Travel – Where to Drink – Page 4

Episode 021 | Jax Ale Trail Vol. 2: Hyperion Brewing, Strings Sports Brewery, Tabula Rasa, The Stout Snug, Buchner’s Bierhalle

August 11, 2022November 5, 2023 The Boozy Blondes

The Boozy Blondes had so much fun on their first Jax Ale Trail run, they had to do it again (listen to Episode 006 | Jax Ale Trail Vol. 1 here). And after listening to this episode, it’s pretty apparent there will be many more volumes on this Jax Ale Trail trek before they visit all the breweries! They double-dipped some breweries on this second leg, so they didn’t cover as much ground as they anticipated.

The Jax Ale Trail is a collection of 22 breweries across the greater Jacksonville area, and in this episode the blondes made it to three – plus an Irish pub – plus their favorite German Speakeasy, Buchner’s Bierhalle!

The Jax Ale Trail comes with a passport that can be picked up at any of the 22 breweries on the trail. Passport holders earn prices as they collect stamps:

4 stamps = a koozie
8 stamps = a t-shirt
All 2 stamps = ??? It’s a surprise! The blondes really want to earn this one!

To earn your rewards, drop off your passport at the visitors center at 110 N Laura Street, Suite 120 in downtown Jacksonville.

The DOE is Berry Bonds Just Juicin’, a 3.8% sour with blueberry, blackberry, vanilla and lactose from Parleaux Beer Lab in New Orleans, LA. The girls love this pink sour and the baseball puns that go along with it!

The first stop on this leg of the Jax Ale Trail was Hyperion Brewing Company in Springfield. The girls interviewed Director of Marketing, Aprill Lundgren. Be sure to listen to Episode 022 | Behind the Booze – Hyperion Brewing Interview with Aprill Lundgren when it releases August 25, 2022, to get the inside scoop on all things Hyperion. Aprill and her team have built a fantastic brewery with amazing-tasting brews and strong brand.

The girls shared beers with Aprill (both drank Water My Lawn, a 4% watermelon sour; Aprill drank Porchfest Gold, a 5% easy-drinking golden ale) and gushed over the beautiful beer garden and delicious brews. They shared a flight, which included Neopolitan Dreams (5.4% porter), Phoebe’s PB (6.5% porter) and Selene Citrine (5.4% blonde ale), following the interview before moving on to the next stop in Springfield. Be sure to follow Hyperion on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with new tap releases and special events! Also be sure to check out the Helios Brewer’s Experience Hyperion offers – listen to Episode 022 to get all the details about being a brewer for a day!

Next stop was Strings Sports Brewery just up the road from Hyperion. This brewery is an active drinker’s paradise with a basketball court, darts, Jenga, a plethora of tvs to watch your favorite teams, a beer garden and food on site. The girls shared a burger – perfect base for day drinking! Strings has eleven rotating taps, along with a selection of wine, cider, High Noon, Odna Tequila Sodas and White Claw. Molly drank the Golden Sombrero, a 5% Mexican Lager, and Chrissy drank a lime-flavored Odna. You can follow Strings on Facebook and Instagram for all their fun happenings!

After Strings the girls wanted to make a stop at one of their faves, Tabula Rasa Brewing. The DOE for Episode -16 | Disney Drinking EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival was Imperial Crazy Mona from Tabula Rasa, and on this visit, the girls got to try the Mint Mona! It’s a 6.2% mint porter, and yes, it’s very minty! Between this beer, Funky Buddha’s Last Snow and Hyperion’s Phoebe’s PB, it’s the starter pack of liquid Girl Scout cookies – Thin Mints, Samoas and Tagalongs! The girls ordered a beer flight but sadly only remember Mint Mona and whatever seltzer was on tap as part of the flight. #boozyblondesfail Be sure to follow Tabula Rasa on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with all they have going on!

Next stop was a spontaneous decision – The Stout Snug in Murray Hill. The Stout Snug is an Irish Sports Bar and two-time winner of Jacksonville’s Best Irish Pub! This is a great spot with a full bar (and some pretty delish craft cocktails), live music three nights a week, trivia night and board games serving American and traditional Irish food selections. It’s also a creamery! The girls indulged in some craft cocktails here and played very competitive games of Sorry and Uno!

For dinner the girls made reservations at Buchner’s Bierhalle, their favorite speakeasy in Jax. They ventured here during their Jax Ale Trail Vol. 1 trip and had to return. This time they sat outside in the beer garden. Ryan was their server again (fave!), and they drank wine with their charcuterie board and giant pretzel. So good! Be sure to follow Buchner’s on Facebook and Instagram! There’s always something fun going on – and plenty of glamour shots of the amazing pretzel…

For more details on Tabula Rasa and Buchner’s, be sure to check out the blog for Episode 006 | Jax Ale Trail Vol. 1! The girls make a strong statement in this episode that Volume 3 will take them to all new breweries on the Jax Ale Trail – no double-dipping next time – and they will be on point (since memories of this day are a little hazy)! So stay tuned for the next installment on this Jacksonville adventure. Cheers!

