answer any questions you may wish to ask about the brewing process as well as Shipyard Brewing.

4:00 p.m.  Backroom Bluz  . . .

. . . . in the quant center of Eustis.  Backroom Bluz is a beer lovers oasis, at the end of a alley, it is a great place to stumble upon.  Adam, the local beer hero there, will pour and discuss his favorite Unique Beer product. 

4:45 p.m.  Mobile Classroom

Will likely have a guest speaker on this leg.  While enjoying another beverage on the way to Deland.

5:30 p.m. The Abbey . . .

 . . . Smack-dab in the middle of Downtown Deland.  This place,  . . .  beer lovers heaven . . . enough said.  This is the place to go if you truly wish to educate yourself while trying something you've never been able to get anywhere else.  Todd, is going take over at this point, and it is going to be great. . .  He also has a super-beer geek surprise at his bar, you'll have to try it to believe it. . .

We will then head back to Redlight Redlight.  We will shoot for leaving The Abbey at a reasonable time, but if the group wishes to stay longer, then so be it . . .

The price of this adventure has yet to be determined.  It may be a small fee and you pay as you go at each place. . .  Or it may be larger fee which would include everyones first beverage at each place . . . I'm still tweaking that part of it . . .

Please respond with any interest, and remember, there will only be 20 seats available . . .

 

Mike

 

1:31 AM 
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Thursday, December 14, 2006 

Category: Parties and Nightlife

Here are some of the Bars and Restaurants in Orlando that carry Seadog Bluepaw . . .  . . 

BBQ Bar

EyeSpy

The Clubhouse

Pine St. Bar and Grill

The Matador

Crooked Bayou

Cleos Lounge

Suite B

Lizzy McCormicks

The Social

The Pour

Dexter's of Thornton Park

The Lounge at Colonial Lanes

Wallys

Slingapours

Midnight Blue

Fiddlers Green

Urban Flats

BackBooth

Cafe Tu Tu Tangos

Copper Rocket*

Eola Wine Company*

Redlight Redlight*

903 Mills Market*

Anthonys Pizza*

Dandelion*

Harmoni*

Jacks*

Big Daddys Roadhouse*

Please tell me to add you to the list if you do not see your Establishment on here . . .  Have a BluePaw and/or BeerBomb today . . . .

 

*Beer Bombs not available

 

9:56 PM 
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Friday, October 20, 2006 

Current mood:  amused

Next Beer Bomb Bike Tour December 10th!!!!
Next Beer Bomb Bike Tour December 10th!!!!
The last one was a great time, for those of you who participated, thanks, . . . Those of you who missed it, but heard all about it . . . . we are doing another one Sunday, December 10th! . . .


It is on . . .


This could perhaps be the best ride ever. The weather is breaking finally, so we are going to start it earlier and actually ride in the daylight for a couple of stops. . . I guess it might be jacket/sweatshirt weather once the sun does set though . . . which is fantastic I think . . .






We are starting at 903 Mills at 4:00 p.m. Great outdoor seating, cool staff, and good place to get a pre-tour sandwich. Oh yeah, and great freakin beer selection. . . AND . . . the first 15 who show up and sign in will get either a free beer or the V.I.P. bicycle upgrade . . . you'll see it when you get there. . . $2 Shipyard and OBP drafts.



Next stop is to be the Dandelion Communitea Cafe on Thornton, same as above . . . $2 Seadog Blue, OBP and Shipyard Winter Ale, $2.50 Dogfish 60 min and Avery White Rascal.



After that it is off to the Hideaway on Virginia, good old fashioned bar with pool, darts, pinball, and football on the TV's . . . . $2.50 OBP, Seadog Blue-Rasp-Apricot and Shipyard Export Ales.


And the Lounge at Colonial Lanes has been missing us, so off to see Natalia for $12.50 buckets of OBP and Seadogs. Also, $3 BBOTM.

Then a nice ride through Thornton Park, around Lake Eola, to Pine St. Bar and Grill. $2 OBP, Seadog, and Shipyard Winter Ale Drafts.

Then, over to EyeSpy, where we will ride right into the patio and park. $2 Shipyard, OBP, and Seadog Drafts. $3 BBOTM. It's a tradition to do a group Bomb at this point, if you're still hanging.


As always, Great Beer Specials at each stop, $3 BBOTM where available, easy bike locking system, lots of new friends . . . And, for this ride we are adding some devices that will increase safety and also allow us to have music as we ride the beautiful streets of Orlando. .



We learned alot from the last few rides, such as we want more time at each bar, and we wanted to bike more. So the appropriate adjustments have been made. We also learned, some may say the hard way, that we are STRONGLY suggesting helmets and lights, for obvious reasons . . .
but still, one honk=drink, two honks=leave . . .


