The Breweries!
In this short article we are going to dive into the brewery scene of the Miami/ Fort Lauderdale area. Many say the "Magic Kingdom" lies up north of Miami, but one day of brewery adventures in this sub tropical climate may have you singing a different tune. There's just something about Miami and Fort Lauderdale, and all Florida breweries, that stands out from all others across the nation. Some of the northern breweries can be a bleak and depressing place especially in the winter. South Florida breweries have a colorful flare that blows all other (generally speaking) out of the water. Color seems to spill off the walls and into your glass. From eye catching murals to simple yet bright color schemes, Florida taprooms may be the REAL happiest place on Earth.
Much of that color comes from the culture of the area and an overall laid back way of life. Florida also has the unfair advantage of adding palm trees to the mix. Drinking outside under a palm tree in January is surely better than trudging through a snowy and dark parking lot at 4pm to drink a beer while wearing your jacket...even inside.
At the end of this article we will countdown our favorite Miami and Fort Lauderdale breweries, but not on thie list is J. Wakefield Brewing. I just had to mention this thrilling taproom filled with mostly Star Wars memorabilia and murals with some comic book stuff mixed in too. And this brewery is known for its fruited sours, which didn't disappoint as well as all the other beers. If this isn't in our Top 5 can you imagine how good the ones in the actual Top 5 actually are?!
In all of our Florida brewery experiences we haven't experienced one BAD brewery or had one negative experience. Every brewery has ranged from an average experience to the more common experience which is phenomenal! Every other brewery adventure across the US has resulted in at least one below average experience. This means terrible beer, a boring and uninteresting taproom, bad service, etc.....enough to ruin the brewery experience. However, we haven't had that experience in ANY Florida brewery. Sure, there were a handful of breweries that were simply "average" where neither the taproom nor beer was anything special, but that's what's crazy. Usually there's ONE regretful experience. Florida breweries seem like they know what brewery patrons want!
The Beer!
One thing everyone wants is delicious beer and Florida goes above and beyond to provide that. I'll start with the most mind boggling aspect of the entire Florida brewery scene and that's BARREL AGED STOUTS. 90 degree temperatures with 100% humidity doesn't seem like a place where barrel aged stouts would thrive, but you would be mistaken. A 15% bourbon barrel aged stout with cacao nibs and vanilla is not the first beverage that comes to mind for a tropical climate. Shockingly, Florida breweries make the absolute BEST barrel aged stouts and it's not even close.
What beer does come to mind when thinking of a tropical climate are those mouth puckering, fruity sours. If barrel aged stouts are 1A then tropical sours are 1B. A guava and pineapple sour just hits different in a palm tree drenched biergarten in the sun than it does in a dark and dreary taproom up north. Hell, that pineapple might have been grown right down the road!
IPAs are usually king, but not in Florida. That doesn't mean the IPAs are disappointing. In fact, the IPAs stand up to anywhere else in the country, but seems to be overshadowed by big boy stouts and tart, tropical sours. Lagers and traditional style beers are well done too in Florida, but come on....fun brewery scene....fun beers!
Downsides of Florida breweries? TRAFFIC TRAFFIC TRAFFIC....PARKING PARKING PARKING. Obviously everyone is moving to Florida to be around such great breweries so you're going to have a 25 minute drive to the next brewery which is 3 miles away. And once you get to the next brewery good luck finding a spot! We even encountered a few breweries with their own parking lot BUT STILL HAD TO PAY TO PARK!! I guess that's the price you'll have to pay for the best breweries in America.
I wish every brewery could be our favorite, but of course we have to narrow the list down to our top 5. These five consist of not simply the best beer but overall atmosphere of the taproom and any unique features experienced at the brewery.
# 5 - LauderAle Brewery
One word describes this brewery. FUN! The biergarten stands out with flowers and plants almost overflowing onto your table and dangling from above. Inside, you get that old warehouse vibe with barrels aging on one side and a MASSIVE beer list with flagships and experimental brews available. And even though we didn't get to experience this amazingly unique feature, you MAY see a group of monkeys wander onto the brewery grounds. Yes monkeys. Talk about a unique feature!
# 4 - Tripping Animals Brewing
This destination and bucket list brewery is known for their heavily fruited sours, but if you're not a fan of the style, you're in luck. Tripping Animals offers a large tap list of IPAs, dunkels, Mexican lagers and more for those who prefer beer flavored beer. This "trippy" taproom has some funky art surrounding you and a to-go list that will have you staring at the cooler for hours trying to decide. And of course Tripping Animals has that laid back and easy going vibe like all other Florida breweries.
# 3 - Unseen Creatures Brewing and Blending
This may be one of the most underrated breweries in the Miami area. Firstly, the IPAs rival any other in Florida. If you're a hop head you'll be pleasantly surprised. However, Unseen Creatures also puts out some amazing wild ales and farmhouse beers. The taproom is all you can ask for when it comes to a garage style brewery. Large wooden foeders sit in the middle of the taproom and cryptic art surrounds you including some "unseen creatures."
# 2 - 3 Sons Brewing
Who would of though Florida, the hottest and most humid state, would produce some of the best barrel aged stouts? You would think 90 degree weather and 12% stouts don't mix, but I assure you they do. 3 Sons has the best in town. Sure these stouts are on the pricey side but one sip and you'll forget how much you just spent. The 3 Sons taproom has high ceilings, making it a cathedral to beer! Save room for some delicious pizza too, which is quite rare in Florida.
# 1 - Invasive Species Brewing
You can't get much better than Invasive Species. This moderately sized taproom can get quite busy...but for good reason. Most breweries do one style, like fruited sours, well and the rest don't really compare. Invasive Species brews AMAZING beers from top of the draft list to the end. IPAs, sours, lagers, stouts are all top notch! Taxidermy adorns the walls from top to bottom. Bobcats, rams, deer, and a plethora of gator skulls are jammed into every nook and cranny behind the bar. Invasive Species should be considered a destination and is the epitome of the Florida brewery scene.
Coming up with a top 5 list of our favorite Miami and Fort Lauderdale breweries was beyond difficult. On any given day the list could change. Our number 17 brewery could easily be number 2 tomorrow! THEbreweryauthority travels to cities all over the United States and there are ALWAYS bad brewery experiences. Not in Florida.....seriously. There's just something about Florida breweries. What do you think it is??
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