Will be in Gainesville on business next week. Plan to go to a couple breweries in the evenings to sample the local scene. So what will I find in bottle shops in the Gainsville area that are noteworthy that I might not find in the Mid Atlantic? Any Funky Bhudda, J. Wakefields or Westbrook to be found in stores in Gainsville? Just thinking of some of the notable southern brewers. Which stores are recommended to check out?
As far as breweries go there's Swamp Head & First Magnitude. Swamp Head has a solid lineup of cores & seasonals, and they almost always have several treatments/one-offs on at the brewery. They do growler fills and also crowlers of certain draft options....usually not their treatments though. They also have a cooler with cans & 750s to go. I've only been to First Mag a couple times, and they've had a few decent beers that I've only really seen there or elsewhere in Gainesville. They do treatments to their saltwater intrusion (gose) that have been pretty good. Honestly though, their cores aren't really anything special IMO. Tipple's is the best bottle shop in the area by far. You'll find stuff there you won't find anywhere else between Jacksonville and Orlando....but no Wakefield or Westbrook. JWB brews don't come close to that part of the state, and Westbrook doesn't distro to FL. You'll find all the funky buddha & cigar city stuff you need at Tipples, or anywhere else TBH. MIA mega mix & Green Bench sunshine city are both solid hoppy options that you shouldn't have any trouble finding....just check the dates (especially on the sunshine city). Locals could probably weigh in a little better, but a few food spots you could checkout are La Tienda Mexican restaurant, Adam's Rib Co, and Flaco's Cuban Bakery (more than just a bakery).
Thanks for the info. Yeah, Swamp Head and 1-2 other breweries I planned to pitstop in during the evenings to sample and might snag a few to take home if they can or crowler. I'll definitely check out Tipple's bottle shop as well. Yeah, some Cigar City and Funky Budda will be some good buys. I'll also scout out the MIA and Green Bench stuff. I love some fresh Jai Alai and Last Snow was an amazing beer. If there is anything else that is fairly new that I might be able to find in Gainsville distro area that might be in bottle shops that is noteworthy/high-level beer please let me know.
You should also go to Gator Beverage as it is an excellent shop and a superior one to Tipples pricewise on a lot of stuff. Andrew is a great guy and knows his shit, and the stuff is pretty coherently organized and plentiful for a tiny store that seems to be a dump from the outside. For going out for food, The Top is absolutely your #1 Dinner destination. They have an awesome taplist for basically anywhere in Florida, and fantastic food options, especially if you have vegetarians or vegans with you (but their burgers are great too). Other favorites for food are Yummy House on Archer for excellent Cantonese food and dim sum, Southern Charm for, well, Southern food, and Flacos for late night drunk Cuban. There are a few new breweries open or opening too, Cypress and Grove (one name) and Blackadder, but I haven't been to either or had any beers. I suspect they are probably just fine, because none of my friends who live there have remarked that they are anything special to me. First Mag has a pretty nice spot near downtown, Swamphead has a gorgeous spot in the middle of nowhere (relatively) but their beer is mostly mediocre in my opinion.
I will say that i have been to First Magnitude and really enjoyed the atmosphere and beers when i went! They are probably the most creative at this point. Swamphead, while the core beers can be just average, has some interesting seasonal and special release beers. They just released a BA Scotch Ale, and the non-BA version may still be on tap. I went to Blackadder once, just after opening, he had 2 beers on. A golden ale that was pretty average, and a chili porter that had quite some heat! I have not yet made it to Gainesville for Cypress and Grove, but there is also Alligator Brewing (Inside Tall Paul's), downtown. It has been a while, but i thought the beers were mediocre, there was one that stood out, but it's been a while and i can't remember. My favorite place to eat in Gainesville is Dragonfly. They are a fantastic dinner spot for sushi, and also have a lunch location called Rolls and Bowls. high quality sushi, fine dining at the main restaurant.
So back from Gainesville. Visited Swamphead and did a flight of 6. Really nice taproom and people on staff were friendly. Beers were decent but nothing really knocked my socks off. Best one I think was their Belgian Wit (Cottonmouth?) that I actually had on tap in my hotel lobby. I visited Tipple's and really enjoyed that beer store and even had a beer outside on the patio which was fun as MD doesn't really have that lax beer laws like in FL. Staff was very knowledgable, and I was very impressed with their import section (picked up a Fuller's Vintage 2015 Old Ale and a Belgian Kriek or Lambic (forget which brewer but it was rated highly on BA) along with a Boulevard BBQ which I love and hard to find back home. Actually aside from gettig a couple single assortments from Cigar City nothing local / FL was really drawing me to buy. Saw a few Funky Bhudha large bottles but were expensive and not very highly rated so I passed. Almost snagged a few Crooked Stave's (I love their funky sours), but passed this time around. I'll be back again on business so I'll make sure to sample some other local breweries and visit Gators beverage. I ate on the cheap as well this business trip for my dinners, so maybe next time I'll step up my game and go out to Dragonfly (I love sushi and craft beer so sounds like a winner).
