Postby Kekumba » Fri Feb 19, 2016 3:58 am
Was in Orlando a few weeks ago. I stayed close to downtown, but we ended up not spending much time in Orlando during the day. But, we did make it to our fair share of beer spots in the evening...
Redlight Redlight - The highest rated place on Ratebeer...and the highest beer prices I might have ever seen. Tap list was a mix of locals and imports, but the pours were tiny. Tons of beers were only served at 250ml. The staff were pushing the can/bottle list on me hard, but the prices were too ridiculous. The building itself is really nice, though, and I can see why it's popular. Eastern European food truck out front which was excellent. Worth a stop if you're near downtown, but perhaps one of the more disappointing places I've ever visited given the overwhelming positive reviews.
Oblivion Taproom - I have nothing to say here given that it's now closed. I wish I would have known that before visiting as the place was packed despite only having 4 taps on and a limited food menu. We walked in and out rather quickly.
World of Beer - The biggest surprise of the trip. They had a Bourbon County event earlier in the day which I wish I knew about. Regardless, they had tapped some rather nice stouts (Terrapin, Funky Buddha, and some other local one-offs) shortly after the event for those who didn't get a ticket. Staff was real good and the food was good for pub fare.
Orlando Brewing - Not going to impress anyone on BT (myself included), but an ok stop if you're in the area looking for a beer. The Chocolate Mint Girl Stout was good enough for me.
The Gnarly Barley - Near the airport, which meant it was our first stop. Beer list is primarily local with about 15 taps and 20ish cans/bottles. The buffalo chicken tacos were excellent.
Hourglass Brewery - Their house beers weren't great, but the venue is nice and there's a Mexican restaurant basically built into it that will deliver your food to the bar. 4 or 5 Jolly Pumpkin beers on the guest taps when I was there, and the bottle selection was priced very well. Ordered a Fantome bottle for <$20. Staff was totally clueless, though, which was unfortunate.
The Brass Tap - Lots of taps, lots of interesting beers. I had a Christmas Bomb which was nice. Food was mediocre. Check the menu online if you're in the area, they seem to have decent things here and there.
Ten 10 Brewing - Easy walk from Brass Tap and certainly the best brewery in the area if you ask me. Everything I had was on point from their IPA's to the berliner they had on. Fun spot.
As for bottle shops, Knightly Spirits Orange Blossom was quite good. They seemed to have a ton of imports (Mikkeler, Fantome, etc), but lacked a bit locally. Fair prices and any six packs are fair game for singles. The Total Wine's in the area had a decent enough selection. Cigar City is everywhere and is priced very well. Just check the dates on things. It took me three stops before I found some fresh (two week old) Jai Alai at a Publix. Prairie bottles were absolutely everywhere in the area.