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Spending time in Fort Lauderdale? Then you can’t miss an opportunity to experience Flagler Village Brewery!

We had a few hours to kill while we were waiting for our flight back from our Bahamas cruise. So what did we do? Visited a local craft brewery, of course!

We drove past it a few times because the outside sign says The Brass Tap. Flagler Village Brewery is on the second floor of The Brass Tap, which you really have to know. The Brass Tap is the brewpub that serves beer from Flagler Village as well as other local breweries. Because this is a full-service facility, the bar features not only their beer, but local beers and cocktails and wines.

I’ve never been a fan of brewpubs. I like the food truck model because it allows for a variety of food to be offered, and each food truck specializes in whatever they make. My complaint about brewpubs is that the ones I have visited tend to have neither good food nor good beer because they spread their focus too thin.

Flagler Village is unlike other brewpubs because they started with a different premise – they understood that if they provided great food, people would come for their great beer. As soon as we walked up, we met John, who was their General Manager and Executive Chef. We also met Nate Connor, the Director of Operations. Although they opened in 2015, they just underwent some renovations and changes in management styles.

The Food

When people go to a brewery, they go for the great beer. But at Flagler Village, people come for the food as well. Flagler offers great food deals every day. For example, on Monday, when we were there, their lunch special was a burger for $5 (half-price from $10). We were there at lunchtime, so several people were not drinking. They gave a hearty thumbs-up for the burgers and mentioned they would return after work to enjoy a beer. That’s a loyal customer base.

There are lots of seating areas to enjoy your delicious food!

Other specials include Taco Tuesday, 10 Wings & a Pint Wednesday for $10, Saturdays for ribs, and Sundays the start of $14 bottomless mimosas, bloody marys and beermosas.

The menu is extensive, featuring salads, sandwiches and prime burgers. They even have desserts.

We had just eaten lunch before coming, but we tried the pepperjack mac and cheese at our bartender’s recommendation. OMG, was it delicious! If you come, I would recommend both the mac and cheese and the burgers.

The Beers

Now that’s a working brewery!

As usual, we ordered our usual flights. We tried:

Ft. Lager Ale – An American pilsner with a 5% ABV.

Very Berry Shandy – Your typical fruit beer with a 4.5 ABV.

Mama (Legacy) – Blueberry Wheat from another local brewery with a 4.8% ABV and 11 IBU.

Floridian Hefeweizen (Funky Buddha Brewery) – It’s a Hefeweizen, so are we surprised that this was my favorite? With a 5.2 ABV and a 12 IBU, this was going down so smoothly! This brewery is located in Oakland Park, Florida, so it is on my list to be visited in the future!

Imperial Bean Dream – An American Imperial/Double with a 12% ABV. This was their newest on tap, and they hadn’t had a chance to mellow yet.

Paan Wala (J. Wakefield Brewing) is a saison/farmhouse ale with a 7% ABV.

Out of Your Element – American IPA with a 6.7% ABV.

Chocolate Love – American Double/Imperial Stout with an 11.2% ABV.

Unfortunately for me, most of the beers made by Flagler Village Brewery were very hoppy or strong, leaning towards IPA and stouts, neither of which are my preferred styles. But with the availability of beers from other local breweries, there is something to please everyone in a group.

Everything Else

This brewery has made an effort to upgrade its facility. Because it was so hot outside, they installed active louvres on the patio to adjust how much sun came onto the seating area. I would go as far as to say that the outside area is swanky.

Kids are welcome to join their families at Flagler Village. This is the first time I’ve seen high chairs available in a brewery. There is a play area outside between the brewery and Mellow Mushroom. I didn’t see a selection of games to be used by patrons like at a lot of places, but the outside area did have cornhole boards and a giant Jenga. Dogs are welcome outside. In other words, I would have no concerns about bringing any children or dogs to this brewery.

The Wi-Fi was available but not strong. The purse hooks under the bar that I’ve come to expect were there and appreciated.

Every brewery has special events. This place offers poker nights on Wednesdays.

Check out their Facebook page for more event listings and what else they offer: Flagler Village Brewery.

Overall, I was impressed with Flagler Village Brewing, even if the available beer wasn’t my favorite. Flagler has something to offer everyone, which is what you want when picking a meeting or hangout spot.