You Know Where to Find 'Em: Ten 10 Brewing, Orlando

Taking flight at Ten10 Brewing Company, Orlando

Usually when I find myself in or around Orlando, it's on I-4 during a roadtrip to Tampa. A couple of weeks ago, however, with Stadium rock concert tickets in hand, I made some time to do a bit more in Orlando -- translation: brewery visits!  One brewery that had been on my "list" for a while was Ten10 Brewing Company. 









The brewery is located just east of I-4 about a mile north of downtown Orlando in a district known as Mills50, an urban area with a neighborhood feel, dotted with shops, restaurants, markets and arts. And, you'll be able to find the brewery and remember its location fairly easily, because its home is 1010 Virginia Drive. 

Ten 10 at 1010...

The brewery is located streetside along a sidewalk, and the exterior has a storefront look with a few large picture windows. Inside, the 3.5-barrel brewhouse occupies one side, with the bar/dining area on the other. It's a sizeable and comfortable space, with a casual atmosphere perfect for enjoying your local brew! 

Wraparound wood bar with metal top ...

and tables, booths. Plenty of seating and space to move around.

The bartender during my visit was none other than co-owner Mike Wallace, whom I had met previously at a beerfest (or two), along with other Ten 10 crew. Turns out that Mike has an interesting background, having worked in a pharmacy lab, then for a beer distributor, and as a rep for a regional brewery, before doing what he really wanted to do -- open a brewery! 

Because I thought the beerfest beers were pretty solid, I was looking forward to sampling more of them in-house. The photo above shows the beer flight that Mike poured: Antillia Golden Ale (5.2 ABV, 20 IBU), Black Bombers in the Night Schwarzbier (5 ABV, 15 IBU), Havakow Milk Stout (5.5 ABV, 15 IBU), and East-West IPA (7 ABV, 60 IBU). 

The Golden Ale is a pleasant, lighter, slightly sweet beer with a bready/malty character that could easily be a go-to beer. If you're looking for a medal-winner, look at the Schwarzbier, which won a Silver at BFBC (Best Florida Beer Championships) earlier this year. It's not a style that's often brewed, and I always order one when I see it. I loved this beer: malty with a roasty (not bitter) and caramel flavor -- easy to see why it earned a medal! Another must-try is one of the brewery's core beers, the Havakow Milk Stout. I'm always on the lookout for a good stout, and this one is right up there. It's roasty with just the right amount of sweetness, not bitter.  Maybe the most noticeable quality is that it doesn’t have either a strong coffee or chocolate presence or other added flavors, and it’s a delight. Rounding out the flight was the East-West IPA, the brewery’s best-selling core beer. While it has a pronounced citrus and floral hops presence and a moderately bitter finish, it still drinks pretty easy, and its popularity isn't a surprise.

The brewery brews a wide range of beer styles. The tap room offers 12 taps, and in addition to those mentioned above,  drafts included a farmhouse ale, smoked wheat beer, Belgian Wit, pale ale, Imperial Milk Stout, and several barrel-aged varieties, including a double oatmeal stout, imperial stout and pineapple pale ale. Of course, you can take some of those beers home with you in growlers. 

Although it wasn’t available on this particular day, you might also find the popular and flavorful "Chronologically Mismanaged" Red Ale, which is brewed with a local coffee. I can attest to this one, as I had it at Beer Camp in Tampa in June!

Photo by Ten 10 Brewing

CCB-Ten10 Collab in the works...

There was some excitement going on in the brewery during the day of my visit (other than me), as Andre from Cigar City Brewing was in the (brew)house collaborating on a new brew, the first Ten10-CCB collab, which should be released at both breweries within a couple of weeks or so. While the name of the beer is still in the works, Mike revealed that it will be a "big" beer coming in at around 11%. Stay tuned for that announcement. 

The brewery celebrated its First Anniversary on July 23, with a party and bottle release of its Weary Beast Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout (11%). With all the different beers that the crew brews here, it looks like these guys are well on their way, and they'll be filling their six fermenters with more and more different beers going foward. There's already quite a lengthy list on the Untappd app.

Happy Anniversary!

On Sunday mornings, the tap room's Donuts & Beer feature provides an alternative to brunch. And, if you need to work off some of those calories, there's a brewery run club that meets on Tuesday evenings. If late nights are your thing, and you're looking for that last beer before you call it a night, stop by between 10:10-10:20pm for 1/2 off drafts. Don't worry, there's a regular Happy Hour, too, on Tuesday-Thursday, 6-8pm. 

The brewery has you covered in case you get hungry, too. The onsite kitchen offers cheese and deli appetizers, deli sandwiches, and "pitzas" (pita pizzas). 


It was pretty cool hanging out here, sampling beers and talking to Mike, and I'm glad I finally made the visit.  But, alas, there was something about a concert that made me head out the door -- not before I got a growler of that award-winning Schwarzbier to go, though. 

Good stuff in the glass!

Ten 10 Brewing is open every day at 11:30am. Parking is available streetside or in a small lot at the back of the brewery. If you're exploring the ever-growing beer scene around the Orlando area, check this place out! Just remember the name, and let your maps app do the rest. 

I always enjoy exploring breweries wherever I go, and it's even better when I know I'll go back!  I'm looking forward to seeing more of Ten 10 Brewing at beerfests and, of course, during another visit! 

Be sure to take a look at the BeerSphere and Tap This pages right here on the Brewnymph.com site, because Fall BeerFest season is just about here, and you need to be making your travel plans!  And, there are a few more big events going on before we say goodbye to Summer, so check 'em out!  I'll see you out and about around Florida somewhere ....

Cheers!

Til next time,

Linda

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