Allow me to introduce myself, I am a man of many tastes! :

Thank you for visiting A Pint in the Sunshine, I’m glad you’re here.

My name is Devin Rodriguez, and I am a journalism student at the University of South Florida in St Petersburg (USFSP).

I barely remember my first beer. I think it was a desperately driven suppression that folded it back somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind, but when I tell myself the story of my first beer I think back to a small house party and a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon.

I don’t think I appreciated PBR very much back then, and even now when handed one of those ice cold long boys I flinch, but only a little bit. I don’t hate them mind you, I just enjoy taste.

Later on, in a last frat party situation, I was handed a Leinenkugel, the Sunset Wheat. A beer even my ex-girlfriend could enjoy, and she hated the taste of anything even labelled beer. My pallet exploded with possibilities, I needed more. I liked the wheat beers, feared the stouts. Just a young man exploring new possibilities, unable to articulate much.

My life changed when I was handed a Cigar City Jai Alai. It was at a World of Beer, after I had sampled enough other brews to be daring. This was a beer that challenged me in all the right ways, it was complex and difficult, didn’t care if I wasn’t up for it. I knew I needed so much more.

Now, here I am ready to dive into the world of Craft Beer. I began this blog as a process of exploration, I am curious about beer. How curious? Well, for the length of my school semester I am making it my mission to dive deep into the world of craft brewing. I want to investigate the brewery scene here in the beautiful Tampa Bay area, and further.

I’m still very young when it comes to beer reviews, still bright eyed and bushy tailed, but I hope this blog allows me room to grow. I want to give you an honest opinion and review about the experiences I have, and from that I hope to educate myself and you about what goes into the crafting of some of the best craft beer in town.

I want to be fun, light hearted, and sincere with an emphasis on the experience of drinking all over St. Petersburg and Tampa. I hope you join me on this adventure and pick up a pint in the beautiful sunshine state.