Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company Celebrates Groundbreaking Ceremony

Independent Craft Brewery Begins Construction in Heart of Ivanhoe Village

Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company, an independent craft brewery and tasting room in Orlando, Fla. hosted its groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, October 13, 2017. Mayor Buddy Dyer and Commissioner Robert Stuart both spoke at the event and participated in the groundbreaking ceremony, which was a nice play on tradition. Mash paddles replaced shovels and, together, the group broke into a bed of hops, rather than dirt. The ceremony was well organized and displayed thoughtfulness and class--something to look forward to in their beers as well.

The brewery is targeting an open date of Spring 2018.

Located in Ivanhoe Village, one of Orlando’s Main Street districts, the brewery will open with a tasting room and distribution capacity of 1,450 barrels per year initially with significant room for expansion. 

Renderings of Ivanhoe Park Brewing released:

Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company celebrates the pioneering spirit of early 20th century Lake Ivanhoe founder, George Russell. Ivanhoe Park previously served as home to beautifully lined orange groves and a pineapple farm, and was later named Joyland, an amusement and recreational park. To start, Ivanhoe Park Brewing will focus on three core beers offered year-round, in addition to other seasonal varieties, with names like Bungalower Belgian Witbier, Joyland IPA and Toboggan Blonde Ale to honor the area’s rich history.

Founded by Glenn Closson, former owner of Beach City Brewing in California (its assets were acquired by Beachwood Brewing when Closson relocated to Orlando), the brewery is funded by individual investors predominately based in Central Florida. Recent changes to Orlando’s City Planning regulations were the driving force that compelled Closson to open Ivanhoe Park Brewing.

“Changes allowing a 50/50 split between distribution and tasting room business paired with the immense support I would be receiving from the Orlando Main Street program and Ivanhoe Village were the catalysts to push me over the edge and open a brewery here after relocating from California,” said Closson. “I had launched a brewery from the ground up in California, starting as a home brewer, and after conducting market research, I determined Orlando provided the perfect conditions to open Ivanhoe Park Brewing.”

McCree General Contractor & Architects is leading the construction efforts and Ivanhoe Park Brewing is scheduled to open Spring 2018.

  

About Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company:

Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company is an independent craft brewery that celebrates the pioneering spirit of early 20th century Lake Ivanhoe founder, George Russell. Ivanhoe Park previously served as home to beautifully lined orange groves and a pineapple farm, and was later named Joyland, an amusement and recreational park. Connecting Orlando's illustrious past to our brewery’s commitment to community, education and the use of quality ingredients, Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company seeks to make craft beer accessible and approachable. 

More photos from the groundbreaking ceremony:

A bed of hops for the groundbreaking ceremony

Following God's Calling | The Story Behind The Orlando Whiskey Festival

The 3rd Annual Orlando Whiskey Festival (OWF) will take place this Saturday, May 13. Located at the Mercedes-Benz of Orlando dealership in Maitland, the event will feature unlimited samples of over 100 whiskey brands, 4Rivers BBQ, cigars, and live entertainment. 

The Orlando Whiskey Festival is not just another local festival, but it was the first of its kind for Central Florida when it launched three years ago. Since then, OWF has set the standard for whiskey festivals. In addition, OWF has a unique philanthropic mission. 100% of the net proceeds go to a local organization. I recently connected with Mark Matuszek, owner of Whiskey & Bizz, LLC, and founder of Orlando Whiskey Festival to gain a better understanding of the story behind OWF and what we can expect from the high-end festival in the future.

Influence. This is the word Mark gave me when I asked why he launched the festival a few years ago. Mark, a man of faith, explained that the word "influence" was what he felt God had continuously put on his heart. A modest business owner at the time, Mark felt that he was called to do more--to have a greater impact on others--but he wasn't quite sure what that looked like. 

"It was birthed from a love of whiskey. We wanted to create a network and bring people together, and then it grew into something so much bigger than we had expected," Mark explained. At the time, Mark was hosting small whiskey tastings, bringing together friends and colleagues with one thing in common: their love of whiskey. "We would coordinate these tastings and just charge people whatever our costs were. We always broke even. Over time, we connected with various whiskey companies that offered to donate product. So now we had to decide what to do with the profit."

