Brewery Review - Sideward Brewing

Sideward Brewing Co.

As I looked past the bar into the brewhouse I just kept thinking, “That’s a lot of metal!” Sideward Brewing Co. in the Milk District was a brewery that for some reason I had slept on. But as I saw the investment they had made in stainless steel, like two brite tanks (I’ve seen some breweries make the mistake of not adding this finishing tank)...I was left impressed. I was shocked at all that metal in an unexpecting building. And now I know we can find Sideward cans all over the Orlando area. This means this is a brewery that could be a default beer choice for me at several central Florida locations.

Sideward Brewing Co. is situated in the beer-rich section of Orlando. One could travel between Tactical, GB’s Bottleshop, and several other craft breweries to make a fun day. Just make sure that someone is the designated driver because, within a few minutes, there are a lot of choices. 

All That Steel!

Parking is plentiful at this taproom, which I fully appreciate when visiting a new-to-me location. The venue honestly to me looks a little bigger on the outside. The sign says there is only room for around 90 inside. There is a bar and a few long tables. But there’s not really a lot of inside seating. Alongside the building is a covered patio with even more seating, where honestly most guests sat on the day of my visit. The reason it looks bigger on the outside is the brewhouse has a lot of stainless taking up the floor plan. There is also a full kitchen. The building has a lot going on.

Hey…let’s get past blueprints and get to the beer. Sorry, I skipped a flight. Flights were not an option, but I could order 5-ounce pours. Now with a flight, I may try to jump around styles. But this brewery had for me what I love…Imperial Stouts!

"Morningstar"

• “Morningstar”: Is a 10% ABV Boston Cream Pie Imperial Stout. Now, I’ve never had a Boston Cream Pie in a glass. But I did find that it may not have exactly matched the taste but definitely the vibe and reminded me of the donut I had that morning. It had a really nice sweetness, with much of that coming from the lactose in the liquid.

• “Is This Batter?”: This pour was another 10% lactose-backed Imperial Stout. It was brewed with adjuncts of pistachios, cacao nibs, vanilla, and cookie dough. Like “Morningstar” I also got the sweetness from the lactose combined with the vanilla and cookies. But I got more nuttiness than defined tones of vanilla and sweet dough.

Overall, I did think flavor wise they were very similar and on the sweet end of things due to the lactose. They were not must haves, but they scratched a sweet stout itch. I also grabbed sips and a pour from two other brews.

"Is This Batter" and "Moon Boots"

• “High Volume: Peach and & Mango”: This is a 4.6% ABV fruit bomb. It is really sweet and creamy, almost a smoothie sour. It reminded me of something that Drekker Brewing in the Midwest could produce. But the wild thing to me is this fruit snack is lactose-free, so that sweetness is all from the mangoes and peaches. It is yummy, and my companion loved it.

• “Moon Boots”: Every brewery needs a flagship IPA. “Moon Boots” is even listed on the menu as that flagship, so I didn’t need to overthink. Okay, Sideward, I see you. I’d love to know the IBUs, because I was caught off guard by the bitterness. The first sip slapped me in the mouth with the piney punch. I mean a flagship IPA typically has some bitterness, but approachable. As I sipped it grew and grew on me as it’s filled with flavor from that hop bite. It reminds me of a Double IPA, not most brewery's everyday drinker. I kept thinking, this isn’t a special release! And yes, If I can find this on tap at a restaurant…yeah, this is the IPA I would pick today from a list of flags.

Along with the beer, there were seltzers, wines, cocktails, and NA drinks. There’s also a full kitchen with apps and sandwiches that we did not sample. Based on the weekend afternoon crowd around me, there was a fairly diverse Sideward community. And everyone had something to drink.

Who Drinks Here? Well, me. I plan to drink here again. I will keep my eye out for Imperial bottles to grab and go, along with the changing tap list of 20. It is a location that could easily serve as a cornerstone of a non-park day brewery tour, where everyone can stop by. I love the Sideward graphics with demons, which while I hate scary things…for some reason I like scary beer images. I’d also say if you stop into a central Florida liquor store or bottleshop that has Sideward cans for sale, they are good options for filling up your resort hotel fridge.

