YLBW: Beer Making Class @ Craft Beer Cartel

Unilocal + Beer making class + Craft beer Cartel = MAGIC! When it was announced that there would be a beer making class during YLBW I literally wanted to be the first one to sign up for it! Attending so many beer events I was excited to learn, first hand, about the beer making process. Unfortunately, it was pouring that evening but it didn’t damper the party one bit! Adam was a great host and showed us around the Cartel. He took us outside in groups to show us how he started the beer that he was brewing for Funky Buddha’s Maple Bacon Porter Day. (Shhhhh it’s a secret… I think! Whoops!) I have to be honest and say that I was kind of disappointed that we couldn’t participate. For some reason I was expecting that we would help with some part of the process so that was a bit of a let down.
The Founders Brewing rep really knew her stuff! I really enjoyed the back stories and explanations of the beers and brews she brought for us to taste were super eclectic and, as always) surprised to realize how many beers that I liked. I think my palate is definitely expanding! The Centennial IPA was obviously my favorite. I’m almost sure Hiram and I optimized on all the non-​IPA drinkers samples! The bites from Riverside Market were definitely appreciated! Their hummus platter was delicious and I really enjoyed the sandwich platter. I’ve never tried their sandwiches before so now that I’ve had a little taste I’ll surely be more inclined to try one next time. Even though we had a lot of great information to learn, yummy beer tastings and bites… I’m confidant in saying that the little doxie stole the show! Really awesome YLBW event with Craft Beer Cartel, Founders, and Riverside Market!

I was really excited to go to this event as I’m a chemist, and therefore a nerd at heart, and learning more about the brewing process really appealed to me. Getting to the place was my first challenge, as I had never been to Craft Beer Cartel before and it’s a little off the beaten track. Luckily, was able to find it fairly easily despite the rain. After some parking maneuvers, we were able to get started, and I have to say I was very pleased with the level of detail. It wasn’t so dense as to be unintelligible, yet I was still able to glean a number of facts I hadn’t known about before. I also really loved the fact that the hosts from Founders had visual (and olfactory!) aids to help us really understand what they were talking about.
of course, the free samples of beer didn’t hurt either! My personal favorite was their IPA, but I think a lot of folks enjoyed the Dirty Bastard stout the most. Was interesting to hear about their history and their philosophy when it came to making beer. I was able to learn a lot by tasting combined with their talks on what they thought were the important aspects of the beer to emphasize.
I’d never been to Craft Beer Cartel before, but now that I know if it (and Riverside market, but that’s a whole other review), I’ll definitely have to make a return trip. It’s great to find a place that sells so many craft beers by the six-​pack.
Thanks to Founders for the beers and the education, to Craft Beer Cartel for hosting our group, and to Blue for putting this one together. Another great event in the books!

Craft Beer Cartel and Unilocal BPB invited us to show step by step how to brew beer. It all started with our knowledgable instructor Adam explaining from the ingredients used to the tasting of the final product! We were able to smell the aroma of the barley boiling, the hops used, even to taste the raw wheat. All of it was paired with small bites from Riverside located right across from the Cartel. The store itself is pretty interesting with the decorated floor with beers caps and theirs funky designs. They have pretty much all the supplies needed to start brewing your own beer as well as an incredible variety of craft beers inside their extensive fridge wall.
It’s definitely a must stop in Ft. Lauderdale.
What a great evening balanced with the right amount of knowledge, tasting, and fun! Congrats Blue and the Craft Beer cartel for putting together such an exciting event!!!

What a fun and educating event! Who knew making beer was such a science! Adam from Native Brewing walked us through the process of making beer while explaining each step, I came out really appreciating the art of making quality beer. Adam showed us the crude ingredients like barley, hops which is a flower, yeast and showed us the mash which is the base for creating beer, it transforms the grains into sugar. We also took a tour to the outside where Adam had his pots cooking up the beer. It was really fascinating to see the process.
While we were being educated on the science of beer, we were served a few tastings from Founders Brewing.
Tasting 1: Dry Hopped Pale Ale — This was my favorite.
Tasting 2: Centennial IPA
Tasting 3: Porter
Tasting 4: Dirty Bastard– Scotch Ale
Tasting 5: Morning Express Milk Stout from Native Brewing.
This was my first time at Craft cartel, which is a beer shop which not only sells bottled craft beers but also sells the ingredients to make beer. I loved the floor, which is decorated with over 100K bottle caps — it’s a piece of art. We were served delicious sandwiches and hummus from Riverside Market, the hummus was amazing! There was garlic, tomato and spicy jalapeño, my favorite was the garlic hummus.
This was different type of Unilocal event but as always a great time, and we even got a cool pint glass from Founders. It was great seeing my Unilocal friends and meeting new people. Thank you to Craft Beer Cartel for hosting us, Riverside Market for the delicious food, Adam and Founders Brewing staff for the beer and education and of course thank you to our CM Blue for all his hard work in putting this fun event together for us to enjoy.