Enter: The Lovely Project. The Lovely Project is a Non-Profit Organization, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, that exists to empower girls by providing them with tools, education and peer-mentorship for living a purposeful, productive life. "It was a no brainer. I love what The Lovely Project is all about. It is an organization that was started by people in my church and I thought that we would be able to help influence something good by giving to them."

Last year's event sold out and raised tens of thousands for The Lovely Project. Impressive by any measurement, but especially for OWF in just its second year of existence. When I asked Mark what he thought about the success in such a short period of time, he was quick to explain that it all goes back to his calling from God. "This is the most successful business I have ever had without making any money. The secret sauce is giving back." 

When asked what we can expect from him moving forward, Mark shared, "I go back to the initial word that God spoke to me, Influence. Influence is still what I am called to. God's not done with us yet." 

Ticket Information

General Admission (7-10p) and VIP (6-10p) tickets are available. For those looking for the "ultimate" experience, there is a 3-course dinner and whiskey tasting event that will take place the night before. Tickets for the dinner are sold separately and do not include admission to the Orlando Whiskey Festival. 

For all ticket information, click here. 

Hourglass Brewing Announces Black Friday Basket

With Black Friday just a week away, many places have been promoting their specials and deals for weeks. There are plenty of deals out there, and one of those deals is this Holiday Gift Basket from Hourglass Brewing, a family-owned brewery just 20 minutes north of downtown Orlando, located in Longwood, FL.

The special holiday gift basket will include a 2016 bottle release of La Fée Dragée and Auld Clootie. This unique bundle will be sold exclusively at the brewery on Black Friday (November 25). Doors open at 11am.

Here's a closer look at the items included in the Hourglass Gift Basket:

La Fée Dragée is a 11.3% ABV Belgian Christmas Ale aged in rum barrels. This holiday beer includes a bevy of delicious dried fruits and spices and bursts with tasting notes of apricots, plums, and Turkish figs. This rich and dark ale is spiced with freshly grated nutmeg, allspice berries, ginger, and sweet orange peel to conjure up the holiday spirit.

Auld Clootie is a 12.2% ABV old ale brewed with copious amounts of barley and a touch of brown sugar that is then fermented with a blend of traditional English and Sherry yeasts.  Auld Clootie was split between bourbon and wine barrels and blended back together. The result is a rich and smooth brew with fruity esters that finishes with notes of bourbon, vanilla, and oak.

Glassware: The gift baskets will include two 14oz Libbey Abbey goblets, each with a 14-karat gold trim and logo representing the two bottles. The goblets will not be sold separately and are offered exclusively in the gift baskets, priced at $45.

Hourglass is very active on social media and post updates to all their events frequently. Stay involved by following the Hourglass Black Friday Bottle and Basket event page.

Hourglass Brewing Wild Ale Bottle Release

SIMULTANEOUS RELEASE OF THREE WILD ALES, SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2016

The Hourglass Brewery has announced the simultaneous release of three beers in their Wild Ale Series, which will take place on  May 21^st at 11AM in the Hourglass Brewing Taproom.

Each wild ale was bottle conditioned with champagne yeast, and embody a dry, funky flavor. These are wild ales by definition, not sours. While the beers certainly have a funky profile reminiscent of sour ales, the difference is that wild ales are not acidic.  

The three wild ales are:

1. Wild Hare Wild Ale  – Golden ale with brettanomyces and organic, locally grown persimmon and roselle. We brewed this in collaboration with Wild Hare Kitchen And Garden Emporium.
2. White Gold! – Golden ale with brettanomyces, white pepper, and white sage.
3. Tereré Saison – Belgian saison brewed with yerba mate and lime and fermented with a traditional saison yeast and brettanomyces.

The Wild Ale Series will be available for purchase on May 21st. $15/each. There are less than 400 bottles of each, and sales will be limited to 4 bottles per person, per flavor. As a special promotion, patrons who purchase 3 wild bottles can purchase any 4^th Hourglass bottle for just $10!

Each bottle features a custom label designed by Hourglass’ in-house artist and longtime employee, Jeremy Gonzalez. 

Visit thehourglassbrewery.com to learn more about this production brewery in Longwood, FL.

