Pinellas Ale Works: You Can Lead a Dog to Beer

But you shouldn’t make him drink it. Pinellas Ale Works, more commonly referred to as PAW, is a relatively new brewery in the Grand Central district of St. Pete, a block south of Haslam’s Books. The first thing you learn about PAW when you visit its tasting room is that it’s a very dog-friendly establishment, with mason jars filled with dog treats on the tables and water bowls set up in the beer garden, all so that your canine companion will feel at home. Many local beer lovers bring their dogs with them when they visit PAW, but no one brings their cats. I don’t know if the “no-cats” thing is an enforced rule, punishable by banishment from the bar, or if it’s just not popular with the customers. Further research into the matter was considered, but the idea was abandoned in favor of drinking.

Go shot-for-shot with your dog until both of you feel sick.

This place is all about the beer, and they sure do make some good ones. The Beach Bitch, their new imperial pale lager, is fantastic. Weighing in at a literally staggering 7.2% ABV, this one is smooth and very drinkable, which can be dangerous; after a few of these you’ll be leaving drunken voicemails and creating surprises to be found and mysteries to be unraveled by your hungover future self. If you want a hoppier flavor without having to take an Uber home, then the Sit pale ale is for you: 5.4% ABV but with a nice hoppy bite that might seem more at home in a Session IPA than in a pale.

Customers drinking and looking forward to the mysteries and adventures that tomorrow morning might bring

But if you want to grab an IPA, then you want Off The Leash. It used to be my favorite PAW flavor until the Beach Bitch IPL came to the tasting room. Its ABV is 7.2%, but it’s not as hoppy as their pale ale; it’s a smoother ride, and the car can get you there a little quicker.

Paw has no kitchen of its own, but they sometimes have food trucks parked outside to help you soak up some of that alcohol. There’s a few neat things about this. The first is that food always tastes better when it’s handed to you by a stranger in a truck. The second is that with each beer you buy, your PAW beertender gives a little red ticket, and each one those tickets is worth $1 at the food truck. So if you drink ten beers, you’ll have $10 of free food. That’s two $5 burritos, or three $2 empanadas and one $4 order of loaded nachos. It’s a steal.

And don’t stop drinking until you can order everything on the menu

   

The Final Word: Pinellas Ale Works is awesome. Good beer, fun atmosphere, the staff are fantastic, and it’s a great place to act friendly with strangers as a ploy to touch their dogs. It’s definitely a place you should check out when you find yourself exploring Grand Central.

Official saintbrewersburg Rating: Best in Show