List of breweries in Florida
| Company type | Regional brewery |
|---|---|
| Industry | Brewing |
| Founded | 1896 |
| Fate | Ceased brewing in 1961 |
| Headquarters | Tampa , United States |
The U.S. state of Florida is home to more than 250 breweries. The inaugural brewery in the state, Florida Brewing Company, was established in 1896. Up until the 1950s, mid-sized regional breweries were the primary players before national macrobreweries began setting up local operations. From the 1980s onward, particularly following legislative reforms in 2001, Florida has experienced notable expansion in both brewpub establishments and craft breweries.
Laws and definitions
Florida’s licensing framework differentiates between two categories of breweries: brewpubs, which produce beer in limited quantities mainly for consumption on their premises, and production breweries that distribute their products offsite. The state permits production breweries to maintain taprooms, and some brewpubs also engage in external distribution. A mandated three-tier distribution system requires breweries to sell to distributors, who then supply retailers.
According to the Brewers Association, breweries operating in Florida are categorized as craft (independently owned, producing under 6 million barrels annually), primarily microbreweries (under 15,000 barrels), regional (between 15,000 and 6 million barrels), and macrobreweries (exceeding 6 million barrels).
History
The first brewery in Florida was Tampa’s Florida Brewing Company, founded in 1896. Another significant regional brewery was Jax Brewing Company, which began operations in Jacksonville in 1913. Both ceased brewing during Prohibition and resumed afterward. Additional regional breweries appeared following Prohibition’s end.
Starting in the 1950s, Florida’s regional breweries declined as national breweries established local plants: for example, Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company inaugurated a brewery in Tampa in 1958 (now under D. G. Yuengling & Son ownership), while Anheuser-Busch opened facilities in Tampa (1959) and Jacksonville (1969).
During the microbrewery surge of the 1980s and 1990s, brewpubs emerged but were constrained by state laws limiting container sizes favored by craft brewers. Reforms enacted under Governor Jeb Bush in 2001 relaxed these restrictions, resulting in substantial growth from approximately 2005 onward. By 2016, Florida boasted 151 craft breweries—ranking eleventh nationwide but forty-third on a per capita basis—producing over 1.2 million barrels annually with an economic impact surpassing $2 million.
Breweries
... [rest of table continues unchanged]| Name | City | County | Opened | Type | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Daughters Brewing | St. Petersburg | Pinellas | 2012 | Craft brewery | ||
| 3 Keys Brewing & Eatery | Bradenton | Manatee | 2016 | Brewpub | ||
| 3 Sons Brewing Co. | Dania | Broward | 2016 | Craft brewery | ||
| 7venth Sun Brewery | Dunedin (original) Tampa (second location) |
Pinellas (original) Hillsborough (second) |
2012 (original) | Craft brewery | ||
| 81Bay Brewing | Tampa | Hillsborough | 2016 | Craft brewery | ||
| Aardwolf Brewing Company | Jacksonville | Duval | 2013 | Craft brewery | ||
| Alligator Brewing Company | Gainesville | Alachua | 2011 | Brewpub | Operates as the brewing arm of Tall Paul's Brew House. | |
| American Icon Brewery | Vero Beach | Indian River | 2017 | Brewpub | Situated within the historic Vero Beach Diesel Power Plant; opened November 2017. | |
| Ancient City Brewing | St. Augustine | St. Johns | 2015 | Craft brewery | Occupies former Mile Marker Brewing site. | |
| Angry Chair Brewing | Tampa | Hillsborough | 2014 | Craft brewery | ||
| Anheuser-Busch Brewery | Jacksonville | Duval | 1969 | Macrobrewery | Owned by Anheuser-Busch Inbev; recognized as Florida's largest and longest-operating continuous brewery. | |
| Arkane Aleworks | Largo | Pinellas | 2016 | Craft brewery | ||
| Bangin' Banjo Brewing | Pompano Beach | Broward | 2015 | Craft brewery | ||
| Barley Mow Brewing Co. | Largo | Pinellas | 2011 | Craft brewery | Closed in 2018; merged with The Raven Brewery | |
| Barrel of Monks Brewing | Boca Raton | Palm Beach | 2015 | Craft brewery | ||
| BarrieHaus Beer Co | Tampa | Hillsborough | 2019 | Craft brewery | Lager house located in Ybor City. | |
| Big Bear Brewing Company | Coral Springs | Broward | 1997 | Brewpub | ||
