Due South Brewing Company
Located about fifteen minutes north of Boca Raton, Due South Brewing is a popular local brewery featuring a menu of strong IPAs and refreshing lagers. Due South Brewing is an independent brewery, owned by local veterans. Their beer can be found in most of Florida, from the Keys to the Daytona Beach area. Overall, it’s a pretty big operation, especially in light of the fact that Due South only officially opened to the public in 2012.
Overall, the bulk of the seating is in the main warehouse itself. They have a small air-conditioned bar, which is my favorite hang-out spot there, as well as a cute indoor beer garden.
We discovered Due South earlier this year and have been a number of times since. It’s definitely one of our favorite local breweries, besides Saltwater and LauderAle. When we saw that the brewery was hosting a Mac and Cheese Fest for National Mac and Cheese Day, we knew we had to check it out.
Mac and Cheese Fest at Due South
We clearly were not the only people excited to celebrate Mac and Cheese Day at Due South because, when we arrived, we had a hard time finding parking (which rarely happens). Once we found a spot and picked up two Category 3 IPAs from the bar, it was mac and cheese time.
Savoury Eats Kitchen, a local food truck that caters to the various breweries in the Boynton Beach area, whipped up an impressive menu of mac and cheese options. I went with the mushroom option, although the vegan recipe sounded interesting, too.
Each time we’ve visited Due South, Savoury Eats Kitchen has been serving delicious-looking food. I had never tried their food before, though, mainly because they use an awful lot of duck fat in their cooking. People seem to love it, but it really limits the vegetarian options.
Mushroom and Truffle Mac and Cheese
I wavered between the mushroom option and the vegan, ultimately going with the mushroom. The servings were small, so I figured that, if we were still hungry after our orders, Brett and I could split another little bowl. I didn’t end up going back to try the vegan option, though. This was both because the food truck line suddenly got really long, and because our order of two bowls was pretty expensive for the amount of food we received.
Overall, I was really happy with the mushroom mac and cheese. The recipe featured white truffle cream sauce, foraged mushrooms, white cheddar, and grated truffle cheese (which I want to find and add to everything I make in the future ever).
Mushrooms are a recent dietary addition for me. Besides truffle oil, I’ve never really been fond of them — the texture just kind of weirds me out. But, since switching to a vegetarian diet, I’ve found that liking mushrooms makes ordering at restaurants easier. Many veggie options either have a mushroom base or include mushrooms. It’s been a lengthy process for me, but I’m actually coming to like them now.
Due South’s Category 3 IPA
Far and away, my favorite brew from Due South is their Category 3 IPA — and this isn’t just because I like cats and they call it “cat 3.” The IPA is robust and super drinkable. There is a citrus undertone to it and it’s definitely on the heavier side. It almost seems like a mix between Sweet Water IPA and Swamp Head’s Big Nose IPA (my two favorites).
Speaking of Swamp Head, Due South has a cute sign in the beer garden that directs you to other local Florida breweries. I was impressed to see Swamp Head was included. You can see it on the right hand side here:
