Alga Beer Company

So things went off the rails a little bit and I missed my flight out of Pensacola. This was a combination of me thinking I had gotten to the airport too early and killing some time, TSA having only one line open and the Airline shutting the doors 2 minutes before I got to the gate even though they knew the TSA line was way backed up. Note to self, just sit your ass at the airport. First flight I’ve ever missed. Life is about choices and I made the wrong one today

In the words of a Jimmy Buffet song, “There could be a woman to blame (girl behind the counter who wouldn’t let 6 people on the plane they closed 10 minutes early), but I know it’s my own damn fault.” Now the alternate flight had mechanical problems, no idea when or if it will take off. fabulous!

On the flip side. A big part of Campsite Brews is sharing info on breweries and while tomorrow will be way hectic. Tonight I’ve added a new brewery to my list. Alga Beer Company. I had actually had it on my list to visit this winter but had not made it over to Pensacola.

It was the closest brewery to the airport for me to console myself for my obvious bad choice. So enough about bad choices. Let’s talk about a good one. Alga Beer Co. sits on the corner and is a pretty cool venue with an 80’s Atari or Pitfall vibe. Tonight Lanie was playing 90’s music, mostly alternative but some pop.

The tables and bars are all made out of this beautiful natural wood planks, cedar I think. You wood geeks can correct me if I’m mistaken. The staff, well tonight it’s just Lanie, is presh! When I got here they were busy. But for a while it’s just been me and now another couple has come in. Lanie said they have a drag show once a month and it was earlier today so most of the crowd came for that. With Easter and the NCAA tournament it is deader than usual she said. However, the vibe and atmosphere earlier was pretty good. I would like to come back on a normal day/night.

When I consider how I feel about a brewery it starts with the beer. Next I consider the venue itself. Let’s face it, if the beer is decent but the venue is amazing it can still be a great experience. After the venue I look at things like atmosphere and food, if they serve it. But let’s face it other than the beer the thing that most affects your experience is the beer tender. Lanie was so good. Not just to me. She was engaging, fun and conversational with everyone.

I hate to review places on one visit but that’s often all I have. Since you already know that I love the beer tender let’s start with the venue. I’ve already mentioned the vibe and the cool wood tops. Alga has space, a 200” (guess) projector screen, an outdoor area and a regular food truck. Alga is a micro brewery so it would not be fair to compare it to the likes of Sierra Nevada in North Carolina or other bigger breweries. Looking at it from a comparative level I would give the venue 7 out of 10.

I don’t feel I can give the atmosphere a fair assessment since I was here on a Sunday night well after a big event on a holiday weekend. I will say I’m surprised there were not more people here watching the NCAA tournament. I’m not sure why but I get the feeling regulars may be more fans of other sports. However, I have nothing concrete to make that determination so I will not. I’m going to say that I feel like the atmosphere is generally good here.

So let’s talk about the most important thing….The Beer! Overall the beer is good. I have not had a beer that I would not drink again. That being said some of the lagers were too watery/light. I enjoyed the black lager, the IPA, the hazy and the sour. The sour was the best beer I tried and the closest to the style.