Chef Darwin Santa Maria to offer two special release beers created with Florida breweries

Sept 16, 2014   Sarasota, Fla

Known for his Peruvian-influenced cuisine and award-winning beers, Chef Darwin Santa Maria of Darwin’s on 4th (1525 4th St., 343-2165) in downtown Sarasota will create two special release beers this fall with Florida breweries Cigar City Brewing and Green Bench Brewing Co.

“My goal with these collaborations is to inspire other chefs in the area to seek out local breweries, elevate the way that top tier Florida restaurants treat beer,” said Santa Maria. “The thriving craft beer scene in Florida offers us a unique opportunity to pair our fine cuisine with equal quality beers, introducing more and more diners toe exciting new food-pairing options.”

The first special release brew will be based on Peruvian and Amazonian ingredients and created in conjunction with Wayne Wambles, Brewmaster at Cigar City Brewing in Tampa.

The second special release will be a sour beer created with Brewmaster Khristopher Johnson of Green Bench Brewing Co. in St Pete.

The release dates of both beers will be announced shortly and will be available for a limited time only at Darwin’s on 4th.

More about Darwin’s on 4th:

Situated in Sarasota’s historic Citrus Exchange, Darwin’s on 4th offers authentic Peruvian and international cuisine alongside live music, wine dinners and an award winning seven-barrel in-house brewery. The Darwin Brewing Company team is also looking forward to opening a 15-barrel production brewery with kegging and canning in Bradenton, Fla., this spring.

Recently, Darwin’s on 4th was named among the 2013 Best Chefs America and received a Best New Restaurant Golden Spoon award from Florida Trend Magazine. Chef Darwin Santa Maria was named the “2012 Best Peruvian Chef in America” by the Peruvian Embassy in Washington and has been featured on the James Beard Celebrity Chef Tour twice.

Darwin Brewing Company has won multiple awards since they’ve opened, include a silver medal two years in a row for Best Beer in Florida and Brewmaster Jorge Rosabal’s latest brews continue to receive rave reviews including being named one of “4 Great American Beer Festival beers we love” by Draft Magazine in October 2013.

The venue has the perfect blend of urban, local and global in an intimate and comfortable upscale setting just north of downtown Sarasota.

Darwin’s on 4th: 1525 4th St., 343-2165 or darwinson4th.com
Hours: 5–10 p.m., Mon.-Thurs., 5 p.m.-midnight, Fri-Sat.
###