The Boozy Blondes dug out their boots, hats, overalls and plaid and spent the day down on the farm – Keel Farms…and Winery…and Brewery. Yes, so many fun things all on one piece of property! Quick background – Keel Farms was started by Joe Keel in 1981 across 10 acres in Plant City, Florida. In 2003 it transformed to a nursery for blueberries, and Joe used the end of year crop of blueberries to make wine. His first batch was 10 gallons.
By 2013 the farm expanded to 35 acres and regularly produced craft beers and ciders…along with the wine, of course. In 2018 Joe’s son Clay and his wife Carmen took over and focused on making the farm a family friendly, fun place to visit with dedication to sustainability and community.
The DOE is Dog Rose Crewing Company’s Lion’s Head Honey Sour, a 5.2% kettle sour with honey made by the bees posting up in the lion’s head at the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine!
Keel Farms is definitely a destination, and the girls loved every minute spent on the farm. They happened to visit on Halloween, and there was a special event that day benefitting a big dog rescue. Because of its popularity the girls arrived right at 11am when it opened to try to get a table (they had called weeks prior to make a reservation, but they were already booked up – so, plan your trip well in advance). You know how important food is to the girls, and if they wanted to try a variety of ciders, wines and beers, they need to start with a good base!
Because of the special even, Keel Farms was offering the deal of a lifetime – at least it felt like the deal of a lifetime that day. If you said at the bar, for $10 you could get a bottomless flute. With your flute, you could try ANYTHING Keel Farms had on tap! This was a dream come true for the Boozy Blondes! (And Phil!) They tried almost everything on tap and both agreed the favorite was the seasonal pumpkin cider.
The food was delicious. They shared the fried gator tail as an appetizer, which had a surprisingly beautiful presentation! Rainer had the Cubano, Molly had the Wine Smash Burger and Phil & Chrissy split the Blue + Bleu Smash Burger.
After tasting until their hearts’ content, the girls got full sized pumpkin ciders and took off to explore the farm (and walk off those burgers). Keel Farms encourages guests to wander the property with a drink in hand, and the girls did just that. They had booked a tour, and Elizabeth was their tour guide. Full of dad jokes and an expert tractor driver, Elizabeth took the group through the production site and spent a little time with the Boozy Blondes following the tour (listen to her interview in this episode).
There is so much to do at Keel Farms, the girls want to go back as soon as they can. When they return, some must-dos include:
- Talk to Omar, head brewer
- Try Pecan Brown Ale
- Attend another event supporting the community
- Bring more friends
- Yoga in the vineyard
- Other tours (especially if Elizabeth is the tour guide)
Make sure to follow Keel & Curley Farms on its Facebook and Instagram pages to keep up with all the fun events they host throughout the year like trivia nights, live music, wine and flower arranging, charcuterie board making, 5k wine runs, etc.
As always, share your experience with the blondes! If you’ve been to Keel & Curley Farms, share your pictures and tell them about your experience through the Anchor app or in the comments below!
Boozy Blondes 
1 thought on “Episode 009 | Keel & Curley Farm”