Few items in life pair better than the beach, the sun, and a great craft beer. Craft beer has exploded in popularity across the USA and is now part of the country’s drinking heritage. The Floridian sun has a magical effect on beer, making lagers lighter and ales brighter. Several Florida breweries have caught on to this delight, and their locations are prime for tourists to take advantage of the the sea breeze and a fresh beer. These three breweries are a few that offer delicious craft beer at great beach locations.
Cocoa Beach Brewing Company
150 N Atlantic Avenue in Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
Founded in 2008 the Cocoa Beach Brewing Company has become known as a great family owned brewery and pub. The brewery is located in one of Cocao Beach’s oldest historic buildings. The building was formally used as a navy housing base for the Banana River Navy Air Station. The official Cocoa Beach Brewing Company site reveals that it is now the home of a “4.5 bbl Brewhouse with one 12 bbl stainless steel conical fermentation tank, one 5 bbl fermentation tank, two 4 bbl fermentation tanks, and an Applied Bottling Systems single head automated filler.” All this equipment leads to a pale ale that won the Best Florida Beer Championships 2011. Visit this brewery to enjoy some great family made beer and the sun.
Zeta Brewing
131 1st Ave North in Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
Jacksonville has a reputation as a laid back fun city and this attitude is perfectly displayed in Zeta Brewing. In an interview with The Wandering Gourmand, Head Brewer Chris Prevatt stated that Zeta Brewing has “American style ales and lagers with bright flavors and several barrel aged offerings a year.” When asked which Zeta produced beer he wished more people would drink, he answered that he wanted to introduce more people to farmhouse styles. He makes sure that he keeps one French or Belgian farmhouse style on the go at all times. Zeta is the perfect place to visit after a long day of surfing.
The Abby Brewing Company
115 16th Street Miami Beach, FL 33139
Relocating The Abby Brewing Company in South Beach was a huge risk, as the area was better known for its upscale metropolitan cocktail establishments rather than good quality ales. Since it opened in 1995, The Abby Brewing Company is still going strong and shows that no matter where you are located, people will always love good beers. The brewery has four different home brewed beers. The most popular beer is called the Immaculate IPA, which is a combination between malt grown in the Midwest and hops grown in the Pacific Northwest. With top quality establishments like The Abby Brewing Company adding to the atmosphere of South Beach, Discover Homes ranked the neighborhood as number one among the most exciting in areas Miami for young professionals to live. Miami is not just a city full of cocktail lounges and wine bars, beer drinkers can find some of the best beer in the south coast in the city.