Season 1, Travel - Where to Drink

Episode 020 | Miami: Bars, Breweries, Boats & Baseball: Pareidolia Brewing, Nauti Dawg Marina Cafe, Cerveceria la Tropical, Veza Sur, loanDepot Park (Milwaukee Brewers at Miami Marlins)

July 28, 2022November 5, 2023 The Boozy Blondes

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Traditionally when you hear “Miami,” your mind instantly goes to palm trees, fashion, expensive cars, South Beach and non-stop parties. But did you know Miami is home to 40 breweries and beer halls nestled among the cute suburbs of its downtown? Miami hosts an often overlooked craft beer scene and the Boozy Blondes tackle a sliver of it in this episode.

The DOE is Vape Life by Tank8 at The Fermentorium in southeastern Wisconsin (hear more about the Fermentorium in E pisode 12). Vape Life is a Cotton Candy IPA and the girls’ favorite beer ever! The also cracked cans of delicious Spa Goggles, a 4% ABV gose with cucumber and lime flavors from Ology Brewing in Tallahassee, Florida, since they crushed Vape Life in no time.

So the girls ventured south to Miami for Molly’s birthday. They planned a day-drinking brewery tour day and a Brewers game since they were playing the Miami Marlins. During the drive they stopped halfway to Miami in Sebastian, Florida, at Pareidolia Brewing Company. Pareidolia’s definition according to Miriam Webster is the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern // the human ability to see shapes or make pictures out of randomness (like an ink blot test or seeing pictures in clouds). The blondes loved this concept and noticed multiple examples in the decor of the brewery. The logo is a perfect example of a pareidolia – it’s a barrel but it looks like a face!

Pareidolia opened in 2014 and was the first craft brewery in the area. Fun fact, the owners also co-founded the Treasure Coast Wine & Ale Trail: 9 breweries, one winery, one cidery and one meadery! You know the girls want to tackle this trail!

Anyway Pareidolia is family friendly and dog friendly, with a brew room, taproom and outdoor area. They feature live music, beer, wine, seltzer, cider, and food. As you know, food is very important to the Boozy Blondes, so shout out to drinklocalflorida.com who makes it so easy to find breweries with food in different parts of the state.

They arrived right around lunchtime and with their food Molly ordered a flight of the Slow Paddle Porter (5.2%), Knee Deep in Peaches Smash Beer (4.7%), Gotta Guava Kettle Sour (4.7%), and Don’t Call Me Ginger (5.9% Red Ale). She then ordered a regular sized Knee Deep in Peaches, her favorite from the flight. Chrissy drank Berry Good Seltzer.

Before they left, the girls announced the winner of their Coppertail Brewing Beer it Forward contest – congrats to @seang_thatsme for winning a beer courtesy of the Boozy Blondes! Be sure to follow Pareidolia on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with all that’s happening here!

Second stop was Pompano Beach for a Happy Hour booze cruise to Lake Boca. Big thanks to Mike and Colleen, the booze cruise hosts – Mike even listened to Episode 13 (Booze Cruise) so he was prepared for the Boozy Blondes! After spending time on the water the crew stopped at Nauti Dawg Marina Cafe in Lighthouse Point for dinner. They enjoyed pretzels, burgers and grouper Reubens and were impressed by the fantastic service at this waterfront restaurant.

From here it was time to finish the journey south and check in to the hotel. They girls stayed in Brickell, Miami’s financial district and close to Wynwood where the brewery crawl would take place.

Wynwood is a beautiful, trendy suburb of Miami, and the girls definitely did not have enough time here! It’s an art district with over 70 galleries and murals everywhere! First stop in Wynwood was Cerveceria la Tropical – Cuba’s oldest brewery, but one of Miami’s youngest breweries. The girls were blown away when they walked up to this brewery. It’s stunning. Stunning! It’s pet friendly, open and airy with the brewery, tap room, beer garden, stage, kitchen and full bar all on site. Listen to this episode to hear the amazing history of this brewery stemming from its Cuban roots.

(The girls return to Miami in Episode 037 | Miami Florida Breweries, Bars, Speakeasies and Little Havana and interview Cerveceria la Tropical brewer Harold Perez Mendoza in Episode 038 | Behind the Booze – Cerveceria la Tropical: Interview with Brewer Harold Perez Mendoza!)

Chrissy drank the Mameycita (La Tropocal’s version of a pain killer) and had the Cuban sandwich. Molly enjoyed a flight of Nativo Key Suave IPA (4.5%) which was poured tank to glass, Noche Tropical (4.6% Schwartzbier), Tropicalista IPA (6.9%), and Berry Blush (5% wheat beer). She also had the Fields Forever cocktail (basil infused vodka, guava, strawberry and St. Germain) and ate smashed Brussels and Yucca fries.