I hope the goal of this event is not to entice us to start making our own beer, because, like other Unilocalers, it totally did not make me feel like rolling up my sleeves to brew something. Beer brewing is 90% cleaning? Nope, definitely not a clean freak. What this event did give me is a new appreciate for the hard work behind these golden drops of ambrosia. Not to mention, why would I want to make a bunch of failures and mediocre beers when places like Craft Beer Cartel and Riverside Market offers us hundreds of great beers ready in a bottle?
The set up is less like a class than a social gathering, with Unilocalers milling around and chatting in small groups in a relaxed manner. It’s great to get to know Unilocalers who share the passion of craft beer. Honestly, most of my Untappd friends are Unilocalers.
I’ve known of Founders, and I am glad to get to try several of their beers. BTW if you like Dirty Bastard, try their Backwoods Bastard — a bourbon-​barrel-​aged version that is totally amazing.
Thanks Blue, for a very hoppy week of Unilocal,and thanks also to Founders and to Craft Beer Cartel/​Riverside for providing us with a wonderful evening.

Coolest event.
I stated enjoying beer about three years ago when my boyfriend got me into them. I also have some Unilocal friends that are beer drinkers and told me what kind of beers of would enjoy most (THANKS PATRICK). So these days, instead of getting a glass of wine I always get a glass of beer. HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED LOL…
I love drinking beer and always wanted to know how the beer is actually made. I’ve seen the picture painted on the wall at Funky Buddha that shows how but it’s hard to understand unless I get to actually see it done.
There are a lot of steps when it comes to making beer. Its almost like a science project to me. What’s really great is NativeBrewing showed us all the steps from start to finish and I am so happy i got to see it because it was so much easier to understand now.
They had the mash and other stuff cooking outside of the building and it smelled so good too. They also showed us different hops and grains and even showed us all the supplies they sell like containers bottles yeast and tons of bottles of beer.
The beer we made was called Morning Express and it was so amazing I wanted to buy a growler but they don’t do growlers of Native Beers yet. The Morning Express was really dark beer with lots of coffee flavors; it reminded me of one of my favorite beers called Café Americano from Cigar City.
Founders Brewing was there giving us different sample cups of beers spread out through the night. The pale ale was good but my favorite was the Dirty Bastard. I was so happy to check in my beer like everyone else on untapped and we got a cute badge for being Dirty Bastards.
Craft cartel is a nice place to check out and buy beers. Thanks you guys for the hummus platter and pita. The sandwich was also really good.
Thanks Blue for setting up this beer class event; I always wanted to go to one. I learned a few things about making beer at home. I don’t want Glenn to do it because I know he’ll make a messs but it’s tempting to have a beer of our own.

Very informative and fun to learn the process it takes to make excellent craft beer. Nice to know so many people in our area and around the country take this art to the next level and always challenge themselves to provide excellent brew for the masses. Plus everyone that attended was great and was nice to add some more fiends to my list. Thanks again!!!

Like several of my friends, I never really cared for beer just a couple of years ago. I credit Unilocal BPB for expanding my horizons in this area! That being said, I’m still rather particular about my beers, and I thought that seeing what all goes into making beer would give me a new-​found appreciation for it. I knew it would be really cool to see the beer-​making process from start to finish, and was not disappointed!
Despite the rain and traffic, I managed to get here right on time, and was greeted by Blue and Adam from Native Brewing at the door. We soon got settled, and were introduced to the first of four beers from Founders Brewing, a pale ale. Now, I don’t care for pale ales or IPAs because of the aftertaste, but this one was actually pretty good! However, I just don’t have the refined tastes necessary for the rest of the beer options, but that just meant more for everyone else :)
In between beer samples, we learned about the brewing process from Adam, where he passed around samples of barley (we could taste them even, to see how the enzymes break down into sugars) and hops (a type of flower, who knew? and very fragrant as well). He also had the yeast in a beaker to show us (this really did look like a science lab experiment!). At two different times, we ventured outside to see how their brew (Morning Express) was coming along, as Adam explained the process. He said 90% of brewing beer is cleaning… and I see why!
We snacked on sandwiches and hummus from Riverside Market. Can I tell you, their garlic hummus was AWESOME. They also had sun-​dried tomato along with jalapeño (a little goes a long way on that one). They even ran across the street to get us more pita when we ran out. We cheered when they returned, and immediately pounced on the warm bread so we could have more hummus. I had no idea this would be so good, so of course we all walked across the street after the event to try more of their food (and beer… or, in my case, a very large bottle of Pellegrino!).
This was such a fun, different event, and it made for a great evening with old and new friends. Thanks so much to Craft Beer Cartel for hosting us, Riverside Market for feeding us, Founders Brewing for hydrating us, Adam for educating us, and Blue for spoiling us :)

