Aside from being home to the 2017 college football national champion UCF Knights, Orlando has an up and coming brewery scene with a wide variety of options.

I was able to check out some of the city’s offerings during a recent trip, and here are my thoughts:

Ocean Sun Brewing

Located in a strip mall just outside of downtown, Ocean Sun may get a bad rap because of its location, but they have some solid beer.

With a focus on a wide variety of styles, they have everything from light options to dark, heavy stuff.

I tried a flight with the following:

-Blue Bags IPA

-Mur De Huy Belgian Strong Dark Ale

-The People’s Brown Ale

-West Coast Red

I also had a taster of the Sunny Day in Helles. My favorite of the group was the IPA, and the west coast red was also a nice hoppy surprise. They even have a brewery dog Bailey, and it’s a warehouse style feel typical of breweries with a large bar at the front.

Cask & Larder

Cask & Larder is located inside of a restaurant called The Ravenous Pig in the upscale Winter Park area , and this is definitely not your typical brewery experience.

While the food is a little pricey, it’s definitely worth it for the laid back, upscale atmosphere that reminds me of a speakeasy from the 1920s.

I also had a flight here, with the following:

-Lone Palm Golden Ale

-Aunt Sally’s Pale Ale

-Red Drum Ale

-Five Points IPA

-Working Man’s Baltic Porter

I was also treated to a sample of their cask offering called Weekend at Barnies, which is a porter base with coffee and vanilla plus maple. It’s definitely a nice sweet dessert drink, and paired with their cayenne-laced caramel corn it was a perfect ender to a great dinner.

Deadly Sins Brewing

This place is located in an industrial park in Winter Park, and completely surprised me with their level of quality beer.

They seem to specialize in IPAs and stouts, which most good breweries do. The apparently get packed on the weekends and I can see why.

My flight here was:

-The Grove IPA

-Hop Dew New England IPA

-Brunch Brothers Stout

-Imperial Coconut Stout

While the IPAs were solid and true to the style (loved the haziness of the New England), the stouts were the standouts here. The Imperial Coconut is boozy and dangerous, because it doesn’t drink like a 10% beer. Be careful with this one, especially if you’re one who loves coconut.

Their space is also pretty laid back, with a big bar as the focal point with cornhole and jenga on one side with tables on the other. It was nice enough on the day I was there for the garage doors to be open, creating an even better experience.

Ten10 Brewing Co.

I had heard nothing but good things about Ten10 before my trip, and apparently everybody else heard those same things as this place was packed. It’s right in the center of the action just northeast of downtown, and the space features a large L-shaped bar with just a few tables. It definitely gets loud inside here so don’t expect a laid back atmosphere.

I only tried one beer since it was so busy and I didn’t want to order a labor intensive flight. Instead, I just had the Cowconut Milk Stout, which was nice and sweet and a great dessert beer. They also have food – mostly sandwiches and small bites – and I had the Croque “Goddam” sandwich which has a legendary reputation and for good reason. It features ham, a poached egg, cheese, and delicious Texas toast. You need a knife and fork for this one.

Orlando Brewing

Orlando Brewing is an organic brewery located just outside of downtown Orlando, and the brewery has been around for well over a decade.

They’re one of the few breweries in Orlando that distributes their beers, as bottles of their core lineup are pretty easy to find across the city.

The brewery itself is a little darker than I expected, and located in an industrial part of town despite being pretty close to the urban core.

Crooked Can Brewing Co.

Crooked Can is the epitome of a modern brewery, as it’s the centerpiece of the Plant Street Market in Winter Garden, just west of Orlando. They also have some of the coolest branding that I’ve ever seen from a brewery, with a modernized old-timey feel and cans that stand out in a crowd.

I had a flight at Crooked Can that included their core IPA as well as some special taproom offerings:

-High Stepper American IPA

-Citrus Kicker IPA

-Cherry Blossom Kolsch

-Axum Coffee Chocolate Stout

The two IPAs were very solid and drinkable. The brewery also has a nice outdoor space and it was packed even though I was there a little earlier in the day.

For more information on Orlando Breweries, check out the Central Florida Ale Trail.

For more Brewery Adventures, click here.