The girls begrudgingly pulled themselves away to hit another brewery on their list but definitely want to return to Cerveceria La Tropical soon! Follow them on Facebook and Instagram for events and specials.

While it was difficult to leave La Tropical, the girls were glad they did because their next stop was Veza Sur Brewing, which they also loved! Veza Sur is home to a brewery, taproom and beer garden – and delicious beer and creative beer cocktails! It’s pet friendly, has lots of games and hosts a food truck on site. It’s adorable inside with a giant bookshelf behind the bar displaying hundreds of fun knickknacks.

Chrissy opted for a beer cocktail, Shoot the Moon, a super tart concoction of Veza Sur’s guava sour mixed with fresh Florida citrus, house brewed Campari and mint. Molly again ordered a flight that came with a bonus cafe con flan (5.6% ABV coffee porter topped with flan)! The other beers on her flight were Chismosa Raspberry Wheat Ale (6.4%), Lulo Sour (3.8%), Prickly Pear Sour (6%) and Key Lime Sour (6%). Everything was so good!

Veza Sur offers daily happy hour specials so be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Because the girls spent so much time at these two breweries, they were unable to visit any others. They had to get back and changed for the Brewers game at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins. The girls were impressed by the stadium and really enjoyed the game and atmosphere. Pro tip – if you arrive early hit the Bud bar in left field for $3.05 beers! During the game you can visit the 305 Concession Stand for $3 hot dogs and $5 beers (12oz cans). loanDepot Park is also home to Biscayne Bay Brewing Company!

While not on this trip, Chrissy was able to visit some other great breweries and bars in the Miami area:

3 Sons Brewing in Dania Beach, Florida. 3 Sons boasts “out of the box brewing” offering unique flavors and awesome food! It’s family-run and family friendly. During her visit Chrissy enjoyed Fer Sherbet (7.2% sour), Sour Scoop (8%) and Smooth Ops Pina Colada (6% Smoothie-style Hard Seltzer). She also ordered the ceviche! Has anyone ever has brewery ceviche before? It’s excellent at 3 Sons!

J Wakefield Brewing in Wynwood, Miami. This brewery is perfect for the Boozy Blondes – it offers lots of sours! This brewery is independently owned and used crowd funding to open its first brewery.

Chrissy also stopped at Marabou (great empanadas), American Social (fantastic happy hour), Limonada Bar + Brunch (spin the drinking wheel of chance!), Batch (distillery) and Versailles (world famous Cuban restaurant).

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So while South Beach is fabulous and fun, the greater Miami area also has lots to offer and the Boozy Blondes and have only begun to scratch the surface. ¡Dale!

Season 1, Travel - Where to Drink

Episode 017 | Brews & Choo Choos: The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, Innovation Station and Mountain Layers Brewing Company

June 16, 2022November 5, 2023 The Boozy Blondes

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Listen up, all you fabulous foamers, this episode is for you. The Boozy Blondes take a trip along the Tuckasegee River in southwest North Carolina on the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad!

The DOE for this episode is Hibiscus Lime Tart Ale from Innovation Brewing (a boozy pit stop during the train ride layover), a refreshing fruit beer, 5% ABV.

The girls recorded this episode on location in Sky Valley, GA. Visiting Sky Valley is an annual trip for the blondes after Christmas through New Year’s each year. When they recorded this episode, it was their 5^th annual trip. Every year they plan a one-day excursion to explore the area around Sky Valley; this year they chose the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad trip with visits to two breweries.

The steam train left Bryson City, NC, and traveled at aggressive speed of 9 mph towards its destination of Dillsboro, NC. Chrissy kept waiting for “take off,” but the train crept along, taking its time along the river. The girls had planned this trip early (highly recommended to get your tickets way ahead of time) and booked a 1^st class car on the train. You must be 21 or older to sit in this car which includes a bar, serves lunch (that you pre-order) and offers comfy table seats for two or four.

The bar offered a selection of good wine and specialty drinks and beer. The Boozy Blondes split a bottle of wine and were pleasantly surprised when they were allowed to keep their wine glasses! On the journey back, they ordered boozy coffee drinks and were allowed to keep the coffee mugs too! Bonus! They also left with souvenir travel cups (bottomless soft drinks while on the train) and a tote bag. And, they were served surprise dessert on the ride home! These little extras really added to the 1^st class car experience that day.

Anyway, during the crawl to Dillsboro the train provided views of sets from two well-known productions – the 1950s classic Dave Crockett and the 1993 feature film The Fugitive. Fun fact, The Fugitive featured the first-ever Hollywood-filmed train crash! It took three weeks to prepare, and they had only one chance to get the shot. The train ride also passed through a haunted tunnel (much to Molly’s dismay and Chrissy’s delight); listen to the episode to hear the story about why it’s said to be haunted.

