Ryan F.
Yelp
Visited Cypress & Grove Brewing Company on Saturday afternoon. Went with two Flights to try eight of the beers on the wall.
Quality
Cypress & Grove Brewing Company just felt boring to me. Each of their beers were fine, but in the golden age of beer innovation, creativity is key and I just did not see it. No funky names, no unique additives, and in the end nothing worth trying again. I ordered two Flights, the first with Pumpkin Ale, Dry Stout, Pecan Brown Ale, and 2x2 IPA and the second with American Wheat Ale, Hefeweizen, American Golden Ale, and Porter. My favorite was probably the American Wheat Ale, which balanced fruitiness and bitterness well. The Pecan Brown Ale was interesting as well, but in the end fell too much on the sweet side to be enjoyable in a larger pour. The rest were unremarkable with the Dry Stout being the only beer I truly did not like.
Quantity
Fair pours and an easy to transport holder for your Flight.
Value
Flights are $8 if you stick to the flagship beers or $10 if you select any seasonal or limited release beers.
Ambiance
Cypress & Grove Brewing Company is located in Gainesville. It occupies a relatively large factory building. It was a nice day so they pulled up the garage doors and let a breeze push through the space. For a beat up factory building, the immediate entrance is very nice. They have a beautiful bar front and center, which is surrounded by high-tops and tables. As you walk to the side of the bar, it quickly transforms into work space, with equipment and a musty feel. A few televisions can be found in odd places, but they were showing the top games. In the background alternative rock music played. What I did not understand is why they hadn't utilized the outdoor space more. It seemed like a missed opportunity, though it may be related to permits.
Crowd
There was a small crowd of folks hanging out at the brewery. It seemed like a younger crowd, but that is not too surprising in a college town. Expect to see a lot of Gators gear and quite a few Greek letters. However, don't expect to see any dogs, because they are quite adamant about the no pets policy. I even watched them escort a couple and their pup out.
Service
I had come to just hang out and enjoy some beers, but I still found myself frustrated with how slow this place operates. There were a few people working, but it only seemed like one was actually doing anything. Luckily it was not too busy, because I don't know if they could handle a large crowd.
Parking
They have a very small parking lot, that was made even smaller by the presence of a food truck. Expect to park along the street if it is busy.
Extra
With todays beer culture even in a small town like Gainesville, expectations are high for each and every brewery. Unfortunately Cypress & Grove Brewing Company just did not hit the mark.