This event was AWESOME! CBC set up a complete brewing experience from start to finish to demo the sights, sounds and smells of the brewing process. Along with the sensory, there was also a background on the science around making wort (the yeast makes the beer) and hello– did you know that beer was the hydration of choice for the pilgrims, which is why they ended up where they did (they ran out, duh)?! The best part was trying to beer being made from a preciously completed batch and boy was it good– i describe it as an iced cortadito! A dark porter called Morning Express. BTW they are not yet bottling and selling these beers (working on that) — but ask them where this beer can be sampled b/​c its good! I believe their brew is affiliated with Native Brewing. This location used to be a rough and tough convenience store– they sure have made some awesome changes. The store is currently the only location where brew supplies and grains and yeasts and kits and bottling supplies of this extent can be found. They literally have sacs of grains and hops that they will grind up for you and help you to curate your own brew or follow from a recipe. Not to mention their craft beer selection is stellar– i was able to find some rare Shiner Prickly Pear seasonal and lots of other lil gems. They have popcorn, chips, charcuterie supplies, gift baskets, brewed coffee drinks, and other noshies along with al their brew gear. They saved all the bottle caps from Riverside Market across the street and used them to create an awesome floor tile mural. Snacks from Riverside (Italian subs and hummus) were served up along with 4 delicious brews from Founders. Way to go with this event– you’re my boy BLUE! Will definitely be back to CBC!

I only really became someone who could enjoy a glass of beer about a year ago. Before then I had only had a few sips of the normal Bud Light or Corona, but I never really liked those and had just assumed all beer was basically the same. After trying a few different craft beers, I began to really understand that beer can be just as complex as wine, so many different varieties. Now that South Florida is home to so many different craft breweries, I’ve really come to appreciate the art and science of making unique beers — but I’d never thought of making mine at home.
Last night Craft Beer Cartel treated us to a demonstration on the basics of making beer. They passed around the different ingredients for us to smell and even taste, showing us a couple of batches in different stages of the fermentation process (as well as our favorite — one that was already completed for tasting!). It was so interesting, and while I am definitely overwhelmed still by the complex process, I feel like I understand a lot better how beer is made. This isn’t something I’m ready to tackle myself yet, but I would love to learn more about it and help a friend who is looking to make their own homebrew.
I loved the final product, of course — Morning Express, which is a dark beer but light bodied with lots of coffee flavor. They said it will be on tap at Funky Buddha during the Maple Bacon Coffee Porter festival, so will definitely be getting a glass there!
We were also treated to several different tastings of Founders beers, which I really liked all but one of those (and only because I’m not an IPA drinker). The Pale Ale and Dirty Bastard were my favorites — and Founders has fun badges on Untappd when you check in, which is cute.
Craft Beer Cartel is just across the park from Riverside Market, who provided the food for the event. I really enjoyed the hummus platter with pita and chips, great for soaking up some of the alcohol. I didn’t try the sandwiches, but they looked great too!
This was a really fun and unique event, thank you so much to Blue, Unilocal,Founders and most of all Craft Beer Cartel for the invitation! I’ll be back soon to browse your beers and maybe even pick up one of those «easier» homebrew kits in the future!