Before we talk about the breweries on this excursion, back to foamers, which we addressed at the beginning of this blog. If you know, you know. If you don’t (like the girls didn’t), look it up (obsessed train enthusiasts with professional photography gear). The girls were fascinated with the foamers who were fascinated with the locomotive carrying the Boozy Blondes.

During the hour and a half layover in Dillsboro, the girls visited Innovation Station, one of three Innovation Brewing locations. Chip & Nicole are the owners and Colin was the bartender when the girls visited. The loved the steampunk theme, awesome art and swag. Innovation Station has 32 taps, 25 host its own beer, and the other taps offer ginger ale, cider and wine. This location is home to the pilot brew house used for inventing fun varieties. There is also a food tuck on site.

The Boozy Blondes each got their own flight and were surprised to see they ordered almost exactly the same samples! Black Balsam Porter, Java the Stout, Hibiscus Lime Tart Ale, Noble Chai Cider and Bold Rock Cider.

When they returned to the depot in Bryson City, the girls made a quick stop at Mountain Layers Brewing Company. (Nantahala Brewing Company is also in Bryson City, but sadly, the girls didn’t have enough time to visit on this trip.) Mountain Layers is owned by Kim & Mark who vacationed in the Bryson City area for years. When they retired, they moved here permanently and opened the brewery. It’s a two-story building with bars on both levels. The brew house is on site and has a great outside rooftop area with fantastic views of the mountains and downtown. Downstairs is home to the beer garden and local food truck. Molly drank the Honey Just 2 More, a fruit beer with black currant, and Chrissy drank the Nitro Rocket Corner Oatmeal Stout.

The girls were big fans of both breweries they visited and the beers they tasted. And while they loved the train ride, they don’t see careers as foamers in the future. They prefer to be in the 1^st class train car, enjoying libations and cards as opposed to chasing down the train to get pictures of it. One great picture was enough for them:

Please share any train rides you recommend with the Boozy Blondes! They’d love to experience another journey on the rustic rails!

Season 1, Travel - Where to Drink

Episode 016 | Disney Drinking, EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival

June 2, 2022November 5, 2023 The Boozy Blondes

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Tune in to the Boozy Blondes’ most magical episode! 💫

There is something special about the magic of drinking in the most magical place on earth that keeps bringing them back to the annual EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival. Over the past 15 years or so, the girls counted at least ten trips to the gluttonous festival which holds some of their favorite memories.

The DOE is Imperial Crazy Mona from Tabula Rasa Brewing in Jacksonville, Florida. This Porter is aged in Rye Barrels for 18 months and is 11% – a little strong for these two, which is apparent as they giggle and gush about all the fun EPCOT brings!

The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is “a taste tour across six continents, drinking around the world, travel, friends, food, booze – it has it all.” The Disney Food Blog provides tons of information and resources and describes the festival “…featuring incredible special events, informative culinary and beverage demonstrations, celebrity chefs, and delicious Marketplace Food Booths around the park, this annual event is a can’t miss part of the Disney calendar!”

The blondes discuss a brief history of the festival and share their insider tips to make your boozy adventure as amazing as possible. They start by sharing their must-brings to Food & Wine.

Top Things to Bring

Mickey or Minnie Ears – with endless options thanks to Etsy, you can purchase your ears at the park or before you go. Molly recommends the Etsy shop DearestEars for comfy and unique options.
Matching Shirts – again, thank you, Etsy, for endless options of unique, customizable products. There is no end to the Disney Drinking puns (bibbidi, bobbidi, booze…drunkest of them all…tale as old as wine…drinking beauty)! Fun fact – the blondes’ squad wore custom festival tees long before Etsy was a thing!
Food & Wine Passport – trust the boozy experts; it’s very difficult to remember all the delicious food and beverages consumed after a full day at the park. Passports like the one sold in the Etsy shop SansoneStationery are a great way to remember all those calories the next day – and remember what you loved so you can look for those items on your next visit.
Gift Card Wristlet – you can purchase these at select stores inside Epcot. It’s a handy way to hold your money – just swipe at each kiosk!
Backpack – some essential supplies are sun block, Chapstick, water bottles and a light hoodie, but slinging a bag over your shoulders allows your hands to be free to eat or double-fist drinks! Plus you can store any souvenirs you might pick up along the way.
Comfy Shoes – plan on walking A LOT. A full lap around the World Showcase is 1.2 miles – that does not include future world nor walking to your mode of transportation. So be good to your feet!
Sunblock – duh. It’s Florida, the Sunshine State. And most of your day will be spent outside.
A Plan – there is a lot to see and do and eat and drink. Map out your path and must-sees/must-consumes before you go. Plan a timeout spot.

