Deep takes CANiversary celebration curbside

Deep's CANiversary includes favorites like Shallow End, Tan In a Can and Saison.

Deep Brewing Company's four-day blitz of brews is almost here! CANiversary, Deep's annual celebration of the brewery's 2016 inception, is scheduled to start Sept. 4 and run through Sept. 7. 

With restrictions on brewery capacity, and owner Ryan LaPete taking ample precautions to keep patrons and staff safe, this year's format is slightly different. However, the tap list promises to be as robust, with 24 beers releasing over the four-day celebration. 

"We're putting more of an emphasis on curbside/to-go, but we're still rolling out four can releases, four new bottles, and four 4-pack flights of specialty beers," said LaPete. In summation, make room in your fridge for a lot of new beer.   

How do you plan an event that, in most years, fills the 2524 Cathay Court tasting room, while accounting for COVID-19?

Deep's CANiversary includes favorites like Shallow End, Tan In a Can and Saison.

"This year the focus was on giving people a great experience without feeling like they had to be in the brewery," said LaPete. "So we came up with to-go flights." 

Every day of CANiversary will feature a new "flight" — a 4-pack of 375ml cans featuring that day's specialty releases. Each day, people looking to party can order the flights through Deep's website (www.deepbrewingcompany.com) and pick them up curbside at the brewery. Each flight will feature a unique take on a stout, tiki sour, hazy IPA and what LaPete dubbed a "wildcard" beer. 

Take note, beer fans: Each day's flight is only on sale for that given day — new day, new flight! So, similar to missing a day of CANiversary at the brewery in previous years, you snooze, you lose (probably). Your only other hope of grabbing the specialty flight beers (if they don't sell out) is during an event starting Sept. 8 that Deep is dubbing, "TO-GOberfest," a week where any unsold cans of flights will be available for purchase online. Hey, every good event needs an after-party.

With that in mind, here's a breakdown of what Deep has planned for this year's celebration:

Deep's CANiversary includes favorites like Shallow End, Tan In a Can and Saison.

Friday, Sept. 4: 

The first release of this year's CANiversary is close to our hearts. Shallow End Florida Lager was a beer brewed in collaboration with the Tallahassee Beer Society for the Elder Care Services 20th Annual Oktoberfest fundraiser a few years ago. When Elder Care approached us with the idea of a specialty beer, they wanted something light, refreshing, approachable, but distinctly German. While Shallow End might've moved slightly away from it's Kolsch beginnings, the tasting notes remain — this is an excellent beer for those looking to join in the CANiversary celebration, but might still be dipping their toes into the craft beer waters. 

Other Friday releases see Deep dive into the recipe books for a few crazy concoctions with inspiration ranging from moon pies to cocktails and the return of last year's mango lassi in a glass Mamey Bends.

  • Pom Frond -Tiki Sour with Coconut/Pomegranate/Passionfruit/Anise - 4.2%
  • Atolla - Strawberry Moon Pie Imperial Stout - 12.5%
  • Mamey Bends - Mamey Milkshake DIPA - 8.0%
  • Aztec Death Whistle - Chocolate/Cherry Stout with Ancho/Ghost/Reaper Peppers and Lactose - 6.0%

Saturday:

Deep brings back cans of their popular LOW VIZ. This hazy double IPA seems to get juicier with each subsequent release and features mango and pineapple's aroma from the use of Citra/Mosaic/Galaxy hops. 

Saturday's scheduled releases seem to be an ode to the incredible, delectable orange, as each beer contains some essence of the delicious fruit. 

  • Hypoxic - Tiki Sour with Blue Curacao, Lemonade and Orange Zest - 4.2%
  • Achlyos - Orange Moon Pie Imperial Stout - 12.5%
  • Totally On Porpoise - Fruit Punch DIPA - 8.0%
  • Clownfish - Orange Creamsicle Pastry Sour - 4.2%
Deep's CANiversary includes favorites like Shallow End, Tan In a Can and Saison.

Sunday:

If Saturday was the day for OJ, then Sunday is all about the coconut. Sunday's releases will heavily feature the popular beer adjunct, culminating with the much-anticipated release of Tan In a Can. LaPete has canned his popular cream ale infused with organic toasted coconut. The beer, a perfect match of texture and taste, will go quickly. 

  • Brain Chiller - Tiki Sour with Coconut/Pineapple/Orange/Nutmeg - 4.2%
  • Vellela - Coconut Moon Pie Imperial Stout - 12.5%
  • Coconaut - Hazy IIPA with Coconut and Pineapple - 8.0%
  • MAcaROONED - Pastry Blonde with Toasted Coconut, Roasted Almond, and Vanilla - 4.5%

The lone exception to the locomotive of coconut running through Sunday's release list comes in the form of a bottle — well, four bottles to be exact — with four variations of a classic French Saison going on sale. The base Sous La Mer will also release with three variations Lavender, Lemon/Poppy/Rye and Rosemary/Juniper. While we've not sampled these beers, Deep's Sous La Mer Saison tends to be light, slightly fruity and very crisp — a perfect canvas where the addition of fruit or herbaceousness should ramp those flavors up. 

Monday:

The brewery's annual ode to Fall, "Deeptoberfest" festbier is the can of the day. The malty beer is the perfect capper to the can releases and hopefully turns the page to cooler weather and a less tumultuous Year 5 for LaPete.

  • Jonny Mai Tai - Rum/Lime/Orange/Roasted Almond - 4.2%
  • Aurelia - Banana Moon Pie Imperial Stout - 12.5%
  • Hazy Boi - Milkshake IIPA with Vanilla and Marshmallow - 8.0
  • Mother of Dragons - Golden Ale with Orange Blossom Honey, Vanilla, and Ghost Peppers - 4.5%

St. George Island Brewfest rescheduled 

While tasting room anniversaries can be celebrated via to-go, there really isn't a beer festival solution yet. So it comes with little surprise that, after much deliberation, the organizers of SGI Brewfest decided to postpone the 5th Annual SGI Brewfest to April 17, 2021. It's no secret that we love working this event every year and can't wait to see everyone in April (psst...possibly at a beachfront location).

Current 2020 ticket holders are invited to keep their tickets for the 5th Annual Brewfest and use them in April 2021. All perks and pluses will be rolled over (and they might even throw in something extra for your patience, if you already bought a ticket). Organizers follow up in an email to ticket holders with more information.

Matthew Crumbaker is co-founder of the TLH Beer Society, a group of avid craft beer lovers. He is also a co-host of Saturday Morning Bottle Share on 97.9 ESPN radio. Follow TLH Beer Society at Facebook.com/TLHBeerSociety or @TLHBeerSociety on Twitter and Instagram. Email tlhbeersociety@gmail.com.


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