Just remember, don’t sleep on Sideward Brewing Co. There’s some serious intention going on over there!

Brewery Review - Ten10 Brewing Company

 

A brewery or the local water hole?

As I thought about spending more time drinking in Orlando, honestly websites were pretty sketch on what the best breweries were, what they specialized in, and where were the best places to visit. With friends suggesting Ten 10 Brewing Company, even though I have been reading about breweries for a year…I knew nothing. I wondered what was in store with this mystery brew.

The outside was a fairly beige bland building displaying just a few, not super large signs alerting visitors that Ten10 was inside. It fits into the surrounding block, with some street-side parking, and a matching building that felt like I was in a more established Orlando neighborhood. The busy interior made me feel like I just walked into an older local joint, even older than its 2015 establishment. If I didn’t know this was a brewery, I may have defaulted to assuming it was a neighborhood bar. And I will continue to say local, local, local…this felt so much like a joint where folks who lived nearby could walk over, sit down, and order a drink using the well liquor. And with me seeing a sign for Marlot, well maybe there were mixed drinks to order. There were wine and non-alcoholic options. Seriously, if you have a Marlot sign there MUST BE Marlot available, right?

I went for two drinks. First, was the stout that my guide wanted, “Santa’s White Christmas”, a Golden Stout with a 7% ABV and a 0 ABV. I love big stouts and porters, I do not generally enjoy white stouts, with my old local giving my most consistent experience. This one was sweet and pleasant, though I would not say stout. Maybe the golden color confused my pallet. It was solid, maybe my favorite of the three white stouts I have drunk. Maybe by this time next year, that number will be up to four!

Santa's White Christmas

For a second drink, I grabbed “East West IPA”, an American IPA, with a 7% ABV (hey a theme), and 65 IBU. Allow me to say this dark straw-colored liquid does 100% of what it must do. East West is the flagship IPA that every brewery needs. It’s a standard hop-flavored bite, that is a standard IPA. I’d argue that it’s Cigar City’s “Jai Lai”, Surly’s “Furious”, or Founder’s “All Day IPA”. Every brewery needs one. When they fail to produce one, I worry about the production side of the house. But here it is, a beer that tells me this is a solid brewing staff who understand the assignment. And regardless of what my drinking companions believe, many people like IPAs and it’s because of flagships like “East West”. 

East West IPA

There are food options, gourmet hot dogs and sandwiches. I was told that the spent grain pretzel was wonderful, and it would have been a great addition to go with “East West”. Everyone loves, or should love, a really big soft warm pretzel.

Who Drinks Here? Did I mention that Ten10 feels super local? I don’t think you will find a unicorn beer on these taps. And it’s definitely not a must-visit for tourists who love craft beer. Instead, I think if you want to feel like you are escaping the tourist traps of Central Florida, Ten10 Brewing Company will offer you a local feel and the beer that scratches a craft niche. My visit was on a mixed night of friends and bad news, and the local feel pre-gamed me for a solid night. I can see myself visiting again, especially to get a pretzel!

Venue Review - GB’s Bottle Shop

 

GB's Bottle Shop

State laws around liquor are weird. You never know what you are going to find or be able to do as you go from state to state. I lived for decades in a state that didn’t sell beer on certain days, from a liquor store. But everywhere else, drink up bro! There were limits to how much take-home beer one could take buy at a brewery if it qualified for off-site sales. Big breweries couldn’t let you take the liquid home. But they totally allowed all breweries to sell you as much THC seltzer as you wanted. State laws are weird. So as you enter Central Florida you may start to question what is and what is not allowed.

Here’s one of my happy discoveries, there are options for off-site sales that allow you to consume both on and off-site. The liquid you buy may be produced by that location…or it could be beers from breweries across the United States. I’m, finding, I love a good bottle shop/brewery refrigerator! 

GB's Glorious Taps!