Boozy Blondes Pro Tips

As stated just above – plan a timeout. Make reservations for the middle of your day to take a break from the insanity and outdoor elements.
Avoid the main entrance – it’s really cool to walk into Epcot and see Spaceship Earth, but using the World Showcase entrance in between France and the UK will save you tons of time and hassle.
Get a gift card – even if you don’t want to wear the wristlet, get a gift card and load it with your desired spending limit. Gift cards make it easy to pay and also keep you in check if you’re on a budget. Once you’ve drained the funds, reevaluate – time to go or time to reload?
Buy your Mickey or Minnie ears from Etsy. There are plenty of options at Epcot, but it’s always great to support local businesses, and the blondes have found Etsy options to be more comfortable than those at the park. If you have a Ears shop, please let the Boozy Blondes know! They would love to support your shop! They also want to add Boozy Blondes ears to their collection!
Start later in the day. It’s a long day, and it’s day drinking.
Check out the bar in Morocco. It’s a full bar and when the girls have gone, it hasn’t been very crowded, especially compared to other bars around the World Showcase.
If possible, avoid weekends.
If you can’t do the Food & Wine festival, try the Flower & Garden festival!
Going with a group? Make a theme – it’s fun and it’s easy to find members of your squad when you’re all wearing the same theme.
Pack a hangover recovery kit.
Plan brunch the next day. Yes, the whole point of the Food & Wine festival is to indulge and be gluttonous. But you will be hungry the next day, and brunch is a great way to relax and relive the adventures from the day before.
Download the My Disney Experience app and Food & Wine Festival apps.
Share items – it’s fun to split things so you can try a bigger variety!
Get a baguette in France – it’s inexpensive, great to split and works to soak up some booze in your system
Ride the Sky Buckets (aka Disney Skyliner)
Buy annual passes strategically – if you buy your pass at the end of Food & Wine, you have more time to use it next year during Food & Wine.

Boozy Blondes’ Favorite Resources

Disney Food Blog – all things Food & Wine. The girls love the website and Instagram account.
Oliviamichelleh.com – for all the Instagrammers out there, Olivia posts the best places for pics.
Wdwnt.com – Chrissy’s favorite Food & Wine app comes from here and all the kiosk menus are posted each year as well.

Please share your tips with the Boozy Blondes so they can continue to enhance their trip to the Food & Wine Festival every year! If you’re able to make a trip to this festival, the 2022 dates are July 14 – November 19.

Season 1, Travel - Where to Drink

Episode 015 | Busch Gardens Bier Fest

May 19, 2022November 5, 2023 The Boozy Blondes

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What could be better than thrill rides, a safari, you best friends and a beer festival?! Not much, according to the Boozy Blondes. That’s why they love the annual Tampa Bay Busch Gardens Bier Fest!

The girls sip on one of their favorite bourbons, Woodford Reserve. There was a special Woodford tasting tent at Bier Fest where the girls definitely spent some time!

So last year, Bier Fest ran on every weekend from August 13 – October 31. The 2022 dates for Bier Fest are only Aug 12 – Sept 5! That’s not even a full month! But unlike 2021, it does not coincide with Howl-o-Scream (much to Molly’s delight). So there is a small window, but if you can make it, GO. The blondes loved it and would absolutely attend again.

The girls are huge Epcot Food & Wine Festival fans (listen to the Disney Drinking – Epcot Food & Wine Festival in two weeks!), and they both agreed Busch Gardens felt like a mini version of that – with more rides, more animals, less crowds and less cost. A definite win!

With your Busch Gardens admission ticket you have access to Bier Fest. Each item, food or beverage, is sold ala carte. Food ranges from about $6 – $10 per item, and drinks are about $11. BUT! They offer a sampler ticket! This is a must-have. If you listened to the Booze Cruise episode, you’ll remember the girls discussing the drink package. They both love to purchase this ahead of time so the trip is worry-free when it comes to tallying up drink costs. This Busch Gardens Bier Fest Sampler is kind of like that. When purchased, the holder gets a card with a lanyard that gets punched with each sample – food or beverage (note, it’s full size food offerings, but 7oz beer or cocktail samples). Prepay and taste away!

The girls started out slow, hoarding their punches while they rode rides and explored the park, but with one hour to spare they realized they had a lot of drinking to do! As the tents were preparing the close, the girls rushed around collecting samples to fulfill the Sampler – beer, wine, bourbon – they had it all!

Both girls loved the bison sliders – that was the favorite food of the day. Unless you count the sugarcane straws that came with the girls’ mixed drinks. Chrissy ate her straw faster than she drank her drink!

Much of this episode talks about Howl-o-Scream and Halloween Horror Nights – places Chrissy desperately wants to take Molly who is insistent that she will never go. Be sure to listen to this episode if you want to join Chrissy in the “let’s scare the sh!t out of Molly” campaign.

