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| Rockpit Brewing and Distilling |
A free birthday flight! Yes Please!
Rockpit Brewing & Distilling has been on my radar for a bit. Their online menus, which I find in Central Florida, are not always as accurate as I desire; consistently had a stout that I wanted to enjoy. And with them having a cocktail menu, suggested some choices that the non-beer drinkers in my path would enjoy.
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| The Brewhouse |
Located within a nice, reachable distance from Downtown Orlando, this is a spot that is also a comfortable commute from Universal. The building is metal-sided and garage-like, with a parking lot that has limited spots. On the day I was there, some spots were also occupied by a food truck. Inside, there’s a lot of space, tables, and a bar. The space can fit many different-sized parties with room to spread out. The best part of the space for me is the metal. With Rockpit having both brewing and distilling under one roof, it’s a lot of metal for brewing fans to stare at while sipping their pints.
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| The Flight |
I got a birthday flight. Rockpit has this offer on its website. The beers I mined were:
- “Stupider” is a traditional IPA with a big 7.5% ABV and 100 IBU. This is really Rockpit’s flagship IPA for me. But that 100 IBUs was a big hoppy bite that I was not expecting.
- “Yankee Savage” was the other style of IPA I grabbed, a New England Hazy IPA with a slightly smaller 6.2% ABV and 34 IBUs. This is a nice traditional hazy that does give off some beer funk.
- “Never Go Full Tropic” is the Wheat style beer you expect from a Florida brewery. The Wheat style does pop for me, with this reminding me of a banana-led version of Funky Buddha’s “Tropical Floridan.” This Wheater comes in with 5.4% AVB and no IBUs.
- “Blackstrap Con Leche” is the 6% ABV and 30 IBU Milk Stout that I was craving. You really do get the nice dark malts popping flavor with some sweetness from the lactose. Florida loves lactose in their stouts. But this is a version of a lactose-adjoined stout that really works well, as the brewery is trying to imitate a sweet coffee, and they make it work.
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| "Blackstrap Con Leche" |
The non-beer fans in my party grabbed cocktails. And I do have to say that these moonshine-based drinks are really affordable, especially when you compare cocktail prices to theme park property. The two snagged cocktails in my group were the “Blueberry Lemon Thyme Gin Smash” with gin, lemon juice, blueberry juice, and some thyme by our gin fan. And the sweet Pina Colada fan grabbed “Toes in the Sand” with Flordia Cracker Sugarcane Moonshine serving as their local pina. The iconic scene to watch was the two drinkers swapping their cocktails, preferring each other's original choice instead of the cocktail that typically suits them.
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| "Toes in the Sand" |
There are two vibes here for me. The first is local. This taproom feels like a local hangout spot. Mugs hang on the wall for regulars. Rockpit feels like everyone knows your name taproom if you visit on the regular. The second is manly. Diving deep into my mind, I used to be part of a group that was determining how to bring male customers through our doors. One recommended strategy was to decorate our location with heavily male-influenced images, like hunting. Rockpit has a miner's theme with dark woods and used metals. It’s a spot where it feels like a dude would feel super comfortable. It’s like a man cave with beer.
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| "Blueberry Lemon Thyme Gin Smash" |
We were there on a Saturday, and there was a Smashburger truck on site. But there is also BBQ provided by their neighbor Cecil’s BBQ., so one can grab and drink and meal. Being Midwestern, we grabbed some cheese curds, which, without seeing a kitchen on-site, I did see staff walking out a side door to grab our yummy cheeses.
Who Drinks Here? I feel like locals definitely drink here. Also, I think this is a spot where dudes can feel super comfortable. I also think if you are looking for affordable cocktails, Rockpit Brewing and Distilling is likely for you.
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