| Big River Grille & Brewing Works | Lake Buena Vista | Orange | 1996 | Brewpub | Owned by CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries; situated at Disney's BoardWalk Resort. | |
| Big Storm Brewing Co. | Multiple locations including Odessa (original), Clearwater and Cape Coral; established from 2012 onward. | Multiple counties including Pasco and Pinellas. | Craft brewery | |||
| Big Top Brewing Company | Sarasota (initial), Gainesville and Pensacola locations since 2013 and subsequent years. | Multiple counties including Sarasota and Alachua. | Craft brewery |
Closed breweries
| Name | City | County | Opened | Closed | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1A Aleworks | St. Augustine | St. Johns | 1995 | 2017 | Brewpub | Operated under CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries. Brewing operations ceased in 2017; dining establishment remains active. |
| American Brewing Company (Regal Brewery) | Miami | Miami-Dade | 1939 | 1974 | Brewery | Initially opened as Wagner Brewing in 1934; became American Brewing in 1939; later owned by Anheuser-Busch (1958) and National Brewing (1961) before shutting down. |
| Anheuser-Busch Brewery | Tampa | Hillsborough | 1959 | 1995 | Macrobrewery | Included Busch Gardens Tampa, the forerunner of the current theme park. |
| Atlantic Brewing Company | Orlando | Orange | 1937 | 1954 | Regional brewery | Premises later occupied by Marlin Brewing Company. |
| DeSoto Brewing Company | Tampa | Hillsborough | 1934 | 1936 | Regional brewery | |
| Flamingo Brewing Company | Miami | Miami-Dade | 1933 | 1935 | Regional brewery | Recognized as Miami's inaugural brewery. |
| Florida Avenue Brewing Company | Tampa | Hillsborough | 2010 | 2015 | Craft brewery | Formerly known as Cold Storage Craft Brewery; later acquired by Brew Bus Brewing. |
| Florida Brewing Company | Tampa | Hillsborough | 1896 | 1961 | Regional brewery | The state's earliest brewery; renamed Tampa Florida Brewery in 1933. Its facility is a historic landmark in Tampa's Ybor City district. |
| Gold Top Brewing Company | Hialeah | Miami-Dade | 1936 | 1937 | Regional brewery | Followed Miami and Hialeah Brewing Companies. |
| Gould Brewing Company | West Palm Beach | Palm Beach | 1936 | 1938 | Regional brewery | Took over from Sunshine Brewery; subsequently acquired by Tuna Brewery. |
| Hialeah Brewing Company | Hialeah | Miami-Dade | 1934 | 1934 | Regional brewery | Later purchased by Miami Brewery and then Gold Top Brewing Company. |
| Hops | Clearwater and various locations | Pinellas and others | 1989 | Various | Brewpub chain | Expanded into the largest brewpub chain in the U.S. with over 75 sites in the early 2000s; eventually declared bankruptcy and shuttered most outlets. |
| Jax Brewing Company | Jacksonville | Duval | 1913 | 1956 | Regional brewery | Jacksonville’s pioneering brewery; originally Jacksonville Brewing Company; sold naming rights to Jackson Brewery upon closure. |
| Lagniappe Brewing Company | Minneola | Lake | 2009 | 2014 | Craft brewery | |
| Marlin Brewing Company | Orlando | Orange | 1954 | 1956 | Regional brewery | Functioned within the former Atlantic Brewing premises. |
| Miami Brewing Company | Hialeah | Miami-Dade | 1934 | 1936 | Regional brewery | Followed Hialeah Brewing; subsequently acquired by Gold Top Brewing. |
| Miami Brewing Company | Miami | Miami-Dade | 1996 | 2005 | Brewery | Purchased by Florida Beer Company, which continued its product lines. |
| Mile Marker Brewing | St. Augustine | St. Johns | 2011 | 2014 | Craft brewery | Location later became Ancient City Brewing in 2015. |
| Southend Brewing Company | Jacksonville | Duval | 1999 | 2005 | Brewpub | Situated at Jacksonville Landing; replaced by Copper Cellar Grille and Tavern (2005–2007). |
| Southern Brewing Company | Tampa | Hillsborough | 1934 | 1963 | Regional brewery | Sold to International Breweries in 1959. |
| Spearman Brewing Company | Pensacola | Escambia | 1933 | 1964 | Regional brewery | Acquired by International Breweries in 1959. |
| Sunshine Brewery | West Palm Beach | Palm Beach | 1934 | 1936 | Regional brewery | Later purchased by Gould and Tuna Breweries. |
| Three Palms Brewing | Tampa | Hillsborough | 2012 | 2015 | Craft brewery | |
| Tuna Brewing Company | West Palm Beach | Palm Beach | 1938 | 1939 | Regional brewery | Successor to Gould and Sunshine Breweries. |
| Ybor City Brewing Company | Tampa | Hillsborough | 1994 | 2003 | Craft brewery | Recognized as Tampa’s first craft brewery; brand acquired by Florida Beer Company, which continues production. |