Swamp Head Brewery

Awesome place. Big, spacious taproom surrounded by beautiful central Florida scenery. The staff is both knowledgable and friendly and the beer is great! Highly recommend!

This is my favorite spot in Gainesville! Great beer, awesome atmosphere, and did I fail to mention great beer? You gotta love a brewery that is kid and dog friendly, with fun games like corn hole, giant connect 4, darts and Jenga. Staff is real knowledgeable and friendly too. If you’re coming to Gainesville to visit do yourself a favor, and put this place at the TOP of your list!

This place was awesome! They do brewery tours on Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday ($ 5 cash only) We came on a Tuesday, the place was packed, but there were a few others on the brewery tour. Our guide was very knowledgable and they are very generous with their samples.

A friend took me to Swamp Head Brewery during my trip to Gainesville. I’m very glad he was driving! We went on New Year’s Eve 2016, so it wasn’t very busy, but it was a lovely place to finish up 2015. The holiday beer «Just the Tip» was delicious, but my favorite (and undoing) was the Mars Bar Catherine’s (Imperial Stout). This is a lovely, chocolatey, smooth, dark beer that thankfully has no hint of coffee. It also packs quite a punch, but is a lovely way to spend the afternoon. There is a small gift shop and two sizes of growlers for purchase and filling. This is a great place to go. I will be back every time I visit!

My favorite bar in Gainesville. Good beers, games, food trucks, fun events, dogs are allowed, and good service. There’s a type of beer for everyone. The new building is large and well designed. This is a Gainesville staple. Highly recommend!

I know Swamp Head Brewery has been in business for a while. But, I just started going a few months back for after work beer with co-​workers.
Being older and my college bar scene days far behind me, I really like what Swamp Head has done. It can’t get any better for fresh beer than going to the brewery itself, and this comes out in the taste of their beer. Always tasting clean and fresh. You can tell their beer is brewed with quality ingredients.
What I also like is the setting. A nice long bar, not feeling like Lillians or any other college bar in town. The property they chose, and the large viewing windows looking outside to the pond and woods. Very nicely done.
Service is always friendly with a smile.
Beers are around $ 5 – 6 each. For the quality you get this is a good deal for me.
I would highly recommend a visit. Giving them 5 stars, but its more like 4.5 as they don’t have food inside. But I get it, they’re a brewery first. They do have a food truck outside on Friday nights which works.
Keep up the good work.

I adore Swamp Head!
Wonderful beers priced at $ 5 per pint. Friendly staff. Tons of memorabilia to purchase. Dog-​friendly (so so fun, they have an outdoor area where you can let your dogs romp with one another!)
The atmosphere is so fun and the beers are delicious. They offer tours for $ 5 which include a pint and a commemorative glass.
On Friday nights before football games, they open the whole place up for a huge block party.
Swamp Head Brewery is great fun!

Snapshot: ⁵⁄₅ Craft Beers ⁵⁄₅ Food ⁵⁄₅ Brew Variation
I’ll start with saying go as it was recommended to me. The have some of the most unique collaboration of meads I’ve ever tried.
— The Morning Glow is unbelievably impressive.
— 10.10.10 It’s a double imperial worth it’s weight
— Basil Rosemary Is great
— Fest 14 is another solid

Really impressed with Swamp Head. Came here on a recommendation and it surpassed what we were expecting by far. The brewery has a great feel, the staff were attentive & nice, the beer was great and so was the music they had playing in the background. The interior of the brewery has really unique use of wood furniture which gives it a cool vibe. The staff talked to us about a recent contribution they made to the Alachua tree society, which was impressive. The group and I had fun playing corn hole, jumbo sized connect 4, jenga and darts. Am looking forward to coming back again soon.

When we first went in, the bartender greeted us. She was very friendly and knowledgeable about the beers. We ended up trying the flight of their core beers. We liked Wild Night and Stump Knocker. Unfortunately, the first bartender left and we were left with the curt guy with the beard. Not at all friendly like the first girl. We didn’t really stay long after that. It’s a beautiful brewery, I am still glad we went but probably won’t be back.

