Wednesday

Humble Pie Wood Fired Pizza – Ordered two pizzas for takeaway, which were delivered to our table at the brewery next door. Nice! We got one margherita and one with walnuts and pesto. Crust was proper crispy and flavors were solid.

Grand Scheme Brewing – Limited menu and unfortunately all their dark beers were sold out. I opted for the Fashionable Consumption (pineapple hibiscus sour) and Eric got the Prince in Need (dry hopped hazy sour). Rather loud in the tasting room and seemed geared toward a younger crowd.

Thursday

Germain’s Chicken Sandwiches – Located less than a 10 minute walk from our place, we stopped in for lunch on a Thursday. I got the Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich with kimchi (messy and delicious) and Eric got an order of Chicken Fingers, “What the Flock”. Both came with ranch fries and we wound up taking home leftovers as the portions were large!

Mia Alpa Latin Cafe – Ordered takeaway to take to a nearby brewery. We split a Cuban sandwich, which was a little bland –  the bread was just okay and it had more ham than roasted pork. The breakfast empanada was stuffed with egg and fried nicely. Our favorite item was the ham croquette, which at $1 each was a great deal.

Swamp Head Brewing – Located farther from downtown, close to the interstate in an industrial area, this brewery has a huge tasting room and outdoor seating area. Eric couldn’t decide what sour beer to try so he got a sampler for $12:

• Everything But the Ham (nice, but could be more sour)
• Sour Gummy Worm (both our fave! Nice balance of sweet and sour)
• Orange Swamp Patch Kids (definitely orange sour candy forward)
• Lemon Days (least impressive, a little bitterness from zest).

I got the Cinnamon Spiced Hot Cocoa Imperial Stout which was fantastic. For my second, I went lighter with ‘Nog – a white stout with vanilla beans, cinnamon and lactose.

Friday

Alpin Bistro – A French-inspired casual restaurant right in the heart of downtown, we went for happy hour to share a small cheese plate with a half carafe of rose wine for $22. For dinner we each opted for a Westmalle beer (in bottles), the dubbel for me and tripel for Eric. I paired my beer with a butternut squash and goat cheese tart (delicious) and Eric had the Croque Monsieur, which he thought was excellent. The vibe and service were very nice. Recommended.

Cypress and Grove Brewery – We stopped in after dinner for a drink each. Eric had the Bold Anole (Berliner Weiss), very light and unremarkable. I tried a sample of the Lone Pine porter and the 2025 Imperial Solstice Stout and the stronger beer won out. We sat inside away from the live music. There are a lot of taps here but only a few that we found interesting.

Saturday

Bagel Bakery – On Saturday morning, I picked up an egg and cheese bagel sandwich for Eric and a cheese and jalapeño bagel we ate later on our road trip back south. Both bagels were bready and just okay but the place was slammed!

Infinite Ale Works – We stopped in Ocala at this brewery that is co-located with a coffee spot and restaurant. All share a large indoor and outdoor seating area. Eric got the Dragon fruit sour (very nice – and pink!) and I got the West Floridian OG (a Belgian-style quad). We sat outside in shade, listening to the dueling music from a few different places!