GB’s Bottle Shop in Orlando is one of my favorites. The vibe is a hip tap room, though they are not producing and selling their own beers. Thought the outside doesn't scream, find your beer here!  It’s wide open, with plenty of space for friends. And best of all plenty of beer options, along with wine and mead. I had a party of four. Two of us wanted barrel-aged big imperial stouts. I had a handful of options, something that is often lacking in central Florida. I grabbed a draft of The Bruery’s “Black Tuesday”, a true big beer with a 16-hour brew that lived in bourbon barrels, bringing forth some awesome chocolate and dark fruit flavors. Truly this was not for the faint of heart with a 19.4% ABV, yes big big beers. For my second beer, I just went for a small beer that I had never enjoyed that had not kissed wood. I grabbed a Weldworks Brewing Company’s “French Toast Stout”, a sweet milk stout that brought forth maple, cinnamon, and vanilla…with its tiny 7.1 ABV! But again, there was something for everyone. Another friend grabbed a sour IPA, a style that I have never really seen. And it may have been a step too far for my companion. Maybe I will never see that style again. Our final party member snagged a Tripping Animals Brewing Company’s “Cosmic Bandito 2.0” fruited sour…which provided happiness. Again, a big tap selection with something for everyone. In our group, we grabbed beers from Florida, Colorado, and California!

 

The On-Site/Off-Site Guest Options

 

Room Temperature Beers to Go!

A big attraction here is the to-go offerings. There is a big refrigerated section, filled with beer from throughout the United States, which you can drink on-site or back in your themed resort room. And next to that is a huge selection of room-temperature cans and bottles to go. I bought three beers I had never seen on this visit, and a companion bought two. Even after I left, I was drinking my spoils at home. 

Enjoying "Lil Coconut"

Second Sips: I totally had to go back to grab a wish list draft and restock my home beer fridge. I was able to enjoy two Angry Chair Imperial Stouts. I really wanted their “Bourbon Barrel Aged Simple Math” with it’s 12 ABV of 17 months living in wood goodness. It was so coconut and worth the trip. I also grabbed a glass of Angry Chair’s “Lil Coconut” at just a small little 11.5% ABV which put out the rum and spice feels. And best of all I walked away with a four-pack of “Black Bouquet” a collaboration IPA between Phase Three Brewing and BlackStack Brewing. I truly believe BlackStack makes the best IPAs and collaborations reach the Central Florida area all the time even though BlackStack doesn’t distribute here.

Who Drinks Here? If you’re visiting a theme park, this is a great spot for you to visit to stock your room fridge. Just imagine a fun-filled and tiring day of touring a theme park. You get back to your room, grab a beer you can’t get at home, settle into a chair, and take a break from your relaxing. If you want to get away from the parks and are a hophead, the Ivanhoe area around GB’s Bottle Shop has several craft brewing tap rooms to visit. Treat yourself because you don’t know what gems GB’s Bottle Shop has stashed in their to-go offerings or on their revolving taps.

Brewery Review - Home State Brewing Company

Home State Brewing Company

Home State Brewing Company in Winter Garden, Florida, got me to visit through a theme park connection. What I found on our visit was a comfortable space and well-crafted beer that made for a fun afternoon.

Home State Brewing had a logo and name that did not tell me much about the vibe and story of the brewery. I’m not from Florida and I’m not sure if the owners are from Florida. I definitely don’t know if they are trying to masquerade as a local spot or explain what Florida means to them. A small part of me thinks they are trying to express their out-of-state roots, without emphasizing their transplant to Florida. Maybe they come from Nebraska? All in all, the logo was cosmic to me, without good old home vibes. So after a fair amount of research on my part, apparently, the owners are nerds, who chose a logo that made sense to them but not to me. After sleuthing up an answer, I knew why they chose their logo, but the issue still remains that I, as a common consumer, have no idea what their vibe was going to be.

I was there for Mammoth Club, the theme park YouTube channel. They were having a meet-up at Home State at the end of the week. Unfortunately, a meet-up I was going to miss. Alan and Molly had worked with Home State on a beer collaboration. As a proud drinking member of the MamFam, I needed to at least try and rate their IPA creation.

