The Banyan Bar has served Laughing Gull Lager on tap for a while and club members and Resort guests have responded favorably.
—The beautiful Banyan Bar at The Resort at the Longboat Key Club overlooks a huge swimming pool and one of the finest Gulf of Mexico beaches on the white sand stretching from Siesta Key to Clearwater on the west coast of Florida. On a lovely June afternoon, this location offered an ideal place for an informal tasting of Laughing Gull Lager. A portion of the sales of this premium lager beer go to the Sarasota Save Our Seabirds (SOS) wildlife rescue service at City Island, 1708 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota 34236 on City Island.
—Brian Walton, SOS Executive Director, contacted the Resort about providing venue for the tasting. The Resort’s Food and Beverage Director, Bob Weil, graciously hosted the event. The Banyan Bar has served Laughing Gull Lager on tap for a while and club members and Resort guests have responded favorably. The Banyan Bar staff served pint glasses of the draft lager to those attending the event as they arrived.
—SOS Board member Ken Goldberg set the stage for the tasting. He mentioned the role of Laughing Gull Lager in generating support for SOS among wider audiences, and he introduced the 3CarGarage brewmaster, Stu Drymon, as the person to ask about the lager. Stu described the lager as a cold-brewed lager in the German Helles style. Weyermann Pilsner and Munich Malts and Tettnanger Hops keep the International Bitterness Units (IBU) in the lower quarter of the IBU range.
—In the glass the draft lager has a bright golden hue with a slight haze indicating body in the brew. The first sip left crisp and cleansing saturates in the mouth. A mellow hint of malt and gentle hops smoothed the 5.2% alcohol by volume. Tasters found the taste refreshing and pleasant. Those attuned to American lager styles of beer would find Laughing Gull Lager similar but superior.
—Stu introduced Ethan Harper, Founder and Owner of Craft Farm Distribution, the distributor of Laughing Gull Lager, who brought with him a case of the lager in cans. Photographer and graphics artist Marjorie Goldlberg, Ken’s wife, had designed the distinctive laughing gull image on the faces of the cans. With the aim of due diligence, we tasted the lager in cans. It had a substantial head of foam when freshly poured into a pint glass but tasted the same as the draft lager when the head slowly receded.
—SOS Board member Danielle Gladding, her husband Nick Gladding, Longboat Key Commissioner, District 3, and son Zach Kanter also participated in the tasting.
—Laughing Gull Lager deserves a place in a line-up of beer taps in a beachy bar alongside Calusa Zote hazy IPA and Big Top’s Circus City IPA. It has a light and clean taste that appeals to a wide range of beer lovers, and its sales aid a good cause. The attractive cans offer another option for buyers. Ask for it in restaurants, in bars, and now in stores.
—S. W. Hermansen has used his expertise in econometrics, data science and epidemiology to help develop research databases for the Pentagon, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Agriculture, and Health Resources and Services. He has visited premier vineyards and taste wines from major appellations in California, Oregon, New York State, and internationally from Tuscany and the Piedmont in Italy, the Ribera del Duero in Spain, the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale in Australia, and the Otego Valley in New Zealand. Currently he splits time between residences in Chevy Chase, Maryland and St. Armand’s Circle in Florida.
—Rich Hermansen selected has first wine list for a restaurant shortly after graduating from college with a degree in Mathematics. He has extensive service and management experience in the food and wine industry. Family and friends rate him as their favorite chef, bartender, and wine steward. He lives in Severna Park, Maryland.
