Gary's Brewery & Biergarten

I stumbled onto this awesome little brewery while visiting Gary's Homebrew Supply Shop, which is located on the same site. I normally order my supplies by mail, but needed some fast to take advantage of a brewing opportunity, so I drove to Pensacola, where Gary's is my closest brick and mortar homebrew supplier. It was a great homebrew shop, with everything I needed, and a friendly staff. They encouraged me to check out the Brewery and Biergarten that is also part of this family enterprise. Walking through the shop and out the back, I found myself in a lovely, shaded, landscaped biergarten with tables and pavilions. It looks like a great place to enjoy a cold one in the Florida heat, but it was a rainy, cold Saturday afternoon and there were not many customers. I'm told the biergarten is very popular with the local Navy base and the Blue Angels aerial demo team actually had their holiday party in the large pavilion the night before I visited.

The brewery itself is an old converted barn with a large patio and an open, wood-paneled tasting room leading to the bar. It had a simple, rustic and friendly feel, as you'd expect for a converted barn. They had 18 taps, which featured 6 of their own brews, 6 of their own wines (yes, they make that, too), and 6 guest beers. The bartender was very friendly and enthusiastic about their beer, with good reason. The ones I had were all good to great examples of their styles, and they covered a wide range, from a Mexican light lager to an oatmeal stout, and even an ale made with smoked malt. The brewing staff is doing impressive things in that very small brewery.

Finding this brewery and beautiful, peaceful biergarten co-located with my closest homebrew shop was a very pleasant surprise. They are punching above their weight in variety and quality of beers, and their customer-focus and friendliness is amazing. I only wish I lived closer than 60-90 minutes away, so I could stop by more often.