Drinking Local @ Hurricanes

As much as I don’t mind travelling to find good beer (and good food), so do I cherish having a local haunt or three where both my wishes come true. Some may go, some may stay, and some may linger lost and alone without the charming allure of good beer. On the very rare occasion, a local having seen both the light and the dark will find themselves back on the illustrious path. A path rich with artfully crafted beer, lots of it, wings, burgers, salads, OH MY! and a jovial atmosphere to bring it all together.

I’m talking about my local Hurricane Grille & Wings which has wonderfully spoiled me for all other Hurricane Grille & Wings. There can be only one, and it is in Vero Beach, FL. Know it!

Our affair has been an on-again off-again journey, but reconciliation has been made, peace reigns, and good will flows. I’m not particular with numbers, but since we last made up, the drafts have doubled and plans for even more have my eyes aglitter and my heart aflutter.

Just last Friday, I met up with some dear and very late friends and promptly proceeded to close down the joint. In other words, we were the last ones to leave long after the door had been locked, chairs stacked, and the cleaning commenced. To Howard and his staff, a very generous Thank You for graciously putting up with our extended stay.

While waiting for Rob and company, I ran into Roger and his girlfriend and fellow beer geek, Jessica. Recent expats from Miami without the vice, a new influx of beer friendly folks is always welcome in my cozy hometown. Nestled in the corner, we chatted our way through my overextended wait. Eventually my mild aggravation turned to sincere concern; Rob is usually very punctual. For him to be almost two hours late is cause for the mind to wander to places of tortured metal, blood splatters, and flashing lights. Thankfully they arrived safe, sound, and sated. Turns out dinner took far longer than anticipated. Normally I am a bit envious of Rob’s cellphoneless life, but in moments like these, I stand firm on the other side of the fence where cellphones are required and everyone carries one. No ifs, ands, or buts allowed.

But I’m rambling.

I brought a bottle of Hottenroth from The Bruery which I shared with my passel of peeps, Howard, Roger, and Jessica. Rob especially enjoyed it, as he better have considering 1) I brought it with him in mind and 2) as a Berlinerweisse, she is deliciously sour and cheek-tingling tart. Facetiousness aside, I knew Rob would enjoy the Hottenroth. Even better yet, so did everyone else. Tart/Sour beers are a hit or miss with both beer geeks and beer newbs alike. You just never know who is going to catch the sour bug and who is not, and once you are bitten there is no cure but, of course, a glass or two of sour beervana. Take it from me, a sour professional.

As always the wings were fantastic; Thai Ginger & Garlic was the flavor of my night. Whilst savoring my wings, I received a sad bundle of news; they are going to be replacing their chunkarific blue cheese dressing with an alternate and inferior model of lesser chunks. Sacrilegious! Apparently too many people complained about those huge chunks of deliciously funky blue cheese in their dressing.

Those people are wrong. I am right. Accept this and all will be well in the world.

Obviously the “blue cheese” in blue cheese dressing didn’t ring them a clue. I say put those flappy lips to better use by eating those blue morsels all by themselves as to better savor the flavor. Equally relevant to this little tangent of mine is the magnificent flavor diversity of Hurricane’s wings. The saucy flavors that generously lavish love on said wings must be savored one finger-licking lipsmacking wing at a time. Save the blue cheese dressing (or whatever your dressing of choice is) for celery dipping ala palate cleansing. Don’t waste those tasty sauces atop tender wings by bastardizing them with dressing. If your flavor is the basic Mild, Medium, or Hot…you’re an acceptable exception…maybe. All other flavors though must fly solo. Through years of extensive wing research resulting in extensive wing wisdom, this is the single truth I have achieved.

Thai Ginger & Garlic wings aside, I started the evening with a Cigar City Brewing Maduro Brown Ale which was eventually followed by…well goshgollygee, I don’t remember. I do know I ended the night with a Rogue Dead Guy Ale. Somewhere in the middle, the Hottenroth was trotted out to much joyous fanfare and rejoicing. It takes me a few to savor a 750ml bottle of beer, but with 7 thirsty beer peeps, she disappeared in prompt order. A happy beer is one being drunk, and even better, one being shared.

The evening waned and we all slowly parted ways; my passel of peeps to bed, Howard and staff to finish closing now that we had relinquished our table. The 10 new tap handles I was witness to during a mini-tour enthusiastically executed by Howard were all tasty selections (Starr Hill and Gordon Biersch not so much) that will hopefully be proudly dispensing their beery bounty during my next sooner-than-later visit.

(an original written work by Kristyn Lier. plagiarism is not tolerated)