Breweries & Distilleries, Sports and Recreation

Breweries & Distilleries in Greater Gainesville

by webmaster

February 7, 2018

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With crystal clear springs and seasonal produce, Greater Gainesville creates an ideal atmosphere for wineries and breweries. These local companies take advantage of all the Florida resources to bring every flavor of Gainesville into a cold beer or fruity glass of wine. With so many places to choose from, you are sure to find your next favorite drink in Greater Gainesville.

At Swamp Head Brewery, the team members pride themselves on incorporating natural Florida flavors into their beers. Combining local ingredients with skillful brewing processes, Swamp Head has been serving up an array of seasonal and year-round favorites since 2008. You can enjoy the craft beers at the brewery’s newly opened tasting room, The Wetlands. Natural light seeps into the establishment through a window-lined wall. Guests can enjoy their beer of choice outdoors in the patio area or inside while resting their elbows on a table made of fine Florida wood. On select days, you can join a Swamp Head tour to get a glimpse of the brewing room and learn about beer making.

Taking inspiration from Greater Gainesville’s many freshwater springs, First Magnitude Brewing Company was named after the largest and most powerful type of spring. Working with only four ingredients — water, malt, hops and yeast — is more of a privilege than a challenge for the First Magnitude Brewing team. The company’s innovative beers are available at The Source, their on-premise tasting room. With 18 taps and a friendly atmosphere, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a refreshing pint with friends and family.

In the midst of downtown Gainesville lies a nanobrewery producing award-winning craft beers. Alligator Brewing may be small, but the beers take on big flavor. By blending new and old-world methods of brewing, the Alligator Brewing team creates bold, unique tasting beers and is often able to be more adventurous and risky with beer styles because of its small operation. The company is currently housed in Tall Paul’s Brewpub, which was a horse stable for the Gainesville Fire Department in the 1880s. While the building has since been significantly renovated, the structure’s character is still reminiscent of its early days.

With signature crafted beers available year-round, Cypress & Grove Brewing Company provides Gainesville with high-quality beer. Inspired by German purity standards, the brewing company is known for their four-ingredient formula. They utilize Florida well water combined with malted barley, hops and yeast to create the perfect combination of flavors for their ales and IPAs. Cypress & Grove also offer unique, homemade ciders.

The Blackadder Brewing Company creates a cozy pub atmosphere with old world décor. Their Belgian-inspired beers bring the taste of a distant land right here to Greater Gainesville. The microbrewery offers 40 beers on tap daily. Some of their most popular beers are combined with vivid flavors including orange peel, cinnamon and pumpkin.

With a distillery in Ocala, Fish Hawk Spirit’s tasting room brings all the local resources of Florida into the taste of their spirits. The distillery offers liqueurs in blueberry, blackberry, tangerine, lemon and lime flavors. The tasting room in downtown Gainesville offers samples of their creations and sells select bottles made in Ocala.

If you prefer a glass of wine, head over to the Island Grove Wine Company, which specializes in fine blueberry wines and also produces a variety of fruit wines like Southern Strawberry, Bold Blackberry and Crisp Green Apple. Sourcing grade-A quality blueberries from Island Grove Products, the company makes its blueberry wines from 100 percent blueberries.

At Bluefield Estate Winery, you will find muscadine grape wines in addition to blueberry and other fruit wines. The tasting room is a great place to relax, gaze out at the vineyard and sip the latest sweet products.

There is always something brewing, fermenting or aging in Greater Gainesville; come check it out!