Swamp Head Brewing Co.

Sold all around Gainesville at your favorite bars
and available at the tasting room
3140 S.W. 42nd WAY
Gainesville, FL 32608
(352) 505-3035
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
4pm to 8pm

4 thumbs up

From what I've learned about commercial brewing in Florida, it's nearly impossible to get through all the red tape to be up and running as a legit brewery. Trust me, I thought about doing it about 4 years ago. It seemed nearly impossible. From what I understand, it took the good folks at Swamphead the better part of 2 years to get operational due to the overly complicated Florida laws.

Regardless, we have a pretty great brewery right here amidst our city limits. Most of their brews are quite good and they always provide a satisfying variety of styles. My only criticism is that their beers aren't terribly unique and seem to mimic already popular beers that are commercially available. Even so, I'm happy to support a local entrepreneur who produces a tasty product, copy cat or not.

Here are my takes on some of their brews.

Wild Night Honey Cream Ale (1.5 thumbs up): This beer isn't bad, but isn't great. It's a lighter offering and has sometimes come out of the tap a bit stinky. It's certainly not my go to choice.

Cottonmouth Belgian Wheat Beer (4 thumbs up): This beer is quite tasty, but I think it's uncomfortably similar to Hoegaarden. It's still good, and since it's made right in town instead of Belgium, I'm OK with that.

Stump Knocker Pale Ale (4 thumbs up): Hops! HOPS! This beer is LOADED with hops. I had one last night and it nearly punched me in the nose. After the first few biting sips, I became accustomed to it's strong hop content and actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Not for the weak at heart when it comes to hops. HOPS!

Big Nose IPA (5 thumbs up): This is my favorite Swamp Head brew probably because it's extremely similar to Dogfish Head's 60 and 90 minute IPAs (which are two of my favorite commercially available beers). It's a little strong for my tastes (at 7.3%), but it's really their best beer in my opinion.

Midnight Oil Oatmeal Coffee Stout (0 thumbs up): I think this beer isn't worthy of their roster. It basically tastes like a carbonated, unsweetened espresso. I think I'd prefer it if the Oatmeal came through more than the coffee. Ironically, this beer has won best Florida beer awards for the past 2 years. Also, it's described as having an intense coffee aroma and flavor without the bitter oils. I think this statement is flat out wrong. I think it's super bitter and not enjoyable to drink. And just so you know I'm not inherently prejudiced to the style, Oatmeal stouts and coffee beers are some of my favorite styles of beer.

They also brew seasonal offerings and limited releases.

Overall, I'm happy to have Swamp Head in town, but I'd seriously like them to develop a voice of their own.