Calusa Brewing, Sarasota FL

Great hangout spot and environment. Really good variety of beers. It’s no surprise they have won awards for their creations. I come by when I visit the area

I have enjoyed this Craft Brewery every time I've visited Sarasota Friends and family have shared new releases from time to time. If you enjoy craft beer, this is a must stop in the Sarasota area.

I actually thought it would be a fruity beer. My opinion of that beer is it's horrible the taste is beyond horrible keep working on it you might get better.

Really great beer, I have lived in places that have tons of micro breweries and this place is top notch.

Gotta review them before they move to the old White Buffalo location on McIntosh & Ashton.
Been around 5+ years on Derek Av. Parking can be an issue during busier times.
Accessibility is great, just a simple threshold to cross through the double doors. Plenty of room to navigate a chair through the place.
The beers are terrific though in summer tend towards IPAs mostly.
Staff is great, well informed.
Food trucks are often around during busier times, i.e, weekends.
The mural work in the bathroom hall is really well done, especially the light work.

Beers are great but some of the staff have no idea about brewing and are arrogant and rude in my opinion. I think they need to rein in their ego a little bit. Irony is that the owner and head brewer are great guys! I think one or 2 bad apples are spoiling the barrel!

I came to Sarasota from Naples, Italy to visit family. They took me to Calusa Brewery. I found that place beautiful and very interesting since you can even see where they make beer. The inside is very cool and they have a space outside where you can enjoy their excellent beers. They also have food trucks almost every night, I think. That night Vesuvio wood fired pizza was there and the pizza was super and real neapolitan and I felt like I was eating in Napoli. I really recommend Calusa Brewery as a very good and relaxing place.

Great brewery in SRQ! All of their beers are tasty. Some of my favorite stouts and IPAs have been crafted here.

They have two lovely cats, Bones and Domino. They even have a beer named after them!

Great place. Good beer and food. Nice people. Guest taps a nice addition. Always seems to be a good food truck. Check them out!

We live an hour away and everytime we come to town we try to hit up Calusa Brewery. We have been there multiple times in the last year and have enjoyed every single visit.

The rotating taps have always had something new for us to try and should provide enough variety for the fussiest palates. Although I would like some regular core beers it will not keep us from visiting. In response to some one star reviews about selection and taste please realize not every single brewery will fit every person's taste and that taste is subjective. What fun would it be if every brewery made the same exact beers.

The taproom is nice and there is covered outside seating. Something I would like to point out is that there is no table service which seems to be a negative to some, not all, of the population. No table service is more often than not a standard practice at the majority of breweries. I see this as a complaint on some reviews and will remind you that you don't complain that the barista at Starbucks doesn’t do table service for you either. This also means you should return your glass when finished with it.

On our last visit we were disappointed to hear that their working brewery cats, Domino and Bones, were no longer allowed to enter the public tap room due to an individual (s) who decided it was their job to complain. We were told that one individual who complained does not even live in Florida and the other just seemed to be upset that a cat could be in the taproom but their dog could not. I implore these individuals to educate themselves on the use of working cats, specifically at breweries. This is not a new practice or isolated to Florida. A multitude of breweries in the United States work with local human societies and animal rescues to offer an alternative for cats who are more suited to work, not typical domestic life.

My advice to the brewers and staff, including the humans, don't stop doing what you do. You cannot please all the people all the time. When you start to sacrifice your dreams and goals in an attempt to please everyone you will only find that you have strayed from where you wanted to be.

PS - It is illegal in multiple states to buy a growler, crowler or canned beer from a brewery and drink it at the location - this is for they guy who seemed to not be aware this is a thing.

Tuesday Pint n Brew pretty good deal, $14. Adequate beer selections, decent atmosphere. …Downside, they don’t have a distribution deal (?) and there to-go 4 packs are $16 and up…translates to $18 6 packs. Odd, cut out the distributor, the middle man, sell at the source, no handling costs, and somehow costs more than Big Top, Jai Lai, etc. Would have bought a 4 pack, but work with me, ok? Nope…Probably won’t return…

Probably the best brewery in the west coast of Florida or even all of Florida. I would say a hidden gem but not for long!

In response to Cheri Nelson who is from Pensacola and doesn’t live in Sarasota. The cat you referred to is a working cat that was obtained to get rid of a pest issue that breweries often deal with. This cat has contributed more to Calusa than you did on your one visit. My family, friends and Calusa’s clientele LOVE the cat that you should properly refer to as Domino!

Great chill place to hang, nice bar, Kristen our bartender was awesome. Called ahead and was told it wasn't dog friendly on the inside due to having food, while its OK for cats to be on the bar and roaming. Should be no difference. Nothing against Cats, but both are shedding animals.

Beer was ok, not very Hoppy IMO. Atmosphere was ok, felt like the person helping me at the counter was more interested is moving me along than answering my questions about the beer.

Great beer, friendly staff, in a casual welcoming environment. The IPAs and wild ales are outstanding. But everything else is pretty decent too!

Thought I would take my girlfriend here for a nice evening. Great beer, great service.but it’s basically a McDonald’s playground. Kids running around and screaming the whole time. Wasn’t a pleasurable bar experience. I don’t think I’ll come back to sit here for a beer. I’ll continue to buy beer from them. And like I said the service was good. I feel for the bartenders.

Decent beer, nice facility, which was very clean, but the ordering process and vibe make you feel a little like you're better off sitting outside. NE IPA had some off flavors in the finish (maybe rushing the finish?). A few coke products as the non-alcoholic option. How about a local soda, kambucha, N-A craft brewskies instead? Overall it's fine.

Definitely some of the best NEIPAs I have had outside of New England. There are also plenty of other tasty beers for those that prefer a sour, lager or brown ale.