Hourglass Brewery to Release Cloudberry Farmhouse Ale

Just a short drive north of Orlando, The Hourglass Brewery of Longwood, FL has been busy. The brewery is set to release Cloudberry Farmhouse Ale on Saturday, January 30. This release is the fourth bottle from the brewery, and the third in as many months. 

According to a statement from the brewery, Cloudberry is the first beer in a line of bottle conditioned farmhouse ales that the brewery has scheduled for release in the near future.

Cloudberries are not a typical fruit that we hear of much in the States, but they are well-known across Europe and considered a delicacy in Norway and Finland. Cloudberries are sometimes used in liqueurs due to their high sugar concentration. The flavor profile of the berry when eaten off the plant is describes as something similar to a sour apple with dry characteristics of a dry Riesling white wine.

Description from the brewery:

Cloudberry Farmhouse Ale is brewed to have a slight tartness from lactobacillus, a dry character from our house saison yeast, and a vinous note from a rest in white wine barrels set the stage for the cloudberries to shine. Lively carbonation from bottle conditioning with champagne yeast give the beer a refreshing effervescence that brings it all together. 

The Hourglass Brewery is open seven days a week. To check them out, visit thehourglassbrewery.com or their facebook page.

 

Four Beers from Orlando Brewing

A lot has happened since my last post. I've successfully relocated myself and the family to Orlando, where we hope to be for the foreseeable future. Settled and ready to get back at it, I figured it was only appropriate to have my first Orlando-based review come from Orlando's Organic craft brewery: Orlando Brewing.

The brewery is located in an industrial area near downtown Orlando in a fairly unassuming building. The taproom is a dimly lit area (more on that in a minute) with a small bar, a dozen or so tables, and a stage area for live music and entertainment. There is also a back room that provides some more space and an area for darts.

Mariah was the bartender on duty during my visit, and she was quite welcoming, knowledgeable and friendly. After I told her that I was new to the area and this was my first time, she recommended two "flagship" beers, Right on Red and I-4 IPA (both of which I selected to be in my flight sampler).

The dim lighting is the worst part about the taproom and makes it hard to see and appreciate the color and/or clarity of the beers. As you can see from the pictures, it's nearly impossible to gauge the appearance of the beers. I'm sure the lighting works great for the live entertainment that comes through the taproom, but it's really a bummer for someone like me who appreciates more than just the flavor of the beer I'm drinking. But enough about lighting, let's get to the beer.

Right on Red
Mellow and drinkable red ale. Very balanced with some sweetness coming on the front and bitter notes on the back, followed by a bit of dryness. Overall, this is a malty amber ale that's easy to drink is likely a crowd-pleaser. For a flagship ale, this is quite generic and drinkable...but unfortunately, it's also forgettable. Grade:C

I-4 IPA
I-4 IPA has a citrus kick on the nose and on the front of the palate. I get lots of grapefruit, lemon, and orange zest before the beer mellows out with a smoother finish. There is some lingering hop bitterness, but nothing too strong. The brewery describes this beer as a "Full bodied West Coast style IPA." I have this beer down as a medium-light bodied IPA, but do think the hop profile lends itself nicely to the style. I can see why this is their best selling IPA. Grade: B

Pompous Ass
Released just four weeks prior, Pompous Ass is one of the newest additions to the taplist. And it's one sweet ass beer! Tropical fruit flavors followed by subtle malt notes and finishes with some citrus bitterness. Tropical aroma, sweets, and bitters. As the beer warmed, I got a taste of some Belgian spices that were overshadowed by the initial hop flavors, but not nearly prominent enough to describe this as a Belgian IPA. If you don't mind your IPA being on the sweet side, this is the beer for you. Grade: B

Doble Imperial IPA
Gotta tip the hat to Orlando Brewing for brewing a beer in honor and memory of Tampa Bay Brewing founder John G. Doble. Love seeing some beer love being shared from one brewery to the other. Doble packs a (balanced) punch. The beer is malt-forward, ending with heavy hop notes and booze. Like many Imperial IPAs, this is a full-bodied, full-flavored beer. Doble is balanced without compromising on the malt sweetness or hop bitterness. I found this to be the best beer of the four I tried and the one I would order again. Grade: B+

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