Sarasota Brewing Company - 6607 Gateway Avenue, Sarasota FL - 941.925.BEER (2337)
website: SarasotaBrewing.com/
Hours: Mon-Thu 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 12pm-8pm

Experience before you go . . .

The tour rolls into sunny Sarasota! Clyde lives out in Arizona and enjoys the warm temperatures already, so I thought my wife and I would come down to Sarasota for some of the same. Hey, I could be the Florida guy in this duo. One of my territories, you know? "I'll take the Florida tour stops Clyde!" When it's cold up north, that is. The high for the day was 84 and I went in search of a good brewery. Turns out I found Sarasota's oldest brewery, Sarasota Brewing Company. Snapped one of Clyde's not yet patented front door selfies and in I went. This brewery started as the only brewery in Sarasota in 1989 and it remains a popular spot for all who pass by. There was a nice bar on the left with quite a few people for noon on a Sunday, and a big room off to the right to extend the party area. The second room had high ceilings with tables and chairs and a big, big screen TV. Further to the right was their brewing area. In the back was the kitchen. They had a great looking menu and I regretted having had lunch before I set out.

Serena was working in the back area and she looked to be sort of the liaison between where the food was being made and where it was being eaten. The chef was in the back and he stuck his head out for a hello. Jasmine served the beer and I sat down and had a "Sarasota IPA". It was a medium bodied ale with NW American Hops and it was full of flavors of the fruits of the earth. 7% abv. The Brewmaster is Vince and he's been brewing there for nearly twenty years! I didn't get to meet Vince but their website has a picture of him with at least eight medals around his neck and a liter stein in his hand. Quality testing, no doubt. Doing his part to fulfill the Shakespeare quote on their website: "For a quart of Ale is a dish for a King".

Sitting at the bar to my right were Bob and Judy. They were from Western Springs, IL and had been coming here for 20 years. Three years ago they moved here to Sarasota and their trip to the brewery is now much shorter! Further to my right is Brad! Another Brad from Illinois, he lives in Glen Ellyn. He's also been coming down here for a long time, working for a company in Sarasota. He's looking to buy but the home prices are crazy expensive now. Just like everywhere! We've been noticing prices over the short time we've been coming here and they look to be up by more than 25% in the two years we've noticed. Good luck Brad, I hope your commute to Sarasota Brewing becomes shorter soon!

My second beer was a Porter. The Midnight Pass Porter, named after Midnight Pass in town here I suppose. They call it a "Full bodied roasty dark ale". I love Porters, although I couldn't drink more than six or seven of them. This one tasted great! 6% abv. The Porter is one of the four main beers they always have, along with the Sarasota Gold, the Sequoia Amber Lager and the Sarasota IPA. Then they rotate in another 20 seasonal beers.

In addition to being a brewery, it was also quite a sports bar with over 20 TV sets scattered around, and they claim that it gets crazy during the Hockey season. They broadcast Soccer on Saturday mornings and all the big games from College and Pro Football, Basketball and Baseball. The owner's name is Tony and he's from Chicago so they serve up Chicago style Pizza and sandwiches, and a line of "Mouthwatering Burgers". If you want to check out their specials, stop by during Happy Hour Monday through Friday, 3-6 PM.

It was a good and successful tour stop and I hope you add it to your brewery touring as well!