For quite some time, I have been wanting to make beer, actually, ever since the first beer kits became available to consumers. But being a perfectionist, I always kind of second guessed myself thinking that my beer would not be as good as supermarket beer. Still, I have always had that little idea stuck in my head. One day I thought…
Well, that day came. And guess who was organizing this beer making party? None other that Blue A. How excited I was when I got my confirmation is indescribable. I am an ace in the kitchen, so I thought this was right up my alley. Well, think again. To begin with, gigantic pots are needed to make enough beer. Then, lots of grains are needed, followed by boiling and washing and transferring, man, the process is very intricate. Plus, after you add the yeast, you need to wait! If you’re thinking «Oh! I’m making beer for dinner», well, you will starve yourself. Think about good motivation to go back to college…
So, the evening was basically an explanation of the boiling process, the fermentation process, and all the materials and ingredients required. It was very informational, and they were making beer right in front of us. At the end, we got to try some of the beer that was made (at a previous time, obviously), and it was really delicious. I would even say my favorite beer of the evening. Ahhh! Nothing like fresh beer.
Thanks Blue for the invite. I had a great time, and I checked «want to make beer» off my list. What was I thinking? Let someone else make the beer and I’ll buy it bottled. Yes, I am that guy.
By the way, while «beer school» was in session, we had Laura from Founders Brewing in Michigan serve us some other delicious beers. Plus, she hooked up the cool badge «The Bastards». The beers were paired with some sandwiches and hummus.
Finally, thanks Beer Cartel. Super cool beer shop that everyone needs to visit, not only for good beer, but for beer making materials and supplies.
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I’ve always credited Unilocal for me liking beer now.
Just a couple of years ago, if you offered it to me I would have given you a «look» as if you were crazy.
After hanging out with so many beer loving Unilocalers, and them guiding me to find the ones I like, I am able to enjoy many and open to try more.
So, to keep expanding my beer horizon, when I saw this Beer Class event, I had to sign up.
Ok, yes, at first I thought I would be making my own beer (sour), but then realized it would be a «class» not a «lab» :p
Still OK, it was interesting to hear about all the process and precision that it takes to make the beers we like.
At our event they were making a stout, the smell is amazing, and it has a beautiful color. Of course we weren’t able to try that one but, we did try some from Founders Brewing and again, was able to find some I like and can add to my list.
We started with the Pale Ale — I don’t like IPAs. This is a little lighter in taste but I can still taste the hops.
My favorites I must say were the porter, which has some sweetness/​chocolate notes, and the Dirty Bastard. This last one is a stronger beer, full of flavor, rich… one to enjoy slow.
The class took place at Craft Beer Cartel. The staff was friendly and obviously very knowledgeable. They have a huge assortment of all kinds of bottled beer, they make their own, and sell everything for you to make it at home. I, even after attending this class, will hold off on that, and keep counting on these masters to provide me with their creations.
Also, when you’re there, look down, their floor is so cool… all covered with beer bottle caps, placed one by one by staff, customers, suppliers, etc. It is a work of art.
Thank you to Riverside Market for the delicious hummus, and sandwiches (and being our after party location).
And, thank you my Unilocal friends for always providing the FUN!
Blue, great event, as always. Thank you!

BEER!!! I consider myself an avid beer drinker, so why not learn how to make it? Dave from Native walked everyone through the brewing process. It’s a ton of cleaning and making sure that measurements and temperatures are precise.
BREWING PROCESS-​simplified
–You have to start with the mash. This is the process that converts the starches in the malted barley into fermentable sugars. Before the mash process, the grains don’t taste sweet at all. The liquid that ends up being drained from the grains is sticky and sweet.
–Then move on to the wort process. This is where the liquid from the mash is boiled. Adding the hops in the beginning. Then boiling for about 90mns. Depending on the type of beer, more hops are added towards the end of the boil. These hops contribute to the aroma of the beer.
–When the boiling process is complete the wort is drained leaving the solids in the kettle. Then the wort is cooled and chilled before adding the yeast, starting fermentation.
TASTINGS
Throughout the course of the night, we were given several samplings of beer from one of my favorite breweries; Founders Brewing. And the beer that was brewed tonight by Native.
Tasting 1: Dry Hopped Pale Ale
Not really into the lighter beers, but this was a nice starter beer. Had a light citrus smell and taste of grapefruit.
Tasting 2: Centennial IPA
Brewed with Centennial hops, hence the name. Enjoyed the body and flavor of this beer. Slighty sweet with a floral taste.
Tasting 3: Porter
Delicious! Gives off a slight coffee aroma. With the aroma you get the taste of coffee with a little bitterness at the end.
Tasting 4: Dirty Bastard– Scotch Ale
The beer that kept the doors open at Founders! Sweet taste up front. .hint of caramel with a fruit aftertaste. Nice mouth feel.
Tasting 5: Morning Express Milk Stout
Final sampling was from Native Brewing. It was dark with a light tan head, roasty aroma with hints of chocolate, and delicious coffee flavor that wakes up your mouth. Great body and mouth feel… Super easy to drink! I’ve never had beer from Native before and was pleasantly surprised with the flavor.
Super cool event! We even got to take home a Founders pint glass at the end of the night! Very informative and I of course enjoyed the tastings! Even considering buying one of the brewing kits from Craft Beer Cartel and trying it out. As always, shout out to Blue for putting together this awesome event!

