Phobia Phest 2014

There is quite an event brewing in Orange Park and it's called Phobia Phest! The first annual Phobia Phest is sure to be a good time for all ages. Brewer's Pizza is a family friendly establishment, and will host several activities for everyone to enjoy. There will be costume contests, pumpkin painting, and a pumpkin carving competition hosted by local artist,  Kyle Willis. Kyle will also be showcasing horror themed art and will be hanging around to sign his works.

Brewer's Pizza is home to Pinglehead Brewing Company, which is Orange Park's first and only brewery. And now it's home to the only Halloween party you need to attend this year! The place will be decked out in season appropriate decor and displays; there will even be live music and classic Halloween films being played during dinner.

Brewer's Pizza will offer a special Phobia Phest menu that will include seasonal dishes and limited tappings of Pinglehead Brews. Speaking of brews, one of the limited brews will be from yours truly! That's right, I was fortunate enough to team up with Pinglehead a few weeks ago and brew a beer that is truly unique. You won't want to miss it!

And for those you who prefer to stick to the soft drinks, Brewer's will be serving their own fresh-brewed root beer.

As if all the beer, food, music, art, and costumes aren't enough, Brewer's will have a paranormal expert on hand to raise those tiny hairs on the back of your neck with spine-chilling music. Orange Park Native, Brewer, and Paranormal expert (he was recently featured on Syfy's Ghost Hunters), John Harris, will be a guest host for the day.

Phobia Phest takes place on October 25, and will run from 11am-11pm. There will be outdoor seating all day. Brewer's Pizza is located at 14b Blanding BLVD, just before the Orange Park Mall. For more information, check out the Brewer's Pizza and Pinglehead Facebook pages.

Pinglehead Phobia Phest 2014 Agenda 
11:00am - 4:00pm 
Pinglehead Pilot Batch tappings (stay tuned for list)
Pumpkin Carving Contest
Pumpkin Painting for the kids

3:00pm – 4:00pm 
Costume Contest Voting ( Family friendly)
1st prize -$50 gift card
2nd prize - $25 gift card
3rd prize - $10 gift card
Contest winners announced at 4:00pm

5:00pm 
Winners will be announced for Pumpkin Carving Comp.
1st prize -$50 gift card
2nd prize - $25 gift card
3rd prize - $10 gift card

6:00pm -10:00 pm 
Movie Screenings (inside)
Live Music (outside)
Evening Costume Contest Voting

10:00pm 
Grand Prize Costume Contest
1st prize -$100 gift card
2nd prize - $75 gift card
3rd prize - $50 gift card

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Visiting Tomoka Brewery

I had the pleasure of stopping by Tomoka Brewery, one of North Florida's newest craft beer breweries. Tomoka is located in Ormond Beach, FL, which is just minutes from Daytona Beach.

Tomoka is a place I had been trying to visit since the opening in 2013, but my work and family schedule made it difficult to make the 90 minute drive from Jacksonville. Nonetheless, I am glad that I was finally able to visit Tomoka and taste some of the delicious pizzas and, of course, beer.

The brewpub is conveniently located and within walking distance of the beach. Although I visited on a cold day (for Florida's standards), I made a mental note to come back in the summer and make use of the brewery's optimal proximity to the water.

The pictures are hazy because my daughter put a filter over my lens and I didn't catch it until later.

Tomoka just received their Federal license to brew and sell their own beer this past week. So, during the time of my visit, I wasn't able to order any beers that were solely brewed by them; although I did try a collaboration beer they brewed with Due South Brewing Co. out of Boynton Beach, FL. The collaboration was an imperial brown ale called, Ginger Snap Imperial Brown Ale.

Just like it sounds, the beer was a sweet and malty ale with subtle notes of ginger, toffee, and brown sugar. It served as an excellent dessert beer after I devoured an order of gravy and cheese covered french fries, which were the appetizer to the pizza I ordered--the Spanokopizza: a pie that's topped with spinach, garlic, onions, mozzarella, feta, and butter. YUM!

My visit was pleasant and I know I need to come back. Owners Jen and Peter are great people. They are avid supporters of the craft beer community in Florida and are just generally good people to be around. Peter even came out from the back of the kitchen to snap a quick photo with my daughter and me.

That's me in the middle, proudly wearing the "Drink Beer from Here" @hopcloth shirt.

If you're in the Daytona Beach area, be sure to stop by Tomoka for a good meal and great beer. I will definitely be back once they have their own beers flowing from the taps.

Cheers!