If you are considering visiting Busch Gardens Bier Fest, this episode is a must listen to. The girls talk about the ups and downs of the fest, some of the rides they enjoyed and animals they encountered. If you attend this year, or have in the past, definitely share your experience and pictures with the Boozy Blondes!

Season 1, Travel - Where to Drink

Episode 013 | Booze Cruise Vol. 1

April 20, 2022November 5, 2023 The Boozy Blondes

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In this episode the Boozy Blondes get in vacation mode, sipping their official go-to cruise drinks, talking all things cruising. If you could consider cruising a sport, the girls would take first place every time. Chrissy is an old vet at the cruise game and taught Molly her ways – even though she has a long way to catch up to Chrissy’s experience, Molly is a quick learner and together the girls absolutely crush cruising.

The DOE and official go-to cruise drink is spiced rum and ginger beer. At home, the girls typically use Captain Morgan or Sailor Jerry’s for rum, but they are split on the ginger beer. Chrissy prefers Goya brand for its extra spice and Molly prefers Fever Tree or Q Mixers (because she doesn’t like flavor especially spice).

When on the cruises, the girls go with Kraken rum while the boys love Zacapa. On Chrissy’s group birthday cruise in 2019, the group was known as the Zacapa crew; all the bartenders knew that’s what the group was drinking when they’d walk up to the bars!

For years Molly was convinced she should never step foot on a cruise ship. Every time she was invited, and even times when she had them booked, something would happen that prevented her from going. Finally in 2018 the sun and the stars and the moon aligned, and her butt got on that ship. And she was hooked! “Cruise Molly” is the happiest person you will ever meet, and Chrissy was thrilled because her partner in crime would now scheme with her to get on even more cruises.

So even though the girls are obsessed and highly recommend cruising anytime you can, cruising is not for everyone. While the girls have avoided getting seasick, some people are more sensitive to that. Others feel claustrophobic being stuck on the ship. And there are stereotypes with cruising – the short weekend cruises are non-stop partying benders and the week-long cruises are full of old people. Just remember, it’s what YOU make it.

At time of recording, the girls have only ever cruised on Royal Caribbean (since then, Chrissy has cruised overseas on a different cruise line), and they love it. The following information applies to cruising on Royal Caribbean – the girls aren’t sure if the same rules apply on other cruise lines.

Most if not all cruise lines have a private island, and Royal Caribbean’s CocoCay has really upped its game over the years. In 2019, they opened the newly renovated island. They built a dock all the way to the ship so you no longer have to take a tender (those are not fun) and built cabanas, pools and a water park!

So as Boozy Blondes, the girls are huge fans of purchasing the drink package ahead of time – the deluxe beverage package which includes booze, of course. Before your cruise, watch the website for sales because it’s close to $100/day without any discounts. Having peace of mind when it comes to an all-inclusive experience makes the girls happy, as opposed to keeping track of how many drinks they’ve had and wondering what that final bill will look like at the end of the cruise. The drink package also works on the private island, so you don’t have to pay for your drinks individually there – there are exceptions, like the pineapple drinks. Those are not included. They are super sticky, but make great pictures!

The drink package includes bottled water, coffee, discounts on bottles of wine and tastings too! Speaking of wine, you are also allowed to bring two bottles per stateroom on board with you. Even if you purchase the drink package, it’s nice to have these bottles in your room for while you’re getting ready or relaxing on the balcony. #backupbooze

The girls put together some lists for you – including their favorite things about cruising, pro-tips, packing tips and general things you need to know.

Favorite things:

The fact that you wake up in a new place every day
Great for group trips – everyone does their own booking, can customize to their preferences
It’s a choose your own adventure trip – so many options
The themed parties (provided by ship or you plan one for your group)
All the games – trivia, bingo, casino
Live music
Dinners – gluttonous but so fun and always delicious
Drink package – the girls love getting boozy “for free” (they pay ahead of time, they know)

Pro tips:

Watch for discounts online and purchase packages and excursions before you leave
Bring 2 bottles of wine per stateroom on board
Go to Windjammer in the AM – they sometimes have carts with mimosa and other drinks
Make friends with your servers – they will take excellent care of you and customize your dining experience

Things to know:

Tips/gratuity is included in price of cruise, but bring cash for servers and housekeeping for end of trip
No irons in room – can get laundry service
Some cruises come with drink packages and some offer different tiers
You can reserve event space for private parties – and some rooms are free! Others you pay for with private bar and bartender
For the drink package, all persons in stateroom must buy it if one person does
You can get non-alcohol drink packages
You can order water service to have bottles delivered to your room

Packing Tips:
(listen to Pack Like a Booze Traveler for more ideas)

Inner tubes + bungees
Special cruise cups (like the boozy blondes cups above)
Plastic bags for wet clothes
Dry erase boards
Lanyard + hole punch
Command or 3M hooks
Pump hand soap

It’s always good to research your ports before you go. While the cruise line offers excursions, you can find some pretty awesome places on your own. The girls found Rip Ty’d in Nassau on their most recent cruise, and met Christine, the owner, while they were there. Watch for the Behind the Booze episode to launch later this year!

