In Proof Brewing Company’s case, an anniversary could mark any number significant events: The day they opened the doors on their liquor store in 2007, the day they tapped the first beer they brewed, the day they opened their first full scale brewing facility in 2014, or — as is the case on Feb. 8 — the day they welcomed Tallahassee to their 1320 South Monroe St. “forever home.”

While the events, beers, awards, and the impressive tasting room itself are certainly topics of discussion, rare is a conversation with founders Byron and Angela Burroughs about Proof’s meteoric rise through the crowded ranks of craft beer without it quickly turning to you, the people who have supported the evolution of Proof throughout the years. You, who have watched it grow from boutique bottle shop to the first independently owned brewing company in the region, to one of the largest brewers in the state. 

It was this time last year that while recording a segment on our Saturday Morning Bottle Share radio show on ESPN 97.9 FM, Angela closed the show with these sentiments:

“Thank you, Tallahassee. Truly ... thank you," Angela said. "Everything we've done over the years has been about Tallahassee first — always Tallahassee first — and without the community standing by us, none of this would be possible. We can't wait to welcome you into our new home. It's something we're proud of, and we hope you are too!"

Now the family at Proof welcomes you again as they celebrate 1 year in their impressive new digs 

Set to kick off at 11 a.m Saturday, the anniversary event mirrors some of the best qualities about Proof’s renovation of the long-abandoned Coca Cola bottling facility — their ability to seamlessly incorporate the old and the new, provide a few unexpected surprises, and do it on a grand scale. 

The celebration will feature 30 beers on tap, some of them new, some of them returning fan favorites, with the full range of styles covering everything from sweet stout, to sour, to IPA — all featuring Proof’s signature clean, consistent, quality recently enhanced by the new facility’s lab, chiller, and centrifuge. 

Already envisioning trying to choose a pour with such a vast menu available? Proof’s got you covered. Passports — not required to attend the event — include a limited edition Anniversary Party taster glass and 3 (5 oz) fills of any beer on tap are currently on sale for $15 in the store on Proof’s website. A great way to sample a few items. (We’ve got our eyes on that Heath Bar Ghost Totem Porter)

The draft menu isn’t the only place to settle in with a familiar favorite, with the brewery opening the cellar and releasing a 11 vintage barrel-aged bottles there is plenty of awesome to take home to the after party.

The festivities are rounded out with Proper — The Brewpub at Proof serving delicious eats, and live music by Adam and the Testifiers from 2 until 6 p.m., and Trial By Stone from 7 until 10 p.m.. 

Should be an incredible time, we hope to see y’all Saturday!

1 Bottle, 3 Cans, All Awesome

Ology Brewing Company’s Feb. 15 Double Barrel-Aged “Truffle Berry” bottle release might be the beer equivalent of a power couple, something along the lines of Kanye and Kim, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, peanut butter and jam. Jam is the story of the day here, as Ology’s signature barrel-aged American sour “Dynamic Fermentum” melds with a barrel from Tampa’s renowned Garagiste Meadery, 100 pounds of cocoa nibs, and more than a pound of Madagascar vanilla beans — yielding something along the lines of chocolate covered fruit!

The fruits in this one include blackberry, blackcurrant, and boysenberry from the barrel-aged Dynamic Fermentum  and notes of rich cherry from a second barrel-aging in a vessel used to produce Garagiste’s Barrel-Aged Susy’s Cherry Pie -- an award winning mead featuring copious amounts of tart cherries. Be sure to join the line at 11 am as this one is sure to be a hot item.  Pay attention: Bottle and cans will be released at 118 E 6th Avenue - Midtown location. The Powermill location - 2708 Power Mill Ct Ste C will be cans only.

The brewery's perfect pairings don’t end there. Feb. 15 also sees the return of DDH Sensory Overload - Nelson. Possibly our favorite out of the DDH Sensory Series, Nelson hop coupled with heavy doses of Citra dry hopping produces a deliciously fruity hazy featuring noticeable white wine notes from the Nelson.

One of the other cans released at 11 a.m. will be the second installment in the brewery’s “Celestial Spectrum” series, “Red Giant” — a raspberry, red currant, and apricot fruited berliner. Additionally, for sale will be cans of a 5% Vienna Lager that has been lagered in traditional fashion for 12 weeks. (Lagering is a long process, usually a few months, of storing beer at, or below freezing temperatures.) A lot of great package beer offerings to add to your craft cooler.

