Florida brewery list?

[NJDevsfan]

Quick update - If anyone is headed to Southwest Florida, you really need to check out Momentum Brewing. I have hit Marco
Island Brewing (good), Point Ybel (better) and Momentum (best). While I enjoyed the red ales at the other 2 places, I enjoyed all 8 beers from Momentum...2 flights. They just received kegs and will begin distribution soon. Their white IPA and pale ale were very good, but the barley wine was awesome!

We also hit Ford's Garage in Fort Meyers where I found a new favorite porter - Cigar City Puppy's Breath. Tonight we are headed to South Street in Naples on the recommendation of the folks at Momentum. Looks like great pizza and many local taps.

One other comment - a bar in the Whole Foods? How about a heads up on that? Imagine my surprise when I am food shopping and come across Cigar City's VANILLA MADURO on tap. Needless to say, I didn't complete my whole list. You folks in Florida have figured out how to serve beer.

 

[Stefecatzz]

1st off, thanks OP for this awesome thread that I now have as a reference for local beer in FL!

And thank you Craig for your amazing list of breweries in & around Orlando that I know will come in handy when I finally do make the move up there soon!

I wanted to add one of my favorite beers that is brewed in FL & I get either on tap or in the bottle whenever I get the chance. The beer is called Monk In the Trunk & is an organic amber ale. I have never been to where it's brewed in Jupiter & am not sure if they do tours or have a local restaurant type place nearby where you can sample their beer & get some food..but it's called Inlet Brewing Co. so you can check it out if you like.

 

[ninecrayons]

Interesting - Momentum is about an hour and a half away from us. We need to get down to Punta Gorda, so perhaps we'll head down that way.

 

[bethifoody]

Got any recommendations for Key West? My hubby will be down that way on a fishing trip w/ the guys & they love a good beer.

 

[GreatLakes]

For those around Tampa/St. Pete in addition to Cigar City and the Denedin breweries listed by Craig there are three within waling distance in downtown St. Pete. Cycle Brewing, Green Bench, and 3 Daughters. Cycle is the best of the three IMO but when I was last there they were cash only so come prepared.

If anyone would like to find a brewery anywhere two links that are great are BreweryMap and BrewDB.

 

[AndyPok1]

This is a temporary reply, hoping someone will remind me to expand on it once I have more time.

The short version is, I'm a middle of the road craft beer guy. I don't trade, I don't know the ins and outs abnormally well, but I have a seperate beer fridge, generally have about 10 bombers laying around the house, go to big release parties like Hunaphu Day, spend excessive amounts of time at the World of Beer on Lake Eola that Craig mentioned (it helps when you live downtown and can walk there in 11 minutes) and go to Total Wine every Thursday to see what special releases are being kept behind the counter (last week was 4-packs of White Oak Jai Alai!!)

So for me, going to breweries are all about the special beer and treatments. I'm sorry, I have an opinion that the craft beer scene has hit a point of saturation. Craig mentioned Crooked Can and there's also a new one that opened a few blocks north of downtown called Ten 10 Brewing. They're mediocre. They have one good intriguing beer. At this day and age, it is hard to be a tiny brewery. You have to make a Porter, have to make a Pale Ale, have to make a IPA, etc etc... but at this point there's so many of them and all so readily available, I have no urge to go to a brewery just to get their IPA when its no different from 18 others.

So highlights for me...

Orlando
Hourglass - They have 25 taps, and some amazing special beers like American Pi and Barista's Blessing

Tampa
Cigar City - No words really necessary. Had a Raspberry White Oak Jai Alai IPA on Sunday that was fantastic. And their Good Gourd is a top 3 in Pumpkin beers for me. Also, as of this weekend, they still had Zhukov Russian Stout on tap which is only brewed this time of year and it is pretty fantastic. It's been a while since I've seen some of these, but other favorites: Pineapple Right Side Up Cake or Vanilla Maduro on Nitro or Cafe Americano or Cubano Espresso or.... the list keeps going
Angry Chair - Went there first time this weekend. Their treatment of German Chocolate Cake with Bananas was incredible. Also a red ale with Cocoa, Cinnamon, and Vanilla that would highly recommend.

Down South (I haven't actually been to the breweries themselves, but had enough tap takeovers where they bring special things)
Due South - Probably my favorite brewery at the moment. Caramel Cream is my go-to beer. They have treatments that include Imperial Orange Caramel Cream that make it even better.
Funky Buddha - Another one with no words really necessary. Their Maple Bacon Coffee Porter is incredible. And if you can get the Blueberry Cobbler Ale on tap, go for it (I don't think its good in bottles however.)