Not too long ago I thought «Making beer is easy»…
A little water, some hops, a bit of malt… heat and mix… add some variants to make your brew «yours»… put it in bottles and add some yeast to bottle condition it… a few weeks later you can sip my brew… that taste’s like water from a stagnate lake with a sewage outfall… Mmmm
REALITY IS :
it’s not so simple… the basic steps I have down but it’s more science and less hobby. Tonight we brewed (or at least we watched) a milk stout with Adam of Native Brewing (which is also housed in Craft Beer Cartel). I can’t promise the milk stout we brewed will taste any better than my imaginary home-​brew other than it was produced under better conditions.
But then Adam made us aware that he had a batch of the same that was already completed and we got to sample it… tell you about it later !
AM I YOUR NEXT BIG HOME-​BREWER :
Nope… I’m leaving this hobby for others with more patience and time on their hands
What I will do though is make myself available to any «hopeful» home-​brewer that wants my honest opinion to sample their concoctions… be warned though, I am brutally honest and have no filter to sugarcoat the words I speak (apologies in advance).
FOUND THE BEER WITH FOUNDERS :
Throughout the evening, Adam (Native Brewing) lectured us on various stages of beer making and beer materials and beer components and in between each of these lectures Founders Brewing was on hand to share with us various beers.
Thanks Laura /​Founders for the bottle share !
ANYONE HUNGRY :
Once upon a time I was a regular at Riverside (even had the Unilocal Duke status for almost a week a couple years ago)… but it’s been awhile and I have definitely missed the food.
So, I was happy they were going to provide us lite bites… I got a small sandwich bite and… um, that’s it. As always, I was in no way looking for a meal but I did see large platters of food so I thought «maybe» I’d get more than just one sandwich nibble. Turns out there was plenty of «dip» or «hummus» but I saw no chips crackers or veggies to dip with so I just kinda scratched my head what it was all for… what a waste.
CRAFT BEER CARTEL :
I haven’t been back to Riverside Café (or Craft Beer Cartel) since the time they offered anyone that wants to participate in installing bottle caps on the floor… today was the first time I’ve seen Craft Beer Cartel since their opening to the public… I have to admit the place looked great… congrats Adam /​Julian on a really great job !
RIVERSIDE CAFE :
And once again we’ve ended a «BEER» event with a «BEER» after-​party… and this time we ended up supporting the same business that hosted our event !
GRATITUDE :
Thanks Mr Blue /​Native Brewing /​Founders Brewing /​Craft Beer Cartel /​Riverside Café

Before tonight, I was a Unilocal event virgin, but with a healthy dose of craft beer from Founders Brewing, some tasty eats from Riverside Market & some expert tutelage in the fine art of beer making from Adam at Native Brewing, this purity ring can finally come off…
Everyone was super friendly and welcoming & we came away with lots of new knowledge and a better appreciation for what a messy undertaking producing your own beer is. That said, the end result sure is rewarding! The Morning Express is one of the best beers I’ve enjoyed… definitely an acceptable replacement for coffee, provided you work from home and don’t need to commute to the office.
Craft Beer Cartel was such a cool spot, and Adam from Native Brewing did an amazing job sharing his passion for beer with all of us. Laura from Founders Brewing kept spirits high with plenty of amazing Founders beer — Dry Hopped Pale Ale, Centennial IPA, Porter, and the Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale (my personal favorite)
Blue did an outstanding job organizing this event & I can’t wait for the next one

This was my very first Unilocal event, and I can’t believe how much fun it was! Everyone was super nice and inclusive, and Blue was an amazing coordinator.
Now for the event. I had seen Craft Beer Cartel across the street from Riverside Market and always wanted to check it out, and this gave me the perfect reason to do so. The place is small and quaint, and has a mural floor made of 100,000 bottle caps. The event was super educational and detail-​oriented — we learned about the four main brewing ingredients (yeast, hops, water, and malt), temperatures, time-​lines, etc. etc. I love that sort of thing, and as someone who has never brewed before, it gave me an entirely new appreciation for the craft (pun intended). They let us sample the «Morning Express,» which was seriously one of the best beers I’ve ever had — a stout beer with strong coffee notes and full, malty flavors.
We also sampled a Pale Ale, IPA, Porter, and a unique Scotch Ale called «Dirty Bastard» from Founders Brewing Company. As a fan of the darker beers, the Porter and Dirty Bastard were my favorite, but all of them had excellent flavor profiles. The sales rep was super cool and laid back, and we all got really nice pint glasses to take home at the end of the night.
To top it off, Riverside Market hooked us up with sandwiches and boat-​loads of tasty hummus. Which ended up paying off for them, because most people wandered across the street after the event was over and ordered more food to finish off the night.
What an awesome way to spend a Tuesday night! I’m SO glad we got to attend.