I was lucky enough to get to spend my birthday checking out Fort Myers’ newest brewery– Old Soul.  Old Soul can be a little difficult to find as the address doesn’t really match the location. It is located just off of 41 and Boy Scout in an industrial area behind a 7-11.  However, once you find it– you are in for quite a treat.  The atmosphere is friendly and the tasting room is simplistic yet comfortable.  The beers here are great too.  What more could you ask for in a local brewery!

I started my tasting with the Salty Walter, a sour gose.  I am not a fan of sours so I am sure that my review of this one is biased. It is not something I would drink but it is tolerable for a sour.  It is not overly sour but more salty.  It reminds me a of a salty lemonade with a hint of sour milk taste, imparted by the lactobacillus added post fermentation.

The Old Hootie is a double IPA and this is a great beer. Very true to style, yet lower in alcohol than many double IPAs, this is a good drinkable beer.  The beer has a great hoppy nose and taste. This is a must try for any IPA lover.

The Yellow Cake is a lemon shandy. Most of my experience with lemon shandies has been through Leinenkugels so I was glad to know that they all didn’t have to taste that bad.  This was not so overly powerful on the lemon and tended to have more the feeling of an ice tea with lemon added.  I can see that this would be a good drink on a hot day.

Chai How Are You? is a brown ale made with chai tea.  If you are a chai tea lover, you have to try this beer.  The chai tea is evident from the beginning as it is heavy on the nose.  The taste of the tea is a bit strong on the beer for me. However, according to brewer Nick Schmidt further variations of this beer will be a bit more nutty.

Sweetness is a very good stout.  I didn’t find it all that sweet but the taste of chocolate from the malt is quite good. With just a hint of coffee, this is a well rounded stout.

My absolute favorite is the blood orange pale ale, originally named Marie Laveaus but now called The Grove.  The blood orange taste is definitely there but not overly powerful still maintaining the taste of the beer itself.  There is a hint of hops but once again this is not overpowering.  The maltiness is also there giving this beer almost a cross between a wheat and pale ale taste.  This is an easy drinking beer that can be enjoyed by almost everyone.

If you haven’t made a trip to Old Soul yet, definitely made a stop. They have great hours, everyday but Monday and they open at 2 pm during the week.  Check their website for directions so you don’t get lost!