The Orlando Brewing Company is Windy

Recently I hung out at the Orlando Brewing Company with a friend (no, it wasn't Mikey Mouse). It's located in an industrial part of O-town (where I think they manufacture Disney toys and Lou Pearlman may have buried the Backstreet Boys). I almost drove right past it but once I found it I was as happy as a raggedy man discovering an oasis in the desert . The brewery and pub are in a converted warehouse which is outfitted with brewing equipment and a bar. The warehouse factor made it look more like a loading dock than a bar but I thought that was one of the cool things about it and made it unlike other bars. They brew several of their own beers, most of which are USDA Certified Organic. There are also another ten or so great beers from other breweries on tap. Their beers are not exceptional but they are good. My favorite was their "Doble" I.P.A. It was 8% and came in a wine glass (I've never done drank beer that way). It had a nice light hoppiness with a firm malt backbone. They also had Houblon Chouffee Double I.P.A. Tripel on one of the guest taps, which is rare around these parts. Their selection was great, and even more impressive considering that Florida is a bit of a beer Siberia with almost all of the bars acting as Beer Gulags. I am reminded of a professor at college who would scream at tardy students, "To the Gulags with you." When you walk into bars around here, the taps scream, "No good beer for you." The professor would also invite students to come to his office for Sherry but despite my best efforts, I was never offered any.

Fun story: Someone walked in and sat down next to my friend. They began talking and we got into a big discussion about food. I mentioned how much I respected Chefs because they have to juggle upwards of twenty meals at once without ruining any. In reply, he mentioned he was an architect and that being an architect was much the same because he had to balance the interests of the client and the builder without compromising the interests of either one. Not quite my point, but this tends to happen a lot in Florida. I've found the best way to combat this is to not listen to what people are saying and immediately start talking about myself when they are done talking. I swear there is something in the water here. When this strange man left, my friend turned to me and whispered, "That man had a wandering eye."

From the way I started smelling, I am led to believe that they skimp on the AC at the Orlando Brewing Company. It's quite possible they add Curry when they brew their beers. Going along with the organic theme, I guess they are trying to be a greener brewery by conserving their AC use. I'm not sure if they own a wind machine or what, but the Orlando Brewing Company is one windy place (see picture). As you can also tell from the picture, the beers of the of Orlando Brew Co. seem to make your teeth whiter. If you find yourself stuck in Land of the Mouse and feel the need to escape to a real place for a beer, then the Orlando Brew Co. is the place I would recommend. Just watch out for the Disney traffic on the way back to Tampa.