The west coast of Central Florida offers an alternative to the crowds of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater if you travel a little north to what has been dubbed Florida’s Nature Coast. You won’t find any theme parks or skyscrapers here – instead the main attraction is Florida’s natural scenery, dotted with springs, rivers, forests, and wildlife. However, our trip this day began (and ended) a little more inland, in the town of Brooksville. Founded in 1856, the town is named for South Carolina congressman Preston Brooks, who is best known for beating abolitionist Charles Sumner on the floor of the Senate in response to an anti-slavery speech, and Brooksville’s claim to fame is an annual blueberry festival. This should give you an indication of what the area is like – Southern and rural.

Food is always necessary to begin any day of traveling and drinking, so our first stop was at a unique hidden gem of a restaurant, Florida Cracker Kitchen. We arrived around 11 AM to hordes of people waiting outside to be seated, but no worries – there’s a taproom next door! Housed in two separate buildings, the restaurant is cozy with a small bar and an enclosed patio, while the taproom features a large wooden bar, open air patio, and store.

 

 

The taproom had a varied selection of Florida craft beers on draft, in addition to some bottles and cans. Todd and I both laughed (and silently cheered) when a woman came in and asked if they had Bud Light, to which the bartender replied, “No ma’am, we’re not that kind of bar.” I did notice a few cans of Miller in the fridge though.

I sampled J Dub’s Passion Wheat and Tomoka Brewing’s Tangerine Weisse, and while I liked both, I opted for the tartness of the Tangerine Weisse, which I would best describe as tasting like slightly sour orange juice. This may sound odd and off putting, but is actually quite delicious, especially paired with the sugar rim it was served with. The sour and sweet flavors contrasted and played off each other well.

Before we knew it, our number for a table was called, and we were escorted to a table on the restaurant’s patio. I was surprised with how quickly we seemed to be seated with the large crowds of people, and also appreciated that a walkie talkie system was used by employees to communicate what number was being called next – this allows you to relax in the taproom without fear of missing out on your table!

Being primarily a breakfast and lunch spot, you have your choice of which menu to order from. The options are what you would generally expect from a restaurant with the term “cracker” in its name – homemade Southern staples. Breakfast features all the classics such as omelettes, pancakes, and French toast, whereas lunch consists mainly of seafood, sandwiches, burgers, and burritos. Todd was excited to see they offered po’ boys, and shocked to discover that I never had one in my pre-vegetarian days. I had been craving pancakes for some time so I made up my mind early on to order those, but the tough decision was electing which kind; I was torn between the Panhandle pecan and the cinnamon sugar, but really all of them sounded good. I ended up going with the cinnamon sugar, which were topped with homemade apple compote. I could tell from the first bite that they were not your average IHOP or Denny’s pancakes. Light, fluffy, and with a great buttermilk flavor, it was obvious they were made from scratch, and the warm apple compote basically melted in my mouth. The restaurant also features its own house-made syrup, which complemented the pancakes perfectly. I also want to note that our waitress later brought out a whole additional bowl of the apple compote because apparently mine didn’t have enough, but I thought they were fine as they were. Thus, my picture may not be an accurate depiction of how much apple compote is normally included.To wash it all down I had a mimosa, which was served once again with a sugar rim.

 

Todd ordered the cowboy burrito, which contains slow cooked beef brisket, eggs, onions, bell peppers, and jack and cheddar cheese, and I believe his exact words after digging in were, “Oh my God, that is the best breakfast burrito I have ever had in my life.” Portion sizes were very generous, as both of us took half of our meals home, and prices were reasonable as well; I don’t think I saw anything above $10 on the menu.

 

 

While waiting on the check, we noticed that the table next to us left their entire tip in $2 bills, which I thought was strange. I couldn’t remember ever seeing that many $2 bills together. As Todd took out his change from our taproom visit, he noticed he had multiple $2 bills. We were perplexed. So as we paid our bill at the register, I asked our waitress why there were so many $2 bills, and she said the owner specially orders them from the bank to “mess” with customers. I found that amusing, and I still have a $2 bill from our change saved in my wallet. It is also important to note that Florida Cracker Kitchen does not accept credit cards, so make sure to bring cash with you.

For the next leg of our journey, we travelled further north to Crystal River, a small town mainly known for its large manatee population, especially during the winter when they flock to the warmer spring waters. However, today we weren’t there to see sea cows, but to do some tastings at Copp Winery and Brewery. As we approached the location, my chauffeur (Todd) kept insisting that we must be going the wrong way, as we traversed down winding neighborhood streets. Alas, the GPS (and myself) were right all along; Copp is located at the end of a residential street in what appears to be a former private home.

 

The interior is quaint and cozy, and you do feel like you are visiting someone’s home. Bookshelves adorned with knickknacks, wine accessories, and of course, books, line the walls, most of which are available for purchase.

 

We learned that Copp was started as a winery and has produced wines for many years, yet has started brewing as well in the past few years. The tasting room also features a small menu of snacks and sandwiches, including various dips, a cheese sampler, and a Reuben, among others. We decided to try the cheesy onion dip with tortilla chips, but soft pretzels were also an accompaniment option (not sure why we didn’t go with that one!). It wasn’t anything fancy, but was still really good.

