Twelve Talons Beerworks — Restaurant in Orlando

It does my heart good to see yet another craft brewer open up shop, specially when there are already more than 9200 of them across the US. You can only split a market so many times until the slices become so small that it’s hard to survive.

Yet here we are now in 2024, and while some areas have had a few breweries close (I’m looking at you, Austin TX and OKC), we’re all still upbeat. It’s just that every industry has its period of reckoning when shakeouts happen and weaker players fall by the wayside. And hope continues to spring eternal in the human breast. “It’s not going to be me.” I was happy to visit Twelve Talons Beerworks on NYE 2023 on Orlando’s east side (opened 2019), It’s a modern-looking location alongside the 408 toll road. A blend of indoor and beer garden seating allow for adequate capacity. I selected I Hope You’re Hoppy With Yourself, a whimsically named NEIPA clocking in at 6.9% ABV. I could easily drink this one again, but since we were on a mission to visit at least four breweries in one afternoon, I had to limit my intake. It will take a little while to figure out what the core beers should be, which will necessarily be based on customer preferences. I must admit to being a little concerned when I saw four stout varietals—each at 10% ABV—atop the menu. I am not opposed to stouts, although I do limit my consumption of high ABV beers, if only so I can try more. But when I overhear the brewer saying he liked to brew stouts, I knew I had seen this play out elsewhere, including in Orlando. So while I am certainly not a brewer, and this is no business of my own, I have been to far more than 500 craft breweries across the US, and it is the ones who back themselves into niche corners that I see struggling the most. As much as I love IPAs, I become concerned when I see the menu board looking like a hop convention. You’ve got to have a wide array of approachable beers that the average man or woman—the ones who say “Whaddya got that’s light?—want up front. They need to take baby steps at first.

Now if anyone can make it being a niche brewer, then more power to them. But please be careful. My IPA was delicious, and I have no reason to doubt the veracity of your other offerings. It’s OK to have your brewing marks of distinction, all the while remembering that the folks in the middle of the market usually result in the bulk of sales.

I’ll be back for sure. I’m looking forward to trying some others, including the other IPA you mentioned you would begin brewing this week in January 2024. Best wishes as you stake your claim to...

We celebrated my partner’s surprise 50th birthday at Twelve Talons and Travis and his team couldn’t have made it any easier to make this event joyful and memorable. The younger guests loved the house made lemonade and mocktails and there was a great variety of options to please the older set. The folks at Cocina on Wheels prepared some beautiful appetizer trays and our guests had fun selecting tasty treats from the food trucks. Our guests wore special wrist bands so that our food and drinks could be added to a separate tab which made it easy to keep track of and pay for at the end. The big surprise for my partner was Jennifer our belly dancer and I am so grateful she was welcomed to perform in this space. She glided around the space effortlessly engaging our guests and those patrons lucky enough to also be “in the right place at the right time.” We are grateful to Travis, Patricia and Taylor who helped to create this beautiful...

Quite possibly the most interesting of the places we stopped on our latest brewery outting...

Why? Well, while the outside was pretty much non-descript, the inside was very nicely decorated with lamps and such hanging from the ceiling. Plus the bar was spacious and there was plenty of comfortable seating inside. What also caught my eye was their menu - chock full of seltzers which surprised me. I hadn't seen that in quite some time.

We enjoyed a couple of their beers there this evening and the service was friendly and welcoming. It's located right off one of the major arteries leading into and out of Orlando, so getting there and out is easy. Can't say that about many places I've been...