Riptide Brewing Company

All the refreshing watery little beers you could ask for.,. Spacious digs. Touristy, yet locals driven. Little bit expensive. Nice staff. Food trucks on rotation.

 

 

Of all the places in the greater Naples area that we visited on this long weekend, for whatever reason this was the least favorite spot from everyone (not that the beers were bad or the place wasn't good, just not the type of place that we would chose to re-visit). Located in a strip mall shopping area towards downtown Naples, this one felt like it was trying to have the industrial park vibe with lots of corrugated metal and dark wood. I believe there was outdoor seating in the back (didn't check) and a couple of picnic tables out front. More TVs than I expected, all showing sports on a Saturday afternoon, and overall it was a little loud/tough to carry on a conversation.

Beers were well poured, at a reasonable temperature, and with some head (a little less than I prefer). They offered flights and pints. I saw growlers available to go.

Service was friendly though not overly attentive and made no offers of suggestions on beers to try or what we might like so I cannot judge how knowledgeable they might be.

Decent selection of styles - IPA, APA, Scottish Ale, and Wild/Sour as well as an Amber and Brown.

 

Great little brewery in Naples, just off the Trail

Beautiful bar top

Found this on line just before a recent visit. Nice to see a brewpub in town (Naples has come a long way from probably less than 10 years ago when Sam Adams at the Publix was the pinnacle of SW Florida Craft Beer) . Made it in on a Wednesday & Friday at around 5 or 6p and both times there was a lively crowd. Friday was pleasantly crowded while Wednesday less so - a group was quietly chatting in the couch area with a big fuzzy dog quietly sleeping at their feet - I like that.

The exterior is classic strip-mall with 2 picnic benches for outdoor seating (there MIGHT be outdoor seating out back - didn't explore). Inside is a little industrial but cozy with a nautical flair. The brewing gear is behind the bar and as it got later, they backlit the tanks to very neat effect. Our first time, we started with the "Whole Shebang" sampler (or some cute name) which is samplers of every one of their beers and a sticker. As with many brewpubs, there were lots of sampler orders which take servers time to fill, but they moved quick and we didn't wait too long for ours - 11 or 12 beers in all. The wife of an owner stopped by and filled us in on their brief history and how they came to the location. Everybody gets a big cup of ice water without asking.

We expect to be generally underwhelmed at very new brewpubs but there really were no "drain-pours" in the bunch. The stout was rather thin and the blond a little bland, but none were off-putting or bad. The Kraken DIPA & Nymph's Nectar Belgian Strong Dark were our favorites, but the IPA and Amber were both serviceable as well. For Naples, the beers were pretty good and even for the Chicago area, they weren't bad. Combine serviceable beer with a warm atmosphere, we were happy to go back. They are also pouring other FLA guest taps, though we stuck with their beers. On Friday there was a food cart out back, we saw several pizzas delivered to tables and other food carried in. A couple doors down is a lovely but tiny polish restaurant, and a few doors after that is a small seafood joint with long lines and good cheap food (maybe we'll get a table at Riptide and call the seafood joint for carryout next time!)

All in all, it's a must stop for us when we visit from now on.

Glad to see a new brewery come to Naples! I only come down hear a couple times a year, but I'll be excited to come back and see how this group progresses!

Their establishment is impressive and they've done a great job with the tasting room. Warm colors with surfboard accents around. There is a P shaped bar (if you will) made of a nice natural wood top and corrugated metal siding with 23 seats. There are also (7) 4 seater high tops, 14 seat long high table, 4 seater low top, and a comfy couch (with 3 other really nice wooden seats around it) - plus 2 picnic tables outside. In short, there is plenty of seating. Along with their own 8 taps, they also have 6 guest taps from other Florida Breweries. There is also food available from "Bill's Cafe" next door and they will deliver it to you in the bar (good appetizer, sandwich, and salad menu).

At the time of my visit, it having only opened yesterday, I didn't anticipate the beers to blow me away (sorry Riptide). However, I think they have a really great base and are only in need of very minor tweaks. I think their Undertow IPA was my favorite of the day, and on the "negative" ,their Shorebreak Pale probably needs a little more body and hops but has a lot of potential.

Once again, I'm really looking forward to coming back in less than a month. I wish all the best for Riptide!