WOB - #500

Drinking the 500th beer at the World of Beer (WOB) is quite an accomplishment, and it is one I am not even close to attaining. I hit 50 beers a few months back and got my token tee shirt. But my friend Mac Monroe, at 80 years of age, made the milestone last month and asked me to share with him the 500th different beer he had consumed at WOB. It has been a while since it happened, but I still wanted to write about that fun moment.

Let the story begin....

It was a dark and stormy night, the ocean was angry and I am not sure if we should even start this quest. No, it was just really windy and the ocean was churning at our regular first stop on a Tuesday, Lou's Blues. We have a group of old farts that meet for a few beers every Tuesday and Friday. My work schedule now that I am retired.

 As we were leaving the bar to head to WOB, I saw an osprey struggling with the windy conditions. It was not until I looked at the photo I realized he was carrying a fish, slowing him down. In some country, it is probably good luck to see an osprey with a fish, so took it as a good sign before our trip to WOB at the Avenues in Viera. The reason I am only at 50 beers is that this place is just too long of a drive from my house. But this was a special occasion.

I got there before Mac, so I ordered myself a Pale Ale from the Australian Coopers Brewery...

It was not too crowded for a Tuesday, and I got to meet Jerry. He said he was a teacher at Melbourne High School. Also a football fan of some obscure Division I school.

If you have never been to WOB, they have lots of taps and they are continuously changing. The blackboard at the end of the bar is a list of what is currently on tap.

Mac's 499th beer was a German fruit-flavored beer, Mikkeller Hallo Ich Bin Berliner Weisse Raspberry. Those are raspberries on the can and the beer is brewed in Denmark. Mac let me taste it and it was very good. They have other flavors too, like Apricot, Mango and Passion Fruit.

My second beer was a Labatt's Blue from Canada. I was trying to get the badge for beers from 10 different countries. Yes, there is a WOB app and it helps to find the beers you have not had before. They give out badges for many different topics.

Then it was time for Mac to order his 500th beer. With the last name of Monroe, Mac is a proud Scot and ordered a Scotch Ale. This particular one is brewed and aged in Belgium. It is called Scotch Silly Barrel Aged 2014 (Cognac), aged in cognac barrels. It has a cork and is an ABV of 11%. Quite strong and I can attest, very tasty. Not something you chug down...

Mac enjoying his Scotch Silly with a WOB friend who also was hitting beer 500. Six weeks and I have forgotten his name, Mike I think.

Mike ordered a Garage Project Fruitallica from Stone Brewery in California for 500. The description is:

A tropical Double IPA with a Death Metal kick to the codpiece. Brewed with yuzu, kiwi & habanero

Very interesting taste...

There were others that congratulated Mac on his mark of 500 beers. I think this guy's name was Mike too.

I wanted to get a picture of all the beers that are in bottles and cans. This is just one-half of the coolers. The TV has the Yankees playing Twins in MLB Wild Card game. The Yankees won 1-0.

I took this wide-angle shot of the bar after a trip to the restroom. That is Mac in the center, enjoying the 500 mark and talking already about the next 500. I was happy to be part of the moment, and I should hit 500 in about 27 years, giving the current rate I took to hit 50.