Check back to this page later this week to see the new Xmas Beer Bomb recipe. It is pretty effing good, we put alot of hard work into tweaking this new recipe . .. . Also, you can still enjoy a PumpkinBomb at these last few locations:

Dexter's Thornton Park
The Clubhouse
Lizzy McCormicks
EyeSpy


Try a beer bomb of the month today!!!


Mike

4:43 AM 
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Thursday, July 20, 2006 

Current mood:  touched
Category: Parties and Nightlife
2 wheels, 2 legs can add up to a few pints
Kelly Fitzpatrick
Kelly Fitzpatrick
Published July 20 2006
 
Maybe it was the Action Figure from the Orlando Sentinel who inspired me last week to pull my Electra Cruiser off the bike stand in my hallway, give it a quick dusting, inflate the tires and actually -- gasp -- ride it.

But I really think it was the promise of a cold beer at the various stops of my bike run that sealed the deal. I'm going to be honest: The most exercise I've gotten during the past month is walking up and down the stairs in my house. Although I enjoy riding my bike, there's a reason why someone else writes about that kind of stuff in this publication.

An e-mail from Mike Smith, the organizer of the Beer Bomb Bike Tour, was the real motivation behind my recent sweating and huffing down Mills Avenue last Sunday night.

Smith runs the tour, an attempt at a biweekly (although the next ride is Aug. 20) pub run around downtown Orlando -- on bikes.

What began a couple of months ago as a few friends riding around town grabbing beers has expanded -- by word of mouth. The run is now 20-25 people strong . . . and growing. Smith, who works for Unique Beers, says it's great grassroots marketing for some of the products that Unique distributes -- the trek, which runs from 7 p.m. till 2 a.m., features bars that carry beers such as Orange Blossom Pilsner, Seadog Raspberry and Blueberry Wheat Ale, all distributed by Unique. (Smith's selected stops also run specials on these beers for the bike tour.) There is no charge whatsoever for the tour; just show up with a bike.

The run began at 903 Mills Market in downtown Orlando, a cute little place converted into a sandwich shop nestled in the neighborhood at Mills Avenue and Gore Street. This particular evening, the shop was doing a wine tasting and had hors d'oeuvres out for patrons. A top-notch beer selection helps make this place a local favorite. After a ½-mile trek (oh yes it was, buddy!), I was ready for salvation in a bottle. Luckily, the market had it, Avery Salvation Belgian Style Ale to be exact. While we munched and sipped, other bikers pulled up, hesitantly getting to know one another.

Smith has everyone sign a disclaimer, just in case some yo-yo forgets we're operating moving vehicles and is irresponsible. Helmets and lights are strongly recommended, but I soon found out the majority of this motley crew was about as adept at long-distance pedaling as I was.

Thankfully, Smith knew that ahead of time and made sure that the stops were closely spaced, for the most part, the longest ride being the stop after 903 Mills, when we jumped on our bikes and headed to Wally's Mills Avenue Liquors. Along the way, neighbors in the Thornton Park area cheered us on as we chatted and waved. Smith worked as guide to the pack and made sure everyone stayed together on a leisurely ride that's not meant to be a race.

Once at Wally's, he chained all of our bikes together, and we headed in for another beer. Now people were talking and trading off light sticks for the next run.

An hour is paced between each run, which took the pack from Wally's to to Colonial Lanes Lounge on Primrose Drive -- if you haven't been to this sunken bar inside a bowling alley, it's a sight, with a great staff to boot.

The rest of the night took the group to Burton's Bar and Grill on Washington Street in Thornton Park, then to Cleo's on Court Avenue in downtown Orlando, and finally to Eye Spy and Bar-BQ-Bar off Orange Avenue.

For someone who considers taking out the trash to be exercise, this is a great way to get some, along with my other favorite pastime. Most of all, it's a great way to see downtown and to get to know new people. My cruiser will definitely see more of downtown as long as Smith keeps this tour going.

For more information and pictures from last week's bike run, and a schedule for the next one go to myspace.com/beerbombofthemonth.

What else?

Parliament House has been in business longer than I've been alive. In the revolving door that is this town's club scene, that's cause for celebration. The venue will hold "A really Wicked 31st Anniversary Party" Aug. 5 with a theme of "Return to Oz." A Wizard of Oz/Wicked/Wiz-inspired stage show will take place, plus there's a costume contest. Whoever dons the best garb themed to the evening wins a trip to New York and tickets to see Broadway musical Wicked. The party starts at 9 p.m.; there is a $10 cover. Call 407-425-7571.

Austin's Coffee and Film is still alive and kicking. In fact it's asking local artists to do their thing at the coffeehouse every Friday night. From 4 to 8 p.m., different local acts can network and showcase at "Frankie's Show and Tell"'; all ages are welcome. Best of all, it's always free. Just the way my wallet likes it. Austin's is at 929 W. Fairbanks Ave. in Winter Park. For more, go to apartmente.com.
8:07 PM 
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