Do a quick search in this forum. Not being snide. There were a few, if I recall correctly, from December or so. Also, @Shortbus901 is involved in a Key West brewery; maybe he can weigh in on the current scene.
The Porch on Duval, Cork and Stogie also on Duval and the Kitchen Store. These are your best bets. There is a place called the Waterfront Brewery and although I haven't been there, I haven't heard great things. If you're driving down from Miami I will suggest Checkers Discount Liquors in Florida City and Florida Keys Brewing in Islamorada. Skip Islamorada beer company. It's not really worth stopping at.
I was just going to recommend Krawl off Duval but learned they are closed, sounding like building utility issues. Too bad as that was our favorite beer hangout. Stogie is also good as is Joe's Taproom, around the corner from Sloppy Joe's. Waterfront had some drinkable beer, didn't blow me away but decent. Nice place to drink and watch the waterfront. Food is hit or miss. Loved the Restaurant Store. If you like kitchen gadgets with your beer, the vibe is a 5. They do a farmers market a couple times a month that is a lot of fun too. Handful of what I thought are solid beers.
I wrote this last night but apparently never hit post: There have been a few threads in the past year or two, usually coupled with other South FL destinations. Search them out. But the real quick short list: The Porch Waterfront Brewery Cork & Stogie Restaurant Store/Bone Island Brewery Shots & Giggles Even the tourist mainstay bars like Sloppy Joes and Irish Kevin's have a few solid taps on these days. If you do search those other threads, note that Krawl is closed.
@njramsfan The Porch is fantastic. Cool old mansion-like house with a good craft beer selection on draft and bottles. Make sure to catch Patrick & The Swayzees perform in Key West. Amazing, fun band. They usually play at The Porch on Saturday nights.
Anyone been to the distillery? I'll be down there at the end of the month as well, and it looks like the distillery is open when the ship is in port.
I'll just echo the recommendations for The Porch. It was my favorite spot in Key West. Cork & Stogie was solid also. I thought Waterfront Brewery was just OK, and our service was lacking, but that could have been an anomaly. If you're driving to the Keys from Miami, stop at Florida Keys Brewing Co. Beers and vibe made for a great stop.
Sorry I missed this before you came down and sorry to hear the service was lacking here at the Brewery. In case anyone else comes across this thread in searches though it sounds like you hit up most of the beer spots in town. Bone Island Brewing is another local one down here right down the street from us on Eaton St. They are located inside The Restaurant Store; small operation but putting out some good stuff. The Restaurant Store also has a pretty good selection of bottles and cans. Further up the Islands Herbie's in Marathon is a good spot to grab a bite and a good beer. Their entire beer list is craft; no BMC in the place. FL Keys Brewing is also a great spot, the owners are friends of mine and as mentioned, the vibe is great. Closer to Key West, Summerland Wine and Spirits is a great little bottle shop and not too far from there the Square Grouper also has a great draft list. I'd love any feedback on our beers here at The Waterfront as well; it's easy to find people (honest or not) willing to tell you it's the greatest liquid to cross their lips but I'm more interested in constructive criticism since I know things can always be improved. We had a few hiccups around opening with things that didn't scale up quite the way I expected (first time on a large direct fire system and a unique water profile) but we've gotten things dialed in pretty well now so I'm just tweaking things to get them where I want them now. I'm also doing my best to increase the variety of our own beers on tap. I'm finding that the market down here doesn't tend to respond well to interesting stuff the way I'm used to back in Tampa so most of what we have is geared toward mass consumption. I'm cranking up our 1/2 bbl pilot system to start turning out some of the more experimental ideas I have that I can't do a full 20bbl batch of so keep an eye out for that soon along with some barrel aged stuff and some brett experiments that I've had in mind for awhile. Anyone coming down here feel free to hit me up with questions and be sure to stop in and say hi. Cheers! Justin Stine Head Brewer The Waterfront Brewery
Good info to know. I'll be stopping by in July sometime, and look forward to trying the brewery out this time. Last time I didn't have time to make it over. Any chance the stuff in the barrels will be ready?
Great to hear! Wish your brewery all the best! I honestly didn't even know there were breweries in Key West. Can't wait to try the locally crafted beers. I will most likely be there for Thanksgiving and definitely in May 2017 for my bachelor party. Will make sure to contact you. Thanks a lot !
I'm actually moving them over as I write this. Has to go through a second dry-hopping but should be on late next week or early the following. Not sure whether it will last to July but we are going into the slow season so I wouldn't be surprised to see a keg or two around still.
