Salvador Dali Museum

I found a great little brewpub in Gulfport, Florida during our 2011 Spring Break: Peg’s Cantina. More on that in a bit…

Our day started with a visit to the new Dalí Museum. This is an amazing collection of art in an amazing building. The museum is in a new $35 million building that is art itself. Housed within is the mind-blowing art of Dalí, explained by a fascinating audio tour.  I loved hearing the stories of Dalí while trying to understand his brilliant art. Surround Yourself with the Surreal at the Dalí Museum.

When we left the museum, it was right between lunch and dinner, so we were looking for an afternoon hangout. I think we found the perfect spot at a sidewalk table at 400 Beach Seafood & Tap House.  What a combination – fresh Florida seafood and fresh local craft beer, with a view of the bay!

Our friendly server pointed us to the best of the beer menu and we sampled several local brews along with blackened grouper tacos, crispy buffalo gulf shrimp, and other tasty small plates. At 400 Beach, we tried pints of:

• Jai Alai India Pale Ale (7.5%), a very strong interpretation of an American IPA, from Cigar City Brewery in Tampa.
• Maduro Brown Ale (5.5%), a Northern English-style Brown Ale, from Cigar City Brewery in Tampa.
• Florida Avenue Krystal Weiss, a refreshing Wheat beer from Cold Storage Craft Brewery in Tampa.
• Red Head Red Ale, an Amber Ale from Dunedin Brewery – a preview of a visit to Dunedin Brewery a few days later.

We were killing time because our next stop, Peg’s Cantina, didn’t open until 5:00 p.m. I found Peg’s on a whim — a last minute Google search of brewpubs near St. Pete. I’m so glad we decided to give it a try.

Peg’s is a “bungalow turned into a restaurant” that features freshly made Mexican food and G.O.O.D. (Gulfport Original On Draft) beer. We sat at an outdoor table and the prompt and friendly service led to a plate of nachos and a flight of beer, including:

• Blind Date, an Amber Ale (5%)
• The Dude, a Robust Porter (7%)
• GOOD Day Wheat, a Wheat Ale (5.2%)
• Dancing Cody IPA, a solid IPA and my favorite of the flight (6%)

I learned from our server that the brewer at Peg’s Cantina, Doug Dozark, is also an assistant brewer at Cigar City Brewing in Tampa. Doug is Peg’s son, and when Peg herself stopped by our table to greet us, she talked about all of the great beer that Doug is brewing for her restaurant. This led to an impromptu tour of the brewhouse by Peg’s husband, Tony. Peg’s web site has some great pictures of the micro-brewery (and I mean micro).  The folks at Peg’s were so warm and friendly and we really enjoyed the hospitality, food, and beer!

Check out the gallery below for pictures of the Dalí Museum, 400 Beach Seafood & Tap House, and Peg’s Cantina.