PH3’s Craft Brewery Tour: Crooked Can Brewing Company

Social Brewery Tours

Golf Carts, Dogs, & Oak Tree Canopies

There are a few things you’ll notice about the local flavor during a happy hour at Crooked Can Brewing Company. There are almost as many golf carts as cars that cruise by down Plant Street. The oak tree canopy provides a shady place for the mix of locals and beer-loving day trippers who seek a more relaxed pace from the theme parks and tourist traps located roughly 20 minutes away.

Winter Garden’s downtown historic district is home to the largest brewery and taproom venue in Central Florida. Crooked Can Brewing Company is located within Plant St. Market, a 20,000 square foot building the brewery built and owns. Crooked Can Brewing has contributed to the growth of the city’s development both as a destination and by renting out space in their market to 20 local vendors who care as much about their craft as the brewery does about their beer.

Jared Czachorowski, Andrew Sheeter, and Robert Scott opened the brewery and the market to the public in 2014. Crooked Can has quickly transformed into a popular watering hole that serves as a welcoming place for family, dogs, and friends to gather. The taproom embraces a laid back, free spirit atmosphere, and has become the commercial anchor of historic downtown Winter Garden.

Crooked Can makes a convincing case for themselves at the top of the list for breweries in Central Florida. Which makes sense knowing they took home the title “Best Local Brewery of 2018” across the board for the second year running. Now, let’s find out why.

PH3 Top Brews

Crooked Can’s beer flights get served in an iron wire, turn of the century style model airplane—a fitting detail that complements the near Vaudeville aesthetic throughout the brewery’s branding. After a long-anticipated trip to Crooked Can, here are our favorite beers:

A-YUH // New England IPA, 6% ABV
New England IPAs kicked off the cloudy beer trend. It’s become an increasingly popular style in recent years as more beer drinkers gravitate to the hazy body. The right amount of bitterness blends perfectly with the sweet and almost tropical aroma. The A-YUH brew is a true standout from the trend that passes both the eye test and the taste test. This beer may not pair perfectly with “chowdah,” but the regional name and spot-on style still beg for the accent.

Axum Coffee Chocolate Stout // Stout, 5.7% ABV
Beer, chocolate, and coffee all in one glass? Crooked Can, you know you make me wanna stout! Now, if you blindfolded someone and asked them to take a whiff of this beer, they may think it’s cold brew. This coffee-forward stout has a lighter body than most coffee stouts, but that “thinness” really adds to the drinkability. This beer has all the upsides of the freshest cup of coffee, and the freshest glass of beer. That’s due largely in part to the quality of the beans from Crooked Can’s neighbor, Axum Coffee.

Axum Coffee is a Winter Garden staple and a destination favorite of celebrity chef Alton Brown, which makes collaborating on this beer a no-brainer. Not only is Axum Coffee responsible for some of the best coffee beans to ever hit Central Florida, but they are also driven by a mission to do good. Specifically, Axum’s profits go to providing clean water, medical support, and housing for thousands of orphans in the Ethiopian city of Axum.

McStagger // Imperial IPA, 9.0% ABV
McStagger is a Double IPA done right by those who seek a taste that’s true to the style. The piney hops meet you on the front end in a way that’s both refreshing and assertive. It’s the bitterness on the backend that leaves your mouth watering for more. The introduction to fruitiness quickly followed by a robust and smooth blend of maltiness to finish it off. This beer is sure to make you as hoppy as the flowers that make the beer.

A Foodie & Beer Lover’s Haven

Plant St. Market is an all-encompassing haven for foodies and beer lovers alike. The market has over 20 vendors including BBQ, sushi, a butcher’s deli, a coal-fired pizza spot, Axum Coffee, donuts, juice bar, a chocolatier, an oxygen bar and much more!

Apart from Crooked Can’s main taproom and marketplace, Plant St. Market also offers a 2000 SQ FT event space called the Barrel Room that’s located on the north end of the patio. This industrial space is perfect for private events for anyone who values quality brews and food.

Crooked Can is a destination worth the trip to Winter Garden, and is a great place to spend a cool and relaxing Saturday afternoon.