Florida Keys Brewing Company’s iconic Iguana Bait kölsch is now available for purchase at all Publix Supermarkets in the Florida Keys. This marks the first occasion that any grocery store from Key Largo to Key West will offer locally brewed and canned beer on their shelves for purchase.
Not only is the beer 100% produced in the heart of Islamorada, it’s also entirely owned and operated by residents of the Keys and is crafted with ingredients sourced locally.
Iguana Bait is a honey-hibiscus kölsch made with local Keys honey and hibiscus. It’s a light, refreshing beer with sweetness from the honey and a slight tart fruitiness from the hibiscus. Kölsch is a traditional German-style beer hailing from Cologne, made using only barley, hops, water and yeast. Florida Keys Brewing Co. complemented its German-style kölsch with Hallertauer hops, local honey and hibiscus.
The beer garners its name Iguana Bait from the local iguanas’ voracious appetite for hibiscus flowers that decorate the island chain. Iguana Bait has a 5.2% ABV and 20.4 IBU. It’s available as 12-ounce six-packs at all Publix stores in the Florida Keys.
Florida Keys Brewing Company (FKBC) flourished out of a husband-and-wife collaboration of imaginative home brewing and a vision to give locals and tourists alike a truly authentic Keys product.
The sole owners, Craig and Cheryl McBay, launched their dream into reality in 2014 when they renovated a warehouse in the Morada Way Arts and Cultural District to accommodate their first brewery and tasting room. This original location is still where most of the beer is brewed, and the original taproom can be enjoyed on special occasions and every Art Walk, held on the third Thursday every month.
“FKBC is the Upper Keys’ first brewery and only brewery that is 100% owned, operated and brewed here,” said Craig McBay. “We are driven by our love of creating a wide range of top quality beers and supporting our community and ocean conservation.”
Iguana Bait can also be enjoyed in the Florida Keys Brewing Co. taproom at MM 82 in Islamorada, Sunday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., along with 19 other 100% locally crafted Keys brews.
— Contributed
