Grayton Beer Co. Review
Tucked away in an industrial park off of highway 98 in the famed 30A area of Santa Rosa County Florida, you’ll find what is arguably one of the most recognizable breweries on the Emerald Coast. Grayton Beer Company leverages its massive 30,000 square foot facility to distribute the ever popular 30A blonde, 30A Rose` Gose and 30A IPA across much of the south and beyond. 30A blonde has been the local beach beer favorite for some time now with its easy drinking, crisp taste melding perfectly with the sugar sands of the panhandle beaches. But what treasures can be found hiding from the masses in their taproom?
This would oddly enough be my first visit to the Grayton Beer Co. taproom, despite living less then 30 miles away. I’ve sampled their wares in several local restaurants over the years, but until today have never found the chance to actually sit down at their taproom bar. As mentioned before, the facility is a massive warehouse, with a spacious taproom carved out in the center. Ample barrel stave tables and chairs fill the space between the bar and stage, with the backdrop comprised of aging barrels and fermenting tanks. Impeccably clean, even down to the smell, as I could barely detect the typical odor associated with fermentation. The wife at my side, we saddled up to the large “L” shaped bar and ordered a flight of 5 brews from the 23 taps. It was time to let the treasure hunt begin.
- Honey Peach Mexican Lager: Peach forward with a slight bitter finish. Definitely a flavored lager as stated. Light and easy to drink, but I would not order again.
- Ginger Lime Gose: Tart, ginger forward and very light. This drinks easy and should be another of their beach staples. Rim the glass with salt and throw in a lime wedge and you have a great ready-made beertail.
- Ocean Billy Brown Ale: A solid brown, malty with coffee notes. Easy on the front and the finish.
- Belgian Duppel: I’m a sucker for duppels and this one did not disappoint. Our favorite taste of the five, this was everything a duppel should be. Ripe banana, spicy and full of dried fruits.
- French Saison: A close second behind the dupple, the French Saison was a complex blend of light, spicy and the right amount of fruity with a dry finish.
Once again, I did not partake of the IPAs. If you’ve read my other reviews, you already know that I’m not a fan of IPAs. If you love them, you’re going to have to go and sample for yourself. I do need to plan a return trip myself and sample some of the other offerings as I can only taste so many brews in a single day and not have some opinions bleed into one another. But we will definitely be returning soon with four of the five brews we tasted being absolute order-again rated. I would go back for the Duppel alone.
That’s a wrap on the Grayton Beer Company review, at least until we make another visit. If you find yourself in the 30A area and need to escape the palm-lined, over-priced, seaside madness; then take a trip across highway 98 and discover a new favorite beer or two. In fact, you can make a day out of the adventure, because just around the corner from the Grayton Beer Company taproom you’ll find two more libation stations, but I’ll get into them in future posts.
- Outdoor seating: No
- Kid Friendly: Yes. They have arcade games and board games.
- Dog Friendly: Yes. Pups are welcome.
- Live music: Yes. Select event dates
- Events: Yes. Trivia and other such events on select dates.
- Food: Food Trucks
