I never need an excuse to wax poetic about craft beer or to get lost in the bottom of a pint, but one of St. Pete’s standout breweries is giving us all a perfect one. Pinellas Ale Works officially hits 10 years in town this week, and the dog-themed star is going all out for the occasion.
In fact, the celebration has already started, but if you missed the news, there’s still time to catch up. PAW is celebrating daily all week long, but the big party is this Saturday, May 16, running from 2pm – midnight. As with any brewery, festivities are free to attend. And as always at PAW, dogs are not only welcomed, but encouraged.
Saturday’s bash features themed beer releases, casino games, prizes, raffles, food, live entertainment and plenty more. The brewery will have limited-edition anniversary shirts and specialty beer packages available, as well.
If you see this in time, mark down Friday night as must-visit, too. In addition to a comedy show with St. Pete Standup, PAW is offering five dollar pints on four of their most popular and longest running beers. Good laughs and cold beer at that price is a good deal in these tough economic times.
Full info for the three-day weekend of beer and reminiscing can be found here.
Meanwhile, take this milestone as a reason to make a return visit to PAW. And if you’ve never been at all, this is your sign to finally stop in. Even if beer isn’t your thing, they have hard seltzers and wine. Plus, they have some of the highest rated Mexican food in Pinellas County with the Chinelos food truck out back by the beer garden every day.
More importantly, PAW makes some of the best beer in town. The tap list is constantly rotating, with a handful of core beers always available. The brews they crank out aren’t just creative (and creatively named). They actually taste great. I almost never order a flight at breweries, knowing how much extra work it is for the bartender, especially if there’s a line behind me. PAW is the spot that makes me break that rule, because there’s always so much worth having multiple sips of. Just be sure to tip a little extra for the time, effort and patience. They’d never complain about making a flight, but they’ll appreciate the addition to the tip jar.
PAW is also a great starting or ending point for a Grand Central District brewery crawl. You can find a guide for doing just that here.