Culture
My two cents on the lay of the land in my hometown...
I live in Gainesville, FL, home of the wildly successful University of Florida Gators - Go Gators! Being a college town there's plenty spots for beer, but most of it is pretty unspectacular or downright lousy. However, there are some real gems here if you're on the lookout.
The best place for beer in town is Stubbies & Steins, a beer bar with literally hundreds of beers in the bottle and a handful of brews on tap. In addition to the beer they serve German-themed food. The place is pricey, but you can't beat the beer selection and the atmosphere is fun.
My second favorite watering hole is Hogan's Heros. They're a fantastic sandwich shop with a very serviceable bar in the back. The bar always has a few imported ales on tap at very good prices.
For take-home brew I like Ward's supermarket- it helps that it's near home. This place is a locally owned grocery store with a surprisingly extensive beer selection. It varies with season and Christmas time seems to be the best. Not far behind Ward's for take home beer is Dorn's Liquor. These guys have been a great wine & cheese shop for awhile, and recently they've stepped it up on the beer front. There are other places in town to get beer, but these two are the ones I frequent. It's worth mentioning that the Publix supermarket chain has gotten better by leaps and bounds when it comes to their beer selection. Five years ago Publix had little beyond Bud and Miller, but now they regularly stock a very satisfying range of craft and micro brews.
