Although I think that the concept behind the Brew Hub is a great idea, I wish that it was not so heavily focused on Cigar City brews.  The vast majority of brews on tap here were easily available at bars and restaurants throughout Florida.  I would like to see the concept utilized to create and have a tap room featuring more unique items.

My other issue with the Brew Hub is the location.  The location is easily visible from Interstate 4 in Lakeland. However, without a good GPS, you are never going to be able to figure out how to get there. We had to make several turns (even through a neighborhood) when entering and exiting from the interstate.  Some good signage would really be helpful.

Even though I had some issues with the place, the beers here were not bad.  Many were not local brews– featured were Green Man and Highland from Asheville, NC.  However, many of the brews were good solid beers.

Interestingly, I thought the best beer on draft during my visit was one of the Brew Hub’s own– the South Frontage IPA.  This was a good solid IPA with a classic nose and good hop flavor.  The other Brew Hub beer, Royal Palm, was also a solid pale ale but there was an odd flavoring that reminded me of Earl Grey tea.

In contrast to the South Frontage, the Green Man IPA was a let down. This beer had very little nose and a sweetness on the finish. Although a bit of hop was maintained at the end, this was not my kind of IPA.

Orange Blossom’s Toasted Coconut was a pleasant surprise. Considering their pilsner is very sweet, I expected tons of coconut in this beer.  But there wasn’t– the beer just had a hint of coconut and the end of each sip with a subtle hint of sweetness.

I had to try a Cigar City since they were the majority of beers featured.  The Cigar City Altbier was a disappointment. The nose was very unappealing and the taste was slightly sweet and malty.

Highland’s Claw Hammer Marzen was another disappointing beer. It was very light in color and didn’t have much nose either.  There was a hint of sweetness and malt and the end but overall this beer lacked flavor.

Green Man ESB was a bit better having a good ESB nose with hints of caramel and hops. However, this too did not have the level of flavor I would have expected.

Highland’s Gaelic is a classic and rightfully so. This beer has lots of flavor and a great nose. I was glad to end my tasting on that note.