Do you have pro tips for the girls when it comes to cruising? Please share them in the comments!

Season 1, Travel - Where to Drink

Episode 009 | Keel & Curley Farm

February 23, 2022November 5, 2023 The Boozy Blondes

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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!

Resources and Ridiculousness, Season 1, Travel - Where to Drink

Episode 007 | Pack Like a Booze Traveler

January 26, 2022November 5, 2023 The Boozy Blondes

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Hotels have become a home away from home for the boozy blondes, so much so that they streamlined the packing process to ensure their stays include the comforts of home – throughout their stay at their home away from home. It’s got to be homey, right?

The DOE for this episode is Coppertail’s Rum Passionfruit Lime Sour, a fruited Berliner Weiss with passionfruit, lime, bittering herbs, and aged on Gambler’s Bay Spiced Rum-soaked oak staves.

In this episode the girls explain packing hacks to make your stay more comfortable. They’ve even included a list so you can score some of these overnight must-haves!

Some quick tips –

Wine drinkers – grab the mini bottles. These don’t depend on bottle openers, and if you bring a regular sized bottle but don’t finish it (what? Is that a thing??), you don’t have to worry about transporting it back or dumping it if you’re getting on an airplane.
Invest in a hot pot. Hotel room coffee makers are nasty. This handy device boils water in just a minute or two, and you can use this for instant coffee, tea, oatmeal, etc!
Bring plastic cups with lids (as found on Amazon). These are perfect for roadies or in-room drinks. No one wants to drink out of the germy, dirty hotel room glasses (insert Rainer gag here).
Obviously you need something to fill these cups so grab your favorite beer or liquor and mixer!

Listening to the episode before your next trip is sure to help you plan to make your stay more comfortable and make your future self very happy. A list of the travel must-haves can be found here.

Is there something the girls forgot? Share your travel must-haves and hacks in the comments below!

**Side note, during the episode the blondes questioned whether or not cabins have refrigerators on cruise ships. They do!

Season 1, Travel - Where to Drink

Episode 006 | Jax Ale Trail – Vol. 1: Lemonstreet Brewing, Tabula Rasa, Fishweir and Buchner’s Bierhalle

January 12, 2022November 5, 2023 The Boozy Blondes

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Just north of the blondes’ hometown of St. Augustine is the city of Jacksonville. Fun fact, Jacksonville is the largest city by landmass in the continental US. DUUUVAL! This means there is plenty of space for delicious breweries. Visiting them all would take a lot of time and dedication – two things the Boozy Blondes devote to research for their podcast!

Jacksonville is home to the Jax Ale Trail – a collection of 22 breweries across the greater Jacksonville area. In this episode the blondes make it to 3 (plus a bonus German Speakeasy)! So looks like they will be devoting a lot more time to exploring the Jax Ale Trail! If the other 19 breweries are half as good and fun as these first three, the girls have a lot to look forward to!

The Jax Ale Trail passport can be picked up at any one of the 22 breweries and passport owners earn prizes as they collect stamps:

4 stamps = a koozie
8 stamps = a t-shirt
All 2 stamps = ??? It’s a surprise! The blondes really want to earn this one!

To earn your rewards, drop off your passport at the visitors center at 110 N Laura Street, Suite 120 in downtown Jacksonville.

The DOE is Chocolait from Fishweir Brewing – a barrel aged sour with chocolate and orange.

First stop on the Jax Ale Trail was Lemonstreet Brewing. It has such a great space! So many private spaces to hang out in. Gabe was the bartender (also Director of Sales for Lemonstreet) and served the girls a flight. The favorite was Pink Automation, a sour with pineapple, jalapeño and hibiscus. The food truck on site was To Be Frank serving delicious hot dogs!

Next stop was Tabula Rasa, not far away. Corey was the bartender here serving the girls a flight. Owner Ryan gave the girls the “cider” to try called Thorin Appleshild. Technically it’s not a cider – brewing cider requires a different license in Florida because it’s considered to be in the same category as wine. Each state is different, for example in PA, ciders are considered to be in the beer category. 🤷‍♀️ Regardless it was delicious! It is an ale brewed with apple cider and finished in bourbon barrels for 5 months.

Tabula Rasa has a beautiful outdoor area with fire pits and frisbee golf. They offer s’more kits and host open mic nights!

Th final stop on the Jax Ale Trail was Fishweir Brewing in the Murray Hill neighborhood. As sour lovers, the girls were thrilled to choose from so many options! Fishweir also offers Champagne drinks – Champagne + your choice of sour on tap. Fishweir has a light and airy welcoming feel and offers lots of events, including “Posture & Pints” on Sundays!

