Motorworks Brewing in Bradenton is definitely worth a stop.  The beer selection is great, the food is good, and the staff is friendly. When we visited, they only had 4 beers of their own on draft but a good selection of other craft brews on other taps.  A food truck provides food and the Portobello mushroom wrap was fantastic.

The first beer we tried was the Motorworks Kolsch style.  This was an acceptable Kolsch but I got a little bit of skunk on the finish. Not being a huge fan of Kolsch, this wasn’t my favorite of their beers.  It did have a good wheaty nose and finish. The beer was definitely the lightest of the lot and would have a large appeal, especially to those who are fans or traditional American lagers.

The coffee porter was quite good.  The nose and finish were both of fresh ground coffee which gave the beer a fresh appeal.  The coffee lingers on the palate and would be great for a little hair of the dog after a night of drinking.

The Scotch Ale was worth the stop at Motorworks. I am generally not a fan of Scotch Ale but I found this one quite appealing.  This beer seemed to be almost a mix of a Scotch Ale and a Scottish Ale embracing the best of both.  The nose had a great malty aroma with a slight hint of hops while the finish had a slightly burnt, toasty taste.  The alcohol content at 7.3% also made this a more drinkable beer than many Scotch Ales.

Finally, the Cascade IPA was a good solid IPA with a milder hop flavor than many American IPAs made from Cascade hops.  The hops  are evident on the nose and palate without the overwhelming piney taste and aroma. This is a good balanced IPA that would be easy drinking and a great way to introduce a newbie to the world of the IPA.

Without 30 beers on draft, there is a great selection here of not only their beer but others.  I had to try the Birrificio del Ducato Brett Peat Daydream which is a combination of three different beers–  a Barley Wine Style Ale, a Marzen with part aged in Scotch Whiskey barrels and a Brett Ale containing Brettanomyces. Although classified as a sour wild ale, I didn’t find this on the sour side but thought  it was a very drinkable beer in which you could get a sense of toasty malts, whiskey and a hint of sour.  I might have to see if this is available locally.  Another of my favorites was also on draft, Old Rasputin Imperial Stout from North Coast Brewing Company.  This is one of my favorite stouts and reminds me of an adult chocolate milk– a must try if you have never had it.

After visiting here, I really wished we had somewhere local that offered the combination of cheap but good food, friendly staff, and large beer selection with a neighborhood feel.  Although some local joints might compare, there was really something unique here. Definitely worth a stop next time I am headed through Bradenton!