First time at their new location. The new tasting room feels very modern and is a huge upgrade from their old location. I like that they have a combination of easy drinking beers like Wild Night that fit right in with the hot Florida climate but also have fuller beers like their 10−10−10 imperial IPA and Catherine’s Sweetness imperial Sweet Stout. The beer is not as good as Cigar City Brewing but better than what Orlando breweries have to offer. This was a great place to hang out after the Gators game — minus 1 star cause I just can’t believe they don’t have any TV’s here to show the games on.

Swamphead is one of my favorite breweries. I really enjoy their new location and most importantly, their beer! My personal favorite is their Cottonmouth which is a delicious wheat beer. They frequently hold «Timed Tappings» where limited edition beers are released on the hour. Swamped has pumped out the coolest and most unique beers, including the Pineapple Basil, Plum 10−10−10, and even Kiwi Cottonmouth! With the many games they have on site, you can easily stay all night and try them all!
The staff and owners are super nice and knowledgeable. They are very supportive of the community and always help local businesses by having food trucks around the outside or inside the brewery. Ever since Swamphead extended their hours, they have become a lot more popular. It gets really crowded on Football Fridays, but there is plenty of beer to go around for everyone!
They hold tours on most days at 5:30 PM, 6:30 PM, and 7:30PM on weekdays and I believe every hour on weekends. The tours are only $ 5 and include free beer at the end. It is really worth it! There is plenty of seating, parking (overflow lot is where Alley Katz used to be), and it is pet friendly! If you want to experience a quality brewery, go to Swamphead for an inherently Floridian experience.

Went here last year. Beers were awesome. A lot of special release stuff which was cool. I hope to be back soon to check out the new brewery.

My boyfriend took me to Swamp Head for Football Friday’s! In addition to their main permanent bar, they had tents serving seasonal beers. This place is animal friendly! There was a DJ, food truck, and plenty of tables. I’m not much of a beer drinker, but my boyfriend and friends love Swamp Head’s brews! Even though there were tons of people, the brewery was clean and we were serviced right away. My only criticism is that they don’t have enough seating. Overall it’s a wonderful way to spend a Friday with friends!

Party of 4 and we absolutely loved this place! We took the tour for only $ 5 including glasses and free beer! Maria was an excellent host and bartender. Oh and the bathrooms were spotless!!! Great place!!! Much love from VA home of o’connors brewery in Norfolk ;&hearts

