The group that recently expanded Oyster City Brewing from a maxed-out facility in Apalachicola to tasting rooms and brewing facilities in Tallahassee and Mobile, has the brewery that Hooter Brown built on the move once again.

Made By The Water LLC, owner/operator of Oyster City Brewing Company, has agreed to acquire North Carolina-based Catawba Valley Brewing Co. (CVBC), producer of Catawba and Palmetto craft beers, and Twisp Southern hard seltzer.

Briefly putting aside the business of numbers and distribution footprints, it's not difficult to find numerous similarities between Oyster City and Catawba Valley.

Brewery:Oyster City move another big investment in Tallahassee craft beer culture| Brew Bend

A read-through of Catawba's organic rise from humble beginnings in tiny Glen Alpine, North Carolina, to their unabashed love for their home region — the mountains of western North Carolina and the Catawba River from which they derive their name — to award-winning brews like CLT IPA — the 2017 Worlds Best Beer gold medal winner for the style. All make Oyster City and Catawba easy partners.

But also, the numbers. CVBC, founded by Billy, Jetta, and Scott Pyatt, has grown from that original Glen Alpine spot to operate breweries and tasting rooms in Asheville, Charlotte, Morganton, and Wilmington, NC, and Charleston, South Carolina. Additionally, it distributes to Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia.

Catawba's distribution stopping short of Florida, and Oyster City's looking to expand further into the Southeast, sets up perfectly for each to introduce their brews to new markets.

Big news for Oyster City, Catawba, and Palmetto, and great news for beer fans! It appears we'll have a front-row seat for Catawba's introduction into Florida — send that "Honey Combed" Breakfast Stout our way, please — and for the next chapter in Oyster City's growth.

Oktoberfest raises $50,000 for Elder Care

Beer festival season officially returned this past weekend when Elder Care Services hosted their 23rd Annual Oktoberfest at Cascades Park, featuring beers poured by eight local breweries. 

Elder Care's Oktoberfest — the longest-running Oktoberfest event in Tallahassee — was the first craft beer festival in North Florida in nearly 20 months and the first craft beer event ever at Cascades Park.

The City of Tallahassee's premier park turned out to be an ideal spot to host such an event, and the weather (clear skies, high of 84 degrees) could not have been more perfect. So much so, Elder Care immediately went to work to lock in the venue for the 2022 Oktoberfest too.

Tickets to the Oct. 10 sold-out event went quickly and were capped at 500 to limit crowd size and ensure social distancing during the ongoing pandemic. Though tickets were limited, we are happy to report that Oktoberfest helped Elder Care Services raise a total of $50,000! An excellent number for Tallahassee's leading provider of community-based senior care.

Kudos to all of those who came out and the numerous sponsors that supported Elder Care's mission of improving the lives of seniors in our community, and a huge "thank you" to our local breweries that jumped at a chance to be involved: Deep Brewing, Lake Tribe Brewing, Oyster City Brewing, Civic Brewing, Halpatter Brewing, Southern Fields Brewing, Southern Philosophy Brewing, and Georgia Beer Company.

It was great to see craft beer festivals return to the Craft Capital!

Flamingos Raising Funds at Proof

When the opportunity to drink beer and do good combines one of our favorite beers of the year (Flamingo Party) and a cause that hits close to home (Breast Cancer) — count us in! That's the situation with the second annual #PinkPower #FlamingoChallenge. 

The folks at Proof are pledging $500 toward breast cancer awareness and need your help throughout October to get there. Stop by the Proof Brewpub,1320 South Monroe St., and enjoy a Flamingo Party (strawberry passionfruit blonde ale) on draft.

For each Flamingo Party draft beer sold during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Proof gives $1 to the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Foundation. Along with First Commerce Credit Union, the TMH Foundation spearheads the second annual #PinkPower #FlamingoChallenge to support patients at the Tallahassee Memorial Walker Breast Program.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month:Businesses flock together for #FlamingoChallenge in support of breast cancer patients

A summer crusher that's standing up to cancer, now that's one incredible brew!

In addition to announcing their fundraising efforts, the Brewpub also dropped some new specials on select nights:

Wednesdays - $12 BIG pretzel and select core beer all-day

Thursdays - $4 sangria all-day

Fridays - $5 Cathead Vodka & Rough Rider Bourbon + $5 sangria from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.

And if you're all beer all the time, no worries; Proof has $1 off drafts from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. Wednesday - Friday. 

Quick Sips

After a great Oktoberfest featuring lagers, lederhosen, and even some lead vocals by Head Brewer Nick Walker, Ology turns its attention toward those 21+ trick or treaters!

Follow their social media as their annual Halloween Barrel-Aged Stout release is due soon (psst...we're betting it's Irrefutable Logic: Peanut Butter and Chocolate stout). 

Ology Distilling released "Basic," a pumpkin pie spice liqueur, this week.

If beer is more your style, then Deep Brewing Company has you covered with their annual seasonal PSL — Pumpkin Spice Lager — hitting the tasting room this weekend. Also, keep an eye on Deep's social media as their yearly Halloween lineup as a pumpkin spiced stout occasionally joins perennial favorites like Dem Bones, Hallows End, and Now With More Boos on Deep's "Night of the Flight!" board. 

Not one to miss a good party, Lake Tribe is bringing back a treat of their own in time for Halloween with this weekend's return of "Sod Cemetery," featuring a lineup of experimental from the southern hemisphere and infused with juicy grapefruit. Previous renditions of Sod presented strong and juicy tropical fruit flavor with aromatics of tangerine, lemon-lime zest, and grapefruit. Juicy, fruity, hazy — sounds like a recipe for victory to us!