Expecting more, my expectations diminished when we arrived at a strip mall. A smallish strip mall brewery, likely with the typical cramped feeling setup that tries to fit ten times as much seating into the room as possible. Expecting the worst, I was surprised to open the door and find an unexpected phenomenon to my left. It was there I saw a large and spacious patio complete with games and an outside set of taps currently not in use. Additionally, the inside offered a roomy, clean and welcoming taproom. It was obvious time had been invested to set up a taproom that provided a consistent feel instead of one that haphazardly filled a room with mismatched furniture.

But hey, why are we here? Obviously the beer! I could care less about the atmosphere if the beer is worth the pain. So, is the beer good? Yes, the beer is well-executed. All in all, Home State makes a super drinkable beer.

• “SheMAMigans”: The Mammoth Club collaboration is to me a light hazy IPA. Light in the sense that there is a lower-level citrus taste, not a juice punch. But it is also not coming at the drinker with an excessive hop bite. I think a lot of MamFam members may not fully be in the “I love IPA” camp. For those drinkers, this is super approachable, something that they can share in without feeling excluded. And maybe, they can enjoy one of their first IPAs.

• “Big Dark Energy”: I love Imperial Stouts. They are my jam. This version was roasty and toasty. I could cuddle up next to a fire with this beverage. Oddly, it seems like a good-tasting non-Imperial stout and the 9% ABV doesn’t slap one in the face. Honestly, that high ABV is super sneaky so watch out. But I do wish that it had lived for a while in a barrel.

• “Doctor’s Orders”: This is a well-made on-model Hefeweizen that gives you the banana and cloves vibe. It’s exactly what one wants when ordering this style.

• “The Audacity - Strawberry Peach” - I was worried this sour would be too puckery, not something that I enjoy. This is not a lactose-type sour that tastes like a fruity cocktail with the mouth feel of a smoothie. But it has a light pucker with a celebration of fruit flavor and a mouth feel that comes across as well, beer. It could serve as an introduction to traditional sours for some drinkers as it’s not overpowering.

• “The Selective Eccentric” - I am not a Saison fan. But this was still something that I could sit down and enjoy if there were no other options available. It could have easily been the addition of peach and blackberry, as I’m not sure I have had an adjuncted saison before.

• “Octoberfest, Ja!” - Yep, that’s a Marzan! I loved the bubbles, the perfect Marzan caramel color, and it’s one of my favorite representations of an Octoberfest this fall!

Overall, everything was approachable in a sense of style, and something that I could recommend to friends. But on this day, there were no unicorns that were must-haves that I would chase upon release. There were numerous to-go options if you wanted a great-tasting beer back at your resort.

For food, we just had the always-welcomed big pretzel, which was good. However, we did not go deeper into the menu because we noticed that there was a Pizza Press nearby. This was an unexpected find for someone who has fallen in love with this freshly made pizza joint in the shadow of Disneyland. So stumbling on one located in the Orlando area completely derailed the food plans of my party.

For the non-drinkers, there was an array of non-alcoholic beverages. Along with craft beer, Home State offers craft coffee. Specifically, Filigree Coffee is located within the same building but as a separate business. 

Second Sips: Recently I stepped in for a second visit on a Saturday.  And I loved that the outdoor patio was vibrant full of people visiting and enjoying the sun.  Some where there for a conservation event but others were just there using the large open space to socialize...and enjoy what is really is, a friendly open, neighborhood space.  I only grabbed one taster

• "Sweet Nothings": To me this tart cherry stout is an experiment, trying to create a chocolate covered cherry.  I got the tartness instantly, but maybe not as much of the cherry as I wanted.  It was easy to drink, but maybe not something I would order more of. 
  

Who Drinks Here?:  Honestly, if one were visiting Orlando for a theme park, it’s hard to recommend a side trip to this brewery as a must-do. On the days we visited, no beer screamed, “Everyone must drink this!” However, if you need to get away and want some space, Home State would guarantee well-crafted and executed beer in a friendly environment. The beer is well-made, and delicious, and offers a menu where almost anyone can find a style that fits their tastes. It is a safe bet to keep a craft beer fan satisfied within a clearly theme park fan-friendly environment.