Brewery Review - Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company

Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company

It’s important to make your own impressions of a brewery. Due to vibes, taste, or offerings, you may not know if it’s a go-to or a pass until you go there yourself. I had really anticipated Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company in my head the last few weeks with their amusement park-inspired names, award-winning beer, fun happenings, and strong social media presence. Sadly for me, when I ask who drinks there…overall it’s not the best fit for me and my style preferences. 

Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company was founded in 2017 in the Ivanhoe District of Orlando, right next to Ivanhoe Park. For beer lovers, it’s within an easy walking/driving distance from other Orlando Beer spots like GB Bottle Shop & Tasting Bar. It just feels like a beer and food rich area of Orlando. One could easily make a day of it enjoying Invanhoe and other locations. The site itself is an somewhat unassuming building with a small patio to the side. But best of all it has a lot of parking. But, it also has a lot of events on site, and the parking lot was not available to us as they setup for an event later in the day. We parked across the street at a park, one we hoped we were allowed to park at and walk over.

The tap room is very well lite, but perhaps a little small. While there is a bar for seating, there were not a lot of tables which surprised me. We sat at a large table that had some fairly uncomfortable wooden seats that I did not enjoy…and maybe set my mood. It’s possible they encourage patrons to sit outside. But this space was being prepped for an event and sometimes in Florida you just want to enjoy the AC. 

The Ivanhoe Park Brewing Bar

My drinking companion enjoyed a “Pineapple Hard Seltzer” and I do mean enjoy. It was the hit of the table. Really in the land of Dole Whip, every brewery needs to have a pineapple flavored beer on the regular! This seltzer did the job, especially for someone who does not like beer as much as me.

Since I had never been here, I took on a flight. 

The Flight

• “Barrel Aged Bold Red Lip: My buddy says every brewery has their 3.25 rated Red Ale. This number exceeded that for me. The barrel really gave it a sweet mellow taste that was easy to drink and enjoy. As I look back at it now I am shocked to see a 9% ABV, as the taster went down so much easier than I expected. And it was likely my favorite beer of the flight. But I do love bourbon barrels and what they can do to beer!

• “Park Hopp’r”: From what I’ve seen this is a flagship pilsner. I found this 5 ABV beer to be a little funky. And this was the beginning of me realizing that my tastes and Ivanhoe may not be aligned. The beer reminded me of what I would remember of a “Miller High Life” which I’ve not had in at least a decade. It just didn’t fit me…despite the fact I think this is one of the best beer names in the Orlando area. I attribute this to what I view as a more Belgian flavor profile, highlighted by German hops and malts. Most Beligan style beers, or what I think are Beligan, don’t work for my tastebuds.

• “Joyland American IPA”: Every brewery needs a flagship IPA. They all generally taste the same to me, with a nice crushable balance of hops. This is a 7 ABV IPA with no IBUs? An IPA with no bittering. Tastewise, it’s a funky Pale Ale to me. Yeah, funky again! In looking over the website, the Head Brewer’s name of origin is Holland (per the internet) which totally explains potential influence. I do love the name of this beer, it’s historic and tips it’s hat to the tourist industry of the area. Joyland was originally an amusement park on Lake Ivanhoe. None of these brews have a reported IBU!

• “Tupac Skaporter:”: This porter is a great representation of the porter style. It’s rich and malty with a 7.3% ABV. This is a good example of the style, no funk, and would make every Englishman proud, at least beer drinking ones who like the style.

• “Masquerade: And we have a White Stout my friends. This was a freebie taster as it was accidentally poured and the excellent beertender wanted me to sample it. It has a 6% ABV, is sweet, and not surprising funky. The idea of a light colored stout has typically not worked for me as a style, and the funk is not for me.

Overall, Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company is not my favorite Orlando area brewery. I think for what it wants to achieve, it’s professional and making beers to style. But they are not the types of beers I generally go for as I like more crisp and shocking to me piney brews. 

Who Drinks Here? First and foremost, if you are creating your own beer tour in the Ivanhoe Park area, you will need to stop. Second, if you enjoy Belgian styles and you want something locally made, stop here. Finally, I do love the names of the brews, and if you are a parkhopper maybe you’d want a “Park Hopp’r”. I am glad that I checked it off my ride ticket, but I have other attractions I personally need to visit before I return.