Brewery 7: Fat Point Brewing, Punta Gorda, FL

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Brewery seven on the 2015 Florida Brewery tour is Fat Point Brewing. Fat Point Brewing opened in early 2015 and is located in Punta Gorda FL. I must admit that at first I didn’t make the connection between the name of the brewery and the location. I just figured the name held some significance to the owners. But while sitting in the tasting room sipping a Fat Point brew, I finally figured it out. Which just goes to show you that good beer can help get the mind working.

Fat Point Brewing

Fat Point Brewing

Jill and I visited just a couple of weeks after their grand opening and everything, from the parking lot to the stainless steel inside, looked brand new. Outside, in a very nice looking ‘beer garden’ (complete with a bocce ball area) , the wooden Adirondack chairs didn’t even look weathered. Right now Fat Point has been nominated for the beachiest looking beer garden. I really like the wooden ‘shelves’ around the palm trees to place your beer.

Fat Point's very 'Beachin' tasting garden

Fat Point’s very ‘Beachin’ tasting garden

Fat Point had about 6-7 taps of their own beer when we visited. A pretty wide range in styles so everyone should be able to find something to suit their tastes. I went with the Chorange Stout (5.2%), while Jill selected the Jimmy Hoppa (9.2%), a double IPA. Told you she is a hophead. The Chorange Stout is a milk stout with cocoa nibs and orange peel added. I couldn’t really taste the cocoa or orange but I was also just getting over allergy issues which meant I still had lots of congestion so I’m not blaming the beer. Jill, who was not fighting allergies, found the Jimmy Hoppa full of hop goodness. And I love the name of that beer, Jimmy Hoppa. Hopefully they will make this in large quantities so it will be easier to find. I can already imagine calling my favorite beer store and asking if they have, or have seen, Jimmy Hoppa.

Chorange Stout

Chorange Stout

*The name “Punta Gorda” has been on maps at least since 1851, referring to a point of land that juts into Charlotte Harbor, an estuary off the Gulf of Mexico. In English it means Point Fat, or Fat Point. However, the settlement wasn’t always called that. In 1884 the area was settled by Colonel Isaac Trabue and the ensuing settlement was named the Town of Trabue. Trabue got into a bit of trouble with the locals (trabue trouble..kinda of catchy) and when the town was officially incorporated in 1887 the name was changed back to the name that most people called the area,  Punta Gorda. So for you folks keeping track at home, Daytona was named to honor their founding businessman, while Punta Gorda was renamed to not honor their founding father. Oh those fickled Floridians of the 1800s.

In 1905 most of downtown Punta Gorda was destroyed by a fire. In 2004, Punta Gorda was extensively damaged by Hurricane Charley. Seems like every 99 years something bad happens. Keep an eye out for 2103.

Fat Point Brewing
611 Charlotte St
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
http://www.fatpoint.com/


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