Ok, today I want to talk about Arkane Aleworks in Largo, Florida. We stumbled on to this brewery if you will. We actually had plans on visiting Big Storm Brewing Company, but that was quickly changed when I was disappointed at the poor customer service at Big Storm (I will let you know my thoughts on Big Storm another time). So once the plans fell through, my wife was looking for a place we could go, on that was kid friendly and had food. So we simply Googled breweries in that area and this Arkane Aleworks popped up. So off we went.
It is located in a strip mall with a decent size store front, but it looked dark and uninviting at first. We wondered inside to find a large seating area with a large bar and many taps visible, out back was the production area. A decent crowd was already in there, but it wasn’t crazy yet. At first glance this darker seating area and bar did not look promising. My wife and kids found a table away from the crowd, and we did not see any food menus. Things were not looking good, or so we thought. I went up to the bar and looked at their beer menu, they had a great selection of Sours, Stouts and IPAs. I decided on my beers and ordered a flight. The bar tender said I should try a sour called Gimme Swelter. I ordered that one and 3 more to go with my first flight. I asked the bartender if they offered food, she told me that they do not serve food, but that there is a hot dog cart out back that serves the brewery and an outdoor seating area. Still slightly skeptical, I told my wife to bring the kids outside and check out the hot dog cart.
I made my way outside, noticing that the crowds inside were getting much bigger in only about the 10 minutes that we had been there. So far even with a somewhat odd vibe initially, people were really friendly, crowds were getting big, but not loud and obnoxious. I set my beer flight down and ordered some hot dogs. The kids had already dug into eating. The lady who owned and tended to the hot dog cart was so nice, and it wasn’t much money at all. So I grabbed my dogs and sat down. From there on out, I will say that Arkane Aleworks, almost instantly, became one of my all time favorite breweries and beer adventure!
I took the first sip of the Gimme Swelter, it was nothing short of a religious experience!! The gates of heaven opened up with angels flying out of the taster glass! Seriously! To date I cannot compare this beer to any others in the sour category, it stands on top by itself. I took a bit of my hot dog, and again a religious experience! By far one of the best hot dogs I have ever had! People took notice of our satisfaction of the hot dogs, next thing I know I see a line 30 people long waiting to order hot dogs from this cart! The poor women had no help, and had to get someone to get more supplies for her because she was running out of food! But she smiled and kept going. Unfortunately I lost the picture I had of the cart and cannot remember what it was called. From here on out, every beer I tasted from them was outstanding! I tried 8 beers while I was there, I have listed them below in the order I tried them with a rating of 1-5, 5 being the best.
The atmosphere from there just kept getting better, outdoor games for kids and adults, the food was amazing, and the beer was well….out of this world! I noticed while I was getting my second flight of beer that they proudly displayed awards for best brewery in Florida for a couple years in a row. Rightfully so, they were outstanding! Unfortunately, we were not able to stay there longer. I will make my way back there eventually, but for now I just have the memory of an outstanding adventure! It really goes to show that you cannot “judge a book by it’s cover”. You really never know were your adventure will take you, sometimes life will guide to just the right spot at just the right time. So if you are in the Tampa Bay Florida area, put this on your list of places to visit, you won’t regret it! So remember, go have an adventure and try new things!! Please Drink Responsibly. I have provided the address and contact information I got from Google below, as well as the list of beers I tried while I was there, enjoy!
Arkane Aleworks
2480 E Bay Dr. #23
Largo, Florida 33771
727-270-7117
Beers I have tried from Arkane Aleworks:
Gimme Swelter-Sour/Berliner Weisse-5
Desert Eagle (Fluffer)-Imperial Stout-5
If I Brut the World-Brut IPA-4.5
Irish Wristwatch-Irish Red Ale-4
Tramp Stamp-Blonde Ale-4
Imaginary Butterflies-Sour-4.75
Wandering Star-Milk/Sweet Stout-4.5
Hopsterical-American IPA-4