With three stamps on their passports, the blondes decided to check out one more place. They had heard of a German Speakeasy located on the same street as Fishweir. They located Buchner’s Bierhalle after walking through Blackhat Vapor. Buchner’s is amazing; it’s like walking into a different world!

Buchner’s has an extensive menu including five different charcuterie boards! After a day full of drinking beer, the girls switched to wine and enjoyed a charcuterie board, giant soft pretzel and schnitzel – a great way to end the day in Jacksonville.

Boozy Blondes with Ryan in front of Buchner’s

Buchner’s has a large outdoor beer garden with long picnic tables and hosts numerous events throughout the year including an Oktoberfest celebration, of course! Ryan was the girls’ server and was fantastic – if you visit, ask for Ryan and tell him the Boozy Blondes sent you!

This biggest takeaway from the first leg of the Jax Ale Trail is to get recommendations from the bartenders. The girls enjoyed so many different beers they probably would not have tried otherwise. Molly would never go for a beer with spice (like the jalapeños in Pink Automation) and Chrissy shies away from ciders because they are typically super sweet (Tabula Rasa’s cider beer was not sweet).

Have you been to any of the breweries in the ale trail? Share with us – #jaxaletrail #onlyinjax

Stay tuned for our second leg! We will have earned our koozie after that!

Season 1, Travel - Where to Drink

Episode 003 | Pub Pedal: St. Augustine Craft Breweries: Bog, Dog Rose, Ancient City and Old Coast Ales

December 31, 2021November 5, 2023 The Boozy Blondes

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The Boozy Blondes explore their hometown breweries in St. Augustine, Florida, in this episode. St. Augustine is home to four craft breweries and the girls pedaled their bikes to all four – the best local breweries in St. Augsutine!

The DOE is Dream Pop from Bog Brewing Company. Dream Pop is a Farmhouse Ale aged 8 months in oak and finished on organic pink rose petals.

Our partner for this episode is Winc! Click here for a discount off your first order!

This first stop on the St. Augustine Craft Brewery Pub Pedal was Bog. The blondes split three beers here: Blueberry Lemon sour (5.5%), Mixed Culture Saison (6.7%) and Automatic Midnight (19.6 Imperial Stout). They arrived around lunchtime, and lucky for them, Tacos My Blessings is a permanent food truck behind Bog.

Boozy Blondes Outside of Dog Rose Brewing

From Bog the girls rode to Dog Rose Brewing Company where they enjoyed victory on the shuffleboard table while sharing a flight. Rhapsody in Red (American amber – 5.2%), Helles in a Bucket (bock – 7.9%), Bertha Brown Ale (brown ale – 6.3%) and Lions Head Honey Sour (sour – 5.2%). They say the honey in this beer came from bees in the lions head. The girls think this is a lion’s head from the Bridge of Lions in downtown St. Augustine, and found this reference from 2020.

Here the girls met Disco Witch Brewing owners Jeff and Shelly. Disco Witch is scheduled to open Spring 2022 in Yule, Florida. A grand opening celebration is scheduled in May!

Dog Rose opened in October of 2017 and was named one of the Top 20 Best New Breweries in the US by USA Today in 2020!

The next stop for the blondes was Ancient City Brewing on Cathedral Place right downtown. This is the location of Ancient City’s tap house. Its brewhouse is west of town on Agricultural Center Drive by the St. Augustine outlets.

The girls had one beer each here – Chrissy had Augustine’s Orange Amber Ale (5.3%) and Molly ordered Ponce’s Pale Ale (5.2%). Ancient opened in May 2015.

For the final stop the girls pedaled hard over the Bridge of Lions to Old Coast Ales. Fun fact (that the girls learned too late), if you ride your bike to Old Coast, you earn 10% off your beer! Here Molly ordered the No A’postrophe (amber ale – 7.2%) and Chrissy was ordered the Static Haze (New England IPA – 6.4%).

Old Coast opened in February 2017 and is neighbors to Osprey Tacos. Tacos were ordered and Molly owes an apology to the blondes’ friend Elias. She blamed him in the episode for dropping the guacamole, which exploded everywhere, when really it was Phil! The girls do a lot of research (ahem, drink a lot) so they always have the boys and/or other friends around to keep an eye on them and clear up minor details later. 😉

These 4 breweries join forces during the holiday season. St. Augustine is known for the Nights of Lights, and these breweries started the Nights of Pints. During the Nights of Lights (typically from the end of November through January), you can purchase the Nights of Pints package at one of the four breweries which includes a t-shirt and punch card. The punch card is good for one free beer at each brewery!

If you happen to be in St. Augustine and are visiting Bog, Dog Rose, Ancient City or Old Coast, let us know! Send us a message and let us know your favorite!

** Since we recorded this episode, Bog no longer allows pets inside. Please call the breweries before bringing Fido so you are aware of the most current rules.