The essence of my growth into craft beer, Swamp Head holds a special piece of my heart for being among the first breweries that showed me the light of quality, local libations. With community support in abundance, they are finally getting the chance to take a huge next step out of the shadows and into the spotlight of fantastic Florida craft beer with this new location and, my, what an impressive leap it was!
The Venue
About halfway between Williston and Archer on S. 35^th, the new location is bigger, better, and more true-​to-​name than ever before: large trees and a swampy pond tuck in the vibrant brew tanks that sport their name and logo. The parking lot is ample right at the brewery but overflow options exist a stone’s throw away at a bowling alley that’s nearby.
The interior is nice and open with plenty of bar access to accommodate thirsty patrons, and they now have much more room for extending the number of taps as well (more space + more equipment = more delicious seasonals!). Aside from the bar itself, numerous tables crafted from tree trunks (some with pint holes carved into them) are sprawled out for keeping groups comfortable, and a section of the patio is also furnished that looks out onto the murky lake and tree line (there’s beauty in everything, even a literal swamp at Swamp Head).
The Vibe
Quick, friendly, and knowledgable staff greeted me when I came on opening day, and I imagine it can only get better as the crowd stabilizes. Obviously a lot of the heavy lifting is taken off of their shoulders when you go to grab your own suds, but there is something to be said about swiftly suggesting beers to the fresh-​faces without allowing a gigantic line to start forming. I was afraid they might have a less-​exciting turn out because of this new location, but they did not appear to be hurt in the slightest. In fact, there are now numerous benefits to their relocating, like the proximity to that bowling alley (new clientele) and the fact that they can more readily accommodate food trucks.
One annoyance they will have to sort out sooner than later: the inability to go out to the food they have arranged with glass in hand. If I chug my beer because I am hungry and then quickly chow down because I am thirsty, the result is usually a nap shortly after.
The Bar
They are veterans to the area so this will not be news to any locals, but to those looking to know where a good start is for a first-​time trip out to Swamp Head:
Year-​Round Rotation:
— Stumpknocker: Pale ale that I would call hop-​forward and more weighty than most pales. Solid go-​to pint anywhere, anytime
— Big Nose: IPA and my personal recommendation for tasting a true glass of Swamp Head’s roots. This is the one that changed me for the better!
— Midnight Oil: Their oatmeal and coffee stout. I enjoy it on occasion but it takes a mighty tasty pint to have me sipping stouts in swampland
— Cottonmouth: Not a personal favorite but I have it from time to time
— Wild Night: Honey Crème ale. May be your thing but it seems to have less of a following than the others
Seasonal Favorites:
— 10−10−10: Love this beer! They release the standard version and one aged in whiskey barrels, both of which have their following, but the regular DIPA pulls back on the bitter enough to let the other merits of a DIPA shine through for a very tasty glass of hoppy goodness
— Catherine’s Passion: Their Russian Imperial and, honestly, not something in the highest demand for the Sunshine State. Does not even make a difference because this beer is fantastic and I look forward to it when the weather cools down!
Final Thoughts
The new space is already giving this crew much-​needed room to flourish. More events have been popping up and I keep hearing whispers of Big Nose in a can, so fans of near and far will get a chance to witness what has been a VERY overdue splash in this pond we call Gainesville!

Absolutely the coolest place! There was a beautiful outdoor area and a room where you could play corn hole right next to the giant vats! The bartenders were a joy and so willing to take the time to make sure you ordered the perfect match.

OMG.
If Swamphead was around when I lived in Gainesville, I would have been in trouble! I stopped by on a recent trip to G-​ville and was blown away by the atmosphere. It screams Florida when you walk in the door. I love the collage of Florida photos above the taps and the big open windows are GORGEOUS.
Onto the beers. Yum. I tried 3 of them and they were all good, but my favorite was their spin on peanut butter and jelly beer. My friends and I really had an awesome time paired with awesome beverages. Way to go, Swamp

Great atmosphere! They do have lots of seating but the fact is, they get packed (and loud). Both times I’ve gone with a group though, we were able to snag a table eventually. It’s popular so go early to get a guaranteed seat (around 6). The décor and bar are absolutely beautiful.
I’m pretty sure that they do offer beer flights; saw someone with a board of small glasses, each with a different beer. I’m guessing it’s just not advertised and you have to ask for it. Prices range from $ 5-​$ 8 for a pint. If you’re hungry, you can usually find a food truck outside.
Parking, while better than the previous location, is still a bit of a problem. I usually have to park at Alley Katz. They also need to put some blinds/​shades in their tap room; it was a little brutal in there during sunset!
Much like First Magnitude, this bar’s atmosphere showcases the beauty of north Florida and offers up a good selection of tasty brews. It’s quickly becoming a favorite locale amongst my friends and I.

Meh. The beer is good, but the atmosphere is crap. It’s not really near anything (I mean, I get that it’s Florida so you have to drive everywhere, but still.) There’s nowhere to sit. It would be pretty easy for them to throw out some plastic patio chairs at the very least. Instead there’s only a few tables inside and some piles of pallets outside. And they should offer flights so you can actually taste all the good beers. And the credit card minimum should be lower than $ 15.

This place is absolutely fabulous! The staff is friendly and the beers are excellent. Plus the new location is awesome. It’s a bit hard to find, but totally worth the scavenger hunt.
I had the Tropical Disturbance double IPA and my boyfriend had the Down Deep IPA. Both were fabulous for avid craft beer lovers, like ourselves.
Word of advice, if you’re not going to have more than one beer make sure you bring cash. The credit card minimum is $ 15.
As long as I’m living in Florida, I’ll for sure be back. Cheers!