For wine tastings, Copp gives you three samples for free, and after that you can purchase an additional three for $3. Being a white wine lover, I stayed on that side of the menu and ordered the Great White Chardonnay, the Holiday Hooch, and the Scalloping Sangria. The chardonnay was a typical chardonnay, but the hooch and sangria were something else entirely. The Holiday Hooch is a seasonal white wine with cranberry and apple, and was very sweet. Todd and I both loved it. The Scalloping Sangria is a light red wine with orange, cherry, strawberry, and lemon – a great fruity wine. It took us some time to decide which one to buy a bottle of, but we ended up going with the Holiday Hooch since it is a seasonal wine and only a few bottles remained.

On to the beers…we chose to get a flight as there were so many we wanted to sample. We ended up going with the Southern Grit, 1821 English ESB, Black and Blue, and Spudkin. The Southern Grit is a cream ale brewed with yellow corn grits, and had a smooth, light flavor. I liked it. To describe the 1821 English ESB, I will quote the menu: “This ESB is brewed using ingredients available in 1821 England at the same proportions as recorded back then. Unfiltered, this beer has bold citrus and pine flavors with a slightly dry finish but not taste bud numbing.” I think this beer is one best left in 19^th century England. The Black and Blue is a pale ale with blackberry and blueberry, and although I don’t typically like pale ales, the flavor of the berries made this less hoppy and slightly fruity, so it was drinkable. Spudkin was a stand-in for the Hot Potato, a spicy sweet potato beer, that was unavailable at the time, but once I tasted it, I didn’t mind the substitution. It tasted like melted sweet potato casserole (with marshmallow topping), and in my book, that is a high compliment. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from a “winery brewery,” but I was really pleasantly surprised and thought the overall quality and flavor of Copp’s beers was great.

We decided to check out “downtown” Crystal River afterwards, which happened to mostly consist of just a few touristy shops and a restaurant, although the historic buildings they were housed in were cute and colorful. There is an Irish pub that contains a nanobrewery inside as well, but much to our dismay, it was not open the day of our visit (Sunday).

For our last stop, we returned to Brooksville to visit Marker 48 Brewing, Hernando County’s first and so far only brewery. Like before, we lost count of how many cows and farms we passed on the way, and were unsure that we were in the correct area. The brewery is housed inside a former auto repair garage, but it has been repurposed so well you wouldn’t even know it. The interior is expansive, with a lengthy wooden bar and multiple long communal tables with plexi-glass underneath, offering a view of the barrels the beer is aged in. Outside is a beer garden with ping-pong, cornhole, multiple tables and chairs, as well as fire pits.

 

 

 

 

 

As for the beer, there was a large selection of varied styles, including stouts, brown ales, IPAs, and a Belgian double, in addition to guest taps, wine, mead, and sangria. Todd of course went with an IPA, while I chose the gose, named Ghost Town. While goses aren’t for everyone, this is one that could have broader appeal – it is light and not too sour or tart.

I also had the Blooze blueberry mead from Black Fox Meadery, which I have had before and loved. The meadery is actually located very close to my house and I have visited several times, falling in love with everything I have ever tasted from them. They produce mainly sweet, untraditional meads in a variety of flavors, such as the blueberry Blooze, and are carried in some local establishments. I was happy to see it had made it here.

 

After a full day of traveling and drinking, we decided to call it quits after Marker 48 and head back home to enjoy a Pizza Hut dinner box and a movie. For anyone looking to escape the hustle and bustle of Tampa and enjoy some unique locations with great homemade food, craft beer, and wine, I highly recommend checking out Florida Cracker Kitchen, Copp Winery and Brewery, and Marker 48 Brewing. We really enjoyed the environment and products at all of these places, and it was also fun driving around the area and seeing how it differs from the city. We plan to return and experience more of the outdoor activities (like snorkeling with manatees!) in addition to drinking, so stay tuned for future posts on that.

If you go:

Florida Cracker Kitchen
966 East Jefferson Street
Brooksville, FL 34601
Open for breakfast & lunch Tuesday – Sunday: 9 AM – 2:30 PM
Tap Room also open Thursday – Saturday: 4 PM – 11 PM
Florida Cracker Kitchen’s Website
Florida Cracker Kitchen’s Facebook

Copp Winery & Brewery
11 NE 4th Avenue
Crystal River, FL 34429
Open Wednesday & Thursday: 12 PM – 9 PM
Friday & Saturday: 12 PM – 11 PM
Sunday: 1 PM – 6 PM
Copp Winery & Brewery’s Website
Copp Winery & Brewery’s Facebook

 

Marker 48 Brewing
12147 Cortez Boulevard
Brooksville, FL 34613
Open Wednesday & Thursday: 12 PM – 10 PM
Friday: 12 PM – 12 AM
Saturday: 12 PM – 11 PM
Sunday: 12 PM – 8:30 PM
Marker 48 Brewing’s Website
Marker 48 Brewing’s Facebook