In news that will no doubt make the rounds on the national beer scene, Ology posted about a collaboration that few of us could have seen coming. Nick Walker and team were in Wisconsin recently working on a collaboration with Untitled Art. The beer, simply titled “Fruit Smoothie," is a riff on Ology’s most popular Juice Lab combination  (the second place finisher at Cigar City’s prestigious Hunahpu Day) - Passionfruit, Blood Orange, Raspberry (PBR). Fruit Smoothie should hit national distribution in the next few weeks. 

4th Annual Gallontine’s Day at Deep Brewing 

On Friday, Feb. 14, the Barry White of beers, Deep Brewing Company’s owner/Brewer Ryan LaPete, rolls out his annual boozie box o’ chocolates for the brewery’s 4th annual “Gallontine’s Day.” Celebrating Tallahassee’s love of beer, and Deep’s passion for brewing it, the brewery (located at 2524 Cathay Court #2) invites folks to indulge in a series of beers inspired by that heart-shaped box of confections often tied to St. Valentine. This year’s box of chocolates looks like this:

Love, Deep - Milk Chocolate Cherry Stout

Coconuts Over U - Chocolate coconut porter

My Main Squeeze - Chocolate Orange IPA

In A Haze - Hazelnut Chocolate Stout

You Phone, Who Dis? - Nitro cream ale with chocolate and vanilla 

Share These Berries - Chocolate Strawberry Pastry Sour

To make a night of it why not pair those brews with some scrumptious selections from The Slide Hustle food truck? Rumor has it chef Justo Cruz might be rolling out a few surf 'n’ turf inspired menu items for the Gallontine lovefest.

Looking for a delicious pour at Deep this weekend? In celebration of assistant brewer Clayton Henderson’s birthday, “Short Pull” — a hazelnut and coffee export stout — will be the featured tap starting Friday. Swing through for a brew and wish Clayton a happy 22nd.

In other nuggets uncovered at Greater Depths it appears Deep and Idyll Hounds Brewing (Santa Rosa Beach) are testing the waters around the Tampa market, with a Tap Takeover scheduled at Brookesville’s Florida Cracker Kitchen.   

Tribe’s Turtle Goes Nitro

Starting Thursday, Lake Tribe feeds a little nitro to its Bearded Turtle breakfast imperial stout. The Turtle, which features maple, molasses, chocolate, and coffee notes, should be perfectly suited for the additional creaminess in texture and more evenly distributed flavors that nitro beers typically display. 

With cooler weather in this weekend’s forecast, Tribe’s “Flannel Friday” might be the perfect spot to post up by a fire with a pour and a s’more. This week features the sounds of Rachel Hillman and one of Tallahassee’s most unique food trucks Pineappetit. We caught Rachel’s set at Southern Philosophy Brewing during last weekend’s inaugural Bainbridge Jazz & Blues Festival, and this is a sound and energy that you will not want to miss. 

Lake Tribe has some big things planned for their 5 Year Anniversary Celebration (Feb. 27 - March 1) and we might have spotted a collaboration brew, but you didn’t hear it from us. 

If you want the full dirt you’re going to have to tune in to The Saturday Morning Bottle Share on ESPN 97.9 FM Radio at 9:30 a.m., or wait until our next column drops.

Tallahassee Brew Bus trip to SGI Chili Cook Off

On March 7, the 38th Annual St. George Island Chili Cook-Off will take place — and the Tallahassee Brew Bus wants to get you there safely and back!

The Brew Bus has a tripped planned leaving Tallahassee sometime that morning and dropping its group off right at the entrance to the event, which is an annual fundraiser for the SGI Volunteer Fire Department. After a few hours sampling chills of all flavors and drinking Oyster City Brewing Company beer — which will be sold on site — the Brew Bus will load up and head back to Tally ... but not without stopping at Eastpoint Beer Co. on the way home! It wouldn't be a Brew Bus trip without a stop at a brewery, after all.

The trip is $45 per person. You will be picked up near at the lot on the corner of St. Augustine and Woodward (within a stone's throw of Madison Social and Township). 

To book a seat on this tour, visit https://madisonsocial.com/chili-cook-off.

Matthew Crumbaker is co-founder of the TLH Beer Society, a group of avid craft beer lovers. He is also co-host of Saturday Morning Bottle Share on 97.9 ESPN radio. Follow TLH Beer Society at Facebook.com/TLHBeerSociety or @TLHBeerSociety on Twitter and Instagram. Email tlhbeersociety@gmail.com.