Pull Up a Chair and Park It Here: Persimmon Hollow Brewing

DeLand?  About the only thing I knew about DeLand, Florida is that there's a road sign on I-95 around Daytona Beach pointing to DeLand: somewhere between Orlando and Daytona.  So, I consulted Wikipedia and learned a little bit about this city: county seat of Volusia County, home to a number of 19th century historic buildings, and site of Stetson University, Florida's oldest private college.  OK, pretty informative stuff.  Last Saturday, I decided to take a little ride to check out Persimmon Hollow Brewing Company.  





The drive on US92 from I-95 eventually takes you through downtown DeLand, which is a quaint main street lined with a variety of storefronts and outdoor eating establishments.  A right turn on Georgia Ave., and you're there. From the minute you see this place, you feel "at home," and it fits in nicely with the feel of the historic and downtown area.

This used to be a parking garage/warehouse, in a building that's over 100 years old.  Walk through that big bay door, and you are inside a big, open warehouse space, with large "dining room"-type tables and chairs, a few TVs, a pool table, dart board and "Golden Tee" game.  A bar awaits in the corner, and through a glass panel is the 15-barrel brewhouse and fermenters. 

The big picture...from the Persimmon Hollow website

There's even a china cabinet

Eight Persimmon Hollow beers were on tap, along with four guest taps.  Want to try a few? Flight of four, please.

Left to right: Paddle Wheeler Red, Parachute Pale Ale
BBQ Butt Stuff, Daytona Dirty Blonde

Paddle Wheeler Red (5.5 ABV, 20.8 IBU): Aroma is like that of a hard candy, a little sweet. Nice, deep color.  I detected some toffee/caramel notes.  Good hoppiness.  

Parachute Pale Ale (5.5 ABV, IBU unknown): A bit darker than I expected for a Pale Ale, but a very good flavor. 

BBQ Butt Stuff Brown Ale (6 ABV, IBU unknown): Brown/dark amber, with smoky aroma (as you'd expect).  Yeah, this one is a smoky beer - very smoky.  I don't have too many smoky brews, so this one took a little getting used to.  Try this one for something a bit different.

Daytona Dirty Blonde Ale (5.5 ABV, IBU unknown): Light in color.  Aroma indicates this is a Belgian blonde. It's a nice, lighter beer, and if you like the Belgian style, you will like this one for its refreshing flavor. 

Beach Hippie IPA (7.2 ABV, 51.7 IBU): Although not on my flight, I gave it a try. Aroma of floral and citrus, and it has a stronger finish, but still pretty well balanced.

Other available house beers: Funky Freddie Fitz Belgian Stout (6.5 ABV), Dee-Land White Ale (5.2 ABV), and Sour IPA (7 ABV). Overall, a nice variety of styles.

My favorites?  I liked the Parachute Pale Ale the best, with the IPA coming in next. Growler of Pale Ale made the trip back! (In fact, I'm having one as I write this).

I left the kegs there..

One last thing that I can't leave out.  It's not too often that I take photos of bathrooms, but there's some interesting decor in there:

The ladies' sink

Guys... Oh, I don't know...you caption it

The brewery celebrated its Grand Opening on October 11, 2014. Its beers are in distribution to Central Florida bars and restaurants.  Take home a growler, or two.

Persimmon Hollow is located at 111 W. Georgia Ave. in DeLand.  The tap room is open from Wednesday to Sunday. If you're in or around Orlando or Daytona, check it out.

So, the sun may have set on this visit, but it would be worth a another trip!  

Til next time, enjoy Florida beer!