Barrel Of Monks Brewing LLC, Boca Raton, Fla.

Barrel of Monks Brewing had a birthday party, with a few hundred paid guests, this past weekend. The brewery located in Boca Raton, Florida, turned one this year and they celebrated with food truck treats, guest taps and all of their delicious brewed creations.

Barrel Of Monks 1801 Mocha Kaffie Dark Saison, Barrel Of Monks Brewing,
Boca Raton, Fla.
Copyright 2016 by Helen A Lockey 

The brewery owned by Matthew Saady, Keith DeLoach and Bill McFee, Belgian beer enthusiasts and home-brewers, could not find a decent beer outside of Belgium, so they decided to start their own brewery last year. They built the only Floridian Belgian trappist style brewery. "We are the only ones dedicated to traditional Belgian style," said Tasting Room Manager Zachary Agran, during an interview last year.  

To keep the beers truly European they import their yeast from Belgium, and their grains from Belgium, England, Scotland, and Germany. And to keep the quality high they hired brewmaster Kevin Abbott who previously worked for Funky Budda's and Due South.

"Our goal is to make Belgians the right way," said Matt Saady during last year's Holiday party.

Despite all the importing they still support local by using Florida citrus in their recipes. And they follow other Florida brewery trends by giving their spent grain mash to a local animal farm for feed. "We're very much about local produce and supporting local," said Agran.

The anniversary party went from 2 to 6 p.m. and was a lot of bubbly fun. My favorite brew was the 1801 Mocha because it had deliciously bold flavors of coffee and chocolate.

You can find Barrel Of Monks beers at many South Florida restaurants and bars and at many stores but the best place to try it is at their tasting room in Boca Raton, just off of Clint Moore Road.

Barrel Of Monks Brewing is located at 1141 S. Rogers Circle #5, Boca Raton, FL 33487

Phone: (561) 510-1253

Just one note, Barrel Of Monks Brewing LLC has a strict 21 years and over policy so if you have children under that age they will not be allowed into their tasting room.

Endless Summer Vineyard & Winery, Ft. Pierce, Fla.

Ft. Pierce, Fla.—Endless Summer Vineyard & Winery makes Florida sourced wine. This 10-acre vineyard, owned by Gary Roberts, started crafting and serving blended wine to the public just seven years ago. Back then all their wines were made with grape juice sourced off property because their vines were not mature enough to produce the needed juice.

Inside tasting room, Endless Summer Vineyard & Winery, Ft. Pierce, Fla.
Copyright 2016 by Helen A Lockey

Today, they have two Family Estate Reserve muscadine wines that are Vine-to-Bottle style made with the grapes from their fields. They also continue to make blended wines made with grape juice from north Florida vineyards and other areas around the country.

I got to taste their wines earlier this month while touring the countryside on the Gold & Treasure Coast Slow Foods U-Drive Farm Tour.

Not Starboards, fortified port style Muscadine dessert wine,
Endless Summer Vineyard & Winery, Ft. Pierce, Fla
Copyright 2016 by Helen A Lockey 

My favorite was, “Not Starboards,” a brandy fortified, port style Muscadine dessert wine that was 18 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). It has a silky mouth feel and flavors of caramelized raisin, smoky leather and toasted coconut. It reminded me a lot of rum & raisin ice cream.

Next on my list of favorites was a white called, "Beach Nut," made with a blend of Chardonnay and Carlos Muscadine grapes. It was lightweight semi-dry wine that started off fruity and finished dry.

Of the reds, I liked, "Rated Arrr," because it had a surprisingly complex tannin profile and rich flavors. It finished deliciously drier than I expected. It was made with a blend of Merlot and Noble Muscadine grapes.

Muscadine grape vines at Endless Summer Vineyard
& Winery, Ft. Pierce, Fla.
Copyright 2016 by Helen A Lockey

I was not a fan of the Family Estate Reserves wines but other people on the tasting tour enjoyed them greatly.

This vineyard is definitely worth a visit.

Endless Summer Vineyard & Winery is located at 4200 Johnston Rd., Ft. Pierce, FL  34951

Their phone is (772) 460-0500

They are closed on Mondays, but open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues. to Fri, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. sat, and 12 p.m.-5 p.m. on Sun.

Dixie Crossroads Restaurant, Titusville, Fla.

Titusville, Fla.--Get your Florida rock shrimp eating on at Dixie Crossroads. This restaurant, established in 1983, started the rock shrimp movement by inventing a machine that could crack the hard outer shell of these shrimp. Located just a few minutes drive from Interstate 95 at exit 220, this piece of Florida dining history is worth a visit.

Wild caught Florida rock shrimp grilled, Dixie Crossroads Restaurant,
Titusville, Fla.,
Copyright 2015 by Helen A Lockey

Florida rock shrimp taste more like Florida lobster than shrimp making for a delicious meal but because the shell is so hard to crack they are more expensive than other shrimp. This means they tend to only show up on the menus of expensive restaurants.

But at Dixie Crossroads Restaurant they are affordable. You can buy rock shrimp by the dozen and get them fried, grilled or steamed.

On a recent visit, I ordered a plate of one dozen grilled in-the-shell rock shrimp ($15.99) served with melted butter and a wedge of lemon. The plate came with a choice of two sides dishes I chose the seasonal vegetable twice.

Deep-fried corn fritter, Dixi Crossroads Restaurant,
Titusville, Fla.
Copyright 2015 by Helen A Lockey

While I waited my server brought out a basket of hot, crispy, deep-fried corn fritters smothered in powdered sugar. They tasted like dessert.

The shrimp were luscious. Their mouth watering, slight kiss-of-the-sea flavor was so fresh and enticing that I ate every mouthful as slow as I could manage.

If you want to enjoy these Florida delicacies then head over to Dixie Crossroads Restaurant located at: 1475 Garden Street, Titusville, FL 32796
Phone: 321-268-5000

They are open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, AND 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.