Top Craft Breweries to Visit in Sarasota and Beyond

Here is an overview of the craft beer scene around Sarasota, Florida (including neighboring Bradenton, Venice and Lakewood Ranch). The original list is as of the beginning of 2025.

IN TOWN:

Calusa Brewing: This deserves to be listed first as it’s one of Sarasota’s best and my favorite. The newer location on McIntosh also hosts a great restaurant (Pigfish), and they have a great variety of beers, with usually 15-20 on tap.

• What do we like most: The always changing rotation of Hazy IPAs. I don’t think I ever had one I didn’t like. Citronious, Zote, Cosmic Thought, Bones & Domino, Tropical Orca, Zero Zero, they’re all amazing. It’s also great that they can most of their beers.

Big Top Fruitville: The new location on Fruitville is amazing. It’s a big outdoor playground, with a huge bar, corn hole, comfy lounge chairs, couches, restaurant tables and a big turfed surface. Oh and the food is outstanding!

• What do we like most: Their beers don’t change that often, but the regular staples like Circus City, Hazy High Wire or Wellyz are good on any day, plus they rotate many special releases.

Big Top Live: I also like this older location on Cattleman, the outdoor beach-like area with the stage where you’ll always hear entertaining performers. It’s smaller and cozier than the new one on Fruitville.

• What do we like most: The atmosphere, the music, the friendly bartenders, the IPAs, the stouts, the Hawaiian Lion.

Brew Life: Located on Clark Rd, this is one of the most underrated breweries in town. It’s small, with a neighborhood bar vibe where everybody knows each other. Recently they added a Filipino kitchen.

• What do we like most: The Pink Guava and the other hazy IPAs, as well as the Dude! series of ambers.

Sun King: This offshoot of a big Indiana brewery has pretty good beers, but not the best location off 12th St, and they don’t always have food trucks available. Would be an awesome place if it were located somewhere else.

• What do we like most: The Sunlight Cream Ales, the Wee Mac Scottish Ale, and the variety of IPAs which seem to be a mix of locally-brewed and Indiana-brewed.

SOUTH and VENICE:

Back Porch Brewing: One of the newer additions to the local scene, near Exit 195, is a friendly place for locals, and the head brewer is an expert in IPAs, never had a miss on those! Recently they also added a panini kitchen.

• What we like most: Any hazy IPA or pale ale they release, and there’s always at least 5-6 to choose from. Even the pilsners are good, as well as their series of coffee stouts.

3 Bridges Brewing: Located on Route 41 in Venice, the new location is really hopping as a brewery / restaurant. Fun outdoor covered patio with games for the kids, it always has plenty of good beers to choose from.

• What we like most: Mainly the location, and since I don’t get there too often there’s always plenty of new beers to make up a flight, even two sometimes.

LAKEWOOD RANCH:

Big Top Brewers Collective: It’s their 3rd location, up on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, and it also has a very friendly vibe. Same beers as the other 2 places.

• What we like most: Since this used to be a Belgian brewery before, I have to go with Trecouche and Summer in Bruges.

Good Liquid Brewing: It turned more into a restaurant than a brewery, and the food is very good, but nothing beats the patio views, across the big pond at Waterside. Try to be there at sunset and you won’t regret it!

• What we like most: The views, the food, the lighter IPAs and the distillery across the street.

Inner Compass: This is one of the newest addition to the area, having opened summer of 2024. It’s also more of a restaurant than just a brewery, but there own beers are pretty good. Big outdoor area by the lake is fun for families.

• What we liked most: The setting is really cool.Their IPAs are quite good, as is the basic bar food menu.

BRADENTON:

Motorworks: It’s one of our family’s favorites, due to its amazing outdoor setting under the big oak tree, the live music, the variety of beers, food trucks, and it’s also very kids friendly.

• What we like most: The overall atmosphere, the summery Pulp Friction, their experiments with spicy beers, the rotating IPAs, and the fact that they have something for everyone: lagers, porters, wheats, stouts, marzens, etc.

3 Keys Brewing: Quite hidden on Route 64 going into Bradenton, this is quite a fun place, that includes pretty good food, a nice biergarten and frequent live music.

• What we like most: The food and friendly atmosphere are a plus, but I liked their IPA selection. I’ve only been there twice so I don’t have too many impressions yet.