 

[OKW Lover]

Thanks @AndyPok1 Some interesting stuff here. So many beers, so little time.

 

[Teleclashter]

I'm sorry, I have an opinion that the craft beer scene has hit a point of saturation. Craig mentioned Crooked Can and there's also a new one that opened a few blocks north of downtown called Ten 10 Brewing. They're mediocre. They have one good intriguing beer. At this day and age, it is hard to be a tiny brewery. You have to make a Porter, have to make a Pale Ale, have to make a IPA, etc etc... but at this point there's so many of them and all so readily available, I have no urge to go to a brewery just to get their IPA when its no different from 18 others.

I do agree that craft beer is starting to lose its way because every person on the block who thinks they can brew beer is opening up a brewery. The part of the craft beer scene that I relate to the most is going to the different breweries not to try the beer, but to relax in their establishments. Having a beer in the actual tasting room can sometimes have a huge impact on how you view a beer.

You pointed out Crooked Can. I completely agree that they have 1 or 2 beers on tap at any given time that are truly good and intriguing. However, their tasting room is sleek and comfortable and you can't beat having the rest of Plant St. Market right there for some food options and more. While I love the beer at Orlando Brewing (particularly only when I'm relaxing at the brewery or drinking a growler from there at home), their brewery lacks a lot by being in a not-so-great part of town.

I love me some Total Wine and the chance to try beers that I might never have anywhere else, but a big part of drinking is also context of why and where you're drinking a beer, which is why some people never kick PBR and Budweiser, because it reminds them of their college days or whatever nostalgic event in their life. I mean, its literally been Budweiser's marketing campaign forever.

I've only once experienced a brewery that not only had the best and most creative beers I've ever tried, but also backed it up with an outstanding tasting room and that is Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim. It is about 6 miles from Disneyland and worth the cost of a roundtrip Uber ride. I only hope that they never try to launch their concept to a larger market, because it could only have negative effects on what they are doing in the long run.

 

[GreatLakes]

I do agree that craft beer is starting to lose its way because every person on the block who thinks they can brew beer is opening up a brewery. The part of the craft beer scene that I relate to the most is going to the different breweries not to try the beer, but to relax in their establishments. Having a beer in the actual tasting room can sometimes have a huge impact on how you view a beer.

You pointed out Crooked Can. I completely agree that they have 1 or 2 beers on tap at any given time that are truly good and intriguing. However, their tasting room is sleek and comfortable and you can't beat having the rest of Plant St. Market right there for some food options and more. While I love the beer at Orlando Brewing (particularly only when I'm relaxing at the brewery or drinking a growler from there at home), their brewery lacks a lot by being in a not-so-great part of town.

I love me some Total Wine and the chance to try beers that I might never have anywhere else, but a big part of drinking is also context of why and where you're drinking a beer, which is why some people never kick PBR and Budweiser, because it reminds them of their college days or whatever nostalgic event in their life. I mean, its literally been Budweiser's marketing campaign forever.

I've only once experienced a brewery that not only had the best and most creative beers I've ever tried, but also backed it up with an outstanding tasting room and that is Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim. It is about 6 miles from Disneyland and worth the cost of a roundtrip Uber ride. I only hope that they never try to launch their concept to a larger market, because it could only have negative effects on what they are doing in the long run.

I think you are AndyPok1 are both correct. There is a bit of a craft beer boom going on right now and at some point soon it will have to reach a point of saturation. When that happens the good craft breweries will survive and the others will die out. Good could mean great beers or great location or great concept or a combination of those.

I think I remember you having spent some time in Ohio Craig, have you been to Cleveland in the last few years? The craft scene up here is starting to get mentioned along side the Boulder and Portland's of the country. You description of Bottle Logic makes me think of a new place we have up here, Platform Beer Co. They are part craft brewery, part incubator, and are expanding to a side project called Gypsy that will bottle for other local craft breweries along with providing an outlet for itinerant brewers. Along with making a really great product their tasting room is just a cool atmosphere. It has an industrial feel but opens up to a huge outdoor seating area that in the summer is pretty much the perfect atmosphere for a brew pub. They are also dog friendly inside and out so that helps with the feel. If you make it up here they are on the top of a very good list of places to check out.

 

[AndyPok1]

Craig, I think you and I are in complete agreement, it's just that we enjoy different things about the craft beer scene. I really don't care about going to breweries. It's fun to do sometimes, and I can absolutely appreciate the artistry and effort that goes into the atmosphere, but it doesn't hold a special appeal for me. I'm there for the beer and that's it. If I could get the "taproom exclusive" beers elsewhere, I'd probably never visit a brewery unless it was a special event.

