I’ve been having a lot of fun working my way through the breweries that have been popping up around Orlando. Earlier this week I had a chance to check out Red Cypress Brewery in Winter Springs with some of the Central Florida Lady Bloggers and learn more about their beers and their operation.
Fueled by a love of craft beer and desire to bring the beer culture of the West coast to Orlando, Red Cypress opened its doors in October of 2015. They are very proud that their founding members and management comprise Central Florida natives and UCF alumni.
From brewing with locally-sourced ingredients, such as Florida orange peel in their Fruit de la Terre Saison, to branding beers as homages to the eccentricities of the Sunshine state, like Devil’s Chair IPA, Red Cypress is proudly Florida born and brewed. They even have paddles for their flights that are all handmade from cypress wood. How cool is that?
On our visit we were lucky enough to meet with owner Ryan and try out 9 of their beers before being taken on a tour of the brewery. You know you are in for a treat when the owner of the brewery tries to narrow it down to a flight of 5 beers but ends up serving you 9 because he can’t pick just 5. We were able to try a variety of styles of beer, all made in house. We had Subdivisions, Deep Roots, Stargazer, Spook Hill Pale Ale, Fruit de la Terre, Summer Nights, Devil’s Chair IPA, Carl, and Death Roll.
In addition to being some great beers, I love the super creative and local names. Devil’s Chair IPA is named after an urban legend from nearby Cassadega and Spook Hill Pale Ale is named after an optical illusion in Lake Wales. Each of the beers has a name with a story and a meaning.
Red Cypress makes all of their beer in house and even cans some of it for distribution. In addition to getting beer at the brewery (on draft, in cans, or to-go in a crowler or growler) you can also get it around Orlando at places like ABC and Whole Foods.
The brewery has a lot going on besides just good beer. They have trivia on Thursday nights, food trucks on Fridays, and live music on the weekends. Red Cypress is a very family friendly place and you can even bring your dog since they have outdoor seating available. So if you are looking for great local beer and a chill place to hang out with family or friends, definitely give Red Cypress a visit.
*Thank you to Red Cypress and owners Ryan and Ashlan for hosting the Central Florida Lady Bloggers.
