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Craft beer is a powerful trend that is here to stay, and luckily for us, Florida is home to an abundance of top-notch breweries that produce some of the most delicious craft beers around. Highlighting our presence in the craft beer scene, Florida has over 100 breweries and brewpubs nestled in every corner of the state. Personalize your drinking experience by learning the ins and outs of the beer making process at one of these small businesses, where you can sample fresh-from-the-tap beers only produced in the Sunshine State. While we don’t condone drinking and driving, our list maps out the best places in Florida to your ale and lager needs. Starting our list in the Florida Panhandle and reaching all the way down to Miami, discover the ultimate craft beer road trip in Florida.
Grayton Beer Company, Santa Rosa Beach
Starting in Florida’s Panhandle in South Walton, the Grayton Beer Company is locally owned and operated, serving the Northwest classic and contemporary beers. Located in a 30,000-square foot facility, the company was made famous for its mouthwatering 30A Beach Blonde Ale. Featuring a 25-tap draft wall with both year-round styles and small-batch brews, visitors can taste an array of flavors, from the Belgian-Style White Ale called White Dunes to the hoppy and bitter Fish and Whistle IPA.
Proof Brewing Company, Tallahassee
Heading east, Proof Brewing Company is located in Tallahassee and dedicated to producing flavorful and unique styles of beer. With a 20 barrel brewhouse and fully automated canning line, beer enthusiasts can explore the refined tasting room or lounge in the outdoor beer garden with live music, bocce ball and table tennis. While you’re there, make sure to taste the variety of creative brews available, including the rich Creatures in the Dark Stout, Mango Wit made from organic mangos and Eightfive-O, an American Pale Ale.
Swamp Head Brewery, Gainesville
Two hours south you’ll find the Swamp Head Brewery, located in the college town of Gainesville. Dubbing themselves “Inherently Floridian” and boasting a tasting room called “The Wetlands”, this brewery boasts a fun, laid-back personality in addition to taking pride in their sustainable brewing practices. An award-winning brewery, here you’ll find only locally sourced ingredients that produce Sunshine State beers, including its Stump Knocker Pale Ale, a Big Nose IPA, a coffee oatmeal stout called Midnight Oil, and Wild Night, a cream ale brewed with Tupelo honey.
Orlando Brewing, Orlando
Located in the heart of Central Florida, Orlando Brewing boasts a simple mantra, to produce “darn good beer”, and indeed they do. Making a name for themselves by using organic ingredients in its products, the brewery was certified as an organic brewery by the USDA in 2006 and continues to produce delicious beer without all the additives. Try one of their flights for a sample of each of their creations, where you can choose from beers like Uncle Matt’s Organic Grapefruit Pale Ale and a sweet-tooth lover’s favorite, a Girl Scout Thin Mint copycat Girl Stout that will have you and your friends coming back for more.
Tequesta Brewing Company, Tequesta
Further down on Florida’s southeast corner is the Tequesta Brewing Company, an Organically Certified Brewer with over 40 different specialty beers produced a year. Dubbed the first craft brewery in South Florida, beer aficionados are sure to find an array of choices to suit their preferences, from the crisp and complex to light and smooth, with Der Chancellor Kolsch, Terminally Ale and Gnarly Barley as popular choices. Perfect for a summer day, Julio’s Weizen is infused with black cherries, strawberries or watermelon.
Funky Buddha Brewery, Oakland Park
Further south, Funky Buddha Brewing is located in at massive 54,000 square-foot production brewery near Fort Lauderdale. The largest craft microbrewery in South Florida, what started as a small beer-maker has emerged as one of the most inventive breweries in the country. A mecca for beer lovers, the company’s motto is to produce big and bold flavors, and with staples like the Maple Bacon Coffee Porter, chocolate coconut Last Snow Porter and fruity More Moro Blood Orange IPA its easy to see how they’ve achieved their lofty goals.
Wynwood Brewing Company, Miami
Located in Miami’s vibrant Wynwood District, the Wynwood Brewing Company is a family-owned and operated and the first craft production brewery in the city. A 15-barrel brewhouse with trendy vibes, beer lovers come to taste the range of beers and stay for the fun ambiance with large communal tables and board games. The refreshing blonde ale La Rubia and chocolate coffee malt Pop’s Porter are fan favorites, in addition to a malty sweet American Pale Ale aptly named Magic City.
Fort Myers Brewing Company
Voted the Best Large Brewery in Florida in 2016 by the Best Florida Beer Competition, the Fort Myers Brewing Company is a relatively recent addition to the area, but is already a must-visit stop on any Florida road trip. This large brewery boasts a 10-barrel brew system with 90, 60 and 20 barrel fermentation tanks, so their distribution is constantly growing, only further adding to the hype. When planning your road trip, be sure not to plan to visit this one on a Monday, they’re closed, and make sure you check their website for the tasting room hours. The food truck onsite is just another incentive for patrons to pay this local favorite a visit.
Cigar City Brewing, Tampa
Heading west to the Gulf Coast to probably the most well-known brewer in Florida, Cigar City Brewing is located in Tampa. Developed into a fully functional attraction, this place has no plans on relinquishing their title as the top spot in the Florida beer scene. With beers available as far as El Salvador, its Jai Alai IPA, Florida Cracker Belgian-style White Ale and Hunahpu Imperial Stout have become wildly popular throughout the state. Receiving instant success, they’ve also rolled out more than 500 other beers since it opened in 2008. Stop by and get a tour of the facility, where enthusiastic guides encourage visitors to taste a few of their delicious nectars.
7enth Sun Brewing, Dunedin
Located 30 minutes west of Tampa, 7enth Sun Brewing is a small, unassuming location with a four and a half barrel system. Boasting a rotating menu, the brewery aims to offer creative and innovating beers to Florida’s west coast. They certainly have the credentials to do so, as the co-owners are former brewmasters of Anheuser-Busch and Cigar City the other has a degree in Fermentation Science. Specializing in Belgian-style beer, IPA’s and barrel-aged and oak-aged sour beers, beer lovers can taste a Key Lime Time Bomb Session IPA and Intergalactic Pale Ale.
