But the interest in beer has become even more specialized with establishments selling varieties crafted on site like the year-old Cask & Larder. The lively restaurant and bar (565 West Fairbanks Avenue, Winter Park; 321-280-4200; caskandlarder.com) has a menu of nine rotating ales that Ron Raike, 48, brews in a glassed room so customers can watch the process. A highlight of a Cask & Larder visit is a meal in which his beer is paired with Southern-influenced cuisine such as a fish fry with okra and hush puppies or chicken and biscuits. An eight-person table in the brewing room is also the setting for five-course pairing dinners. “You don’t hear about food and beer complementing each other the way you do about wine, but we want to show our guests that it can work just as well,” he said.

Food isn’t offered at all at the year-old Hourglass Brewery (255 South Reagan Boulevard, Longwood; 407-262-0056; thehourglassbrewery.com), which was started by two high school best friends, Sky Conley, 31, and Brett Mason, 32, who home-brewed for years while they had other jobs. The 900-square-foot venue is only large enough for a small brewing area and tap room and has a giant mural of space-themed movies like “Star Wars” adorning one wall and mixed media, pencil and canvas works from local artists on another. Mr. Conley makes 60 kinds of beers such as an India Pale Ale and Mocha Imperial Stout and usually offers nine at a time, weaving in seasonal varieties like one for autumn using butternut squash and Brazil nuts.