To me it doesn't make a difference if I'm drinking the beer at the brewery, on my couch watching a basketball game, or out of a paper bag.

For example, I agree that Crooked Can is just... COOL. Like I enjoy being there. I enjoy walking up and down Plant St Market. The atmosphere is top notch. I completely get why people that live in WG/Ocoee/etc go there all the time. I had the same reaction last week when I went to Coppertail Brewery in Tampa. Awesome atmosphere, but for me, the beers just weren't that good (at least not the style I enjoy, there were some heavy IPAs that I enjoyed sampling, but would never order one).

--

@GreatLakes I'm actually from Youngstown originally, and spend time in Cleveland each year. I was in Ohio City last January and checked out a bunch of the new places, all very awesome atmospheres, and the beers weren't bad either. I'll have to try Platform next time I'm up there. One of the things I keep constantly stocked in my beer fridge is Great Lakes Christmas Ale. My friends that come to visit each bring me down 6-12 bottles, and I make it last all year. I'm down to only 3 left, luckily only about 2 more months! My favorite beer of all time and not close.

 

[NJDevsfan]

Ok folks - I'm back for the 2016 Florida run - as last year, any help would be greatly appreciated. ...

Pittsburgh
Columbus
Lexington
Nashville
Birmingham
Montgomery
Pensacola
Tahlahasse
Tampa Bay
Bonita Springs
Orlando
Atlanta
Charlotte
Richmond

 

[ninecrayons]

Ohhh I'm curious to what feedback you'll get for Atlanta. DH and I are roadtripping up there in October.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Well, the big one in Tampa is Cigar City. 3 Daughters and Coppertail are good too

In Atlanta the big one is Sweetwater

I don't know Charlotte - but if you could do Ashville instead there are some amazing breweries there including Wicked Weed and Oscar Blues has a location there

 

[GreatLakes]

Ok folks - I'm back for the 2016 Florida run - as last year, any help would be greatly appreciated. ...
Columbus

My favorites in order:
Land Grant
Four String
Wolf's Ridge
Elevator (Best brewery food in Columbus IMO)
Seventh Son

 

[AndyPok1]

My tastes haven't changed much in the past year. I was up in Ohio a lot this summer (Go Cavs!), and had a decent amount of Land Grant, Elevator, Seventh Son at various bars. None were special enough for me to make a note. Went to a couple places in Richmond when I was there for a wedding. Hardywood and Ardent. Ardent had some good bombers, but the ones on tap bored me. Hardywood has numerous ones that intrigued me, but sadly had to go get ready for the wedding.

 

[NJDevsfan]

Heading back North tomorrow and thought I would throw a quick one out there - Disney disappointed with its Monorail beer selection. All of the restaurants have the same menu with a slight variation on the cans/bottles. Anyone else find this to be disappointing as well? Currently I think the best beer selection in the area was at the World of Beer in Dr. Philips. Any thoughts?

 

[MrsHull]

Don't go to Richmond-- come to Roanoke,VA after you hit Asheville, NC We have Chaos Mtn, Parkway, Sunken City, Big Lick Brewing Co. Devil's Backbone is just up the road about an hour. Plus, depending on your timing, you may make it for the Deschutes Brew Pub on August 27. I know there's more, but I can't remember them all at the late hour.

 

[disneysteve]

I'm sure Google can answer this for me but are there any distilleries in central Florida? We're not beer drinkers but we do enjoy other spirits - vodka, gin, rum, rye, etc.

 

[ninecrayons]

I'm sure Google can answer this for me but are there any distilleries in central Florida? We're not beer drinkers but we do enjoy other spirits - vodka, gin, rum, rye, etc.

If you felt like tripping down to a lovely, beachy town, Sarasota has a great artisanal rum distillery. It's called Drum Circle Distilling and they make Siesta Key Rum, which is delicious. The first year they did the rum over a dole whip, that's why they used.

They offer a great tour and are quite liberal with their samples!

 

[disneysteve]

If you felt like tripping down to a lovely, beachy town, Sarasota has a great artisanal rum distillery. It's called Drum Circle Distilling and they make Siesta Key Rum, which is delicious. The first year they did the rum over a dole whip, that's why they used.

They offer a great tour and are quite liberal with their samples!

Sounds wonderful. A bit too far on a typical Disney trip but maybe in the future if we can come for an extended stay (or if we relocate one of these days).