Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing Co. Review

Today, I’m finally talking about Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing Company. Considering this is the closest brewery to me and I go there about once a month, I can’t believe it took me so long to write this. Since Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing opened in 2016, they have become a Downtown Melbourne staple. We love coming here with friends to play in their game room or watch some sports on their comfy couch. We have also celebrated New Years Eve, St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo here, so it’s really become part of our lives. Of course the beer is pretty good too! Here’s everything you need to know about Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing.

Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing: The Basics

This brewery is located in Downtown Melbourne which makes it the perfect stop during a night on the town or for a drink after dinner. We like to go for a night cap after a nice dinner at Crush Eleven. They usually have a dozen or beers on tap with a mix of seasonal and standard options. The pints range from $6 to $8, and they also offer flights and growler fills. If you aren’t a beer drinker, they have a selection of wine available too. Hell ‘n Blazes is now serving food as well, and has a menu that include sandwiches, barbecue and snacks.

I’ll have to check out the food and review it soon but for now I’ll go cover the brews. Hell ‘n Blazes has six core beers that are always on tap. This includes an IPA, a Hefeweizen, a porter, a lager, a wheat ale and a pale ale. They are all solid beers that most people would enjoy. My favorite is the Orange Blossom Honey Wheat Ale because it has delicious notes of citrus and honey and is very refreshing. The Causeway IPA is Andrew’s favorite since it is a tropical flavored hoppy beer.

Seasonal Beers

The core beers are all great beers, but the seasonal is where Hell ‘n Blazes really shines. I think most agree with me since their highest rated beers on untapped are all various seasonal ones. Some of their seasonal offerings have been available for over a year, so they aren’t technically seasonal. This includes the Don’t Leave Me, Amber Amber Ale and the Andy’s Poppin Pils. Those are both excellent beers that I usually recommend to first timers. The raspberry beret is super fruity too which I like, but I know some banana haters who can’t stand that flavor coming through.

My all time favorite is Sap Tap which they just released for Fall 2018. This is a maple red ale that tastes just like maple sugar candy! It is super sweet, but I love it and it always reminds me of fall. If you like maple, definitely give this beer a try. They also release a Smoked Pumpkin beer in the fall. This year it’s Smoked Pumpkin Habanero and we love the smoky and slightly spicy flavor!

Lately, every time I go they have released a new bunch of seasonal beers. All of the newer ones have been even better than the regular ones and a lot more unique. They have a really good mango pale ale called Mabel’s Monster Mangoes. It is a nice juicy beer with a fruity tart taste. There’s also a Strawberry Milkshake IPA on tap right now which is a smooth beer with lots of lactose. I like this one a lot but, it doesn’t live up to the Yard Milkshake IPA’s that Intracoastal makes.

Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing has only sold one bottled beer so far and it’s a S’mores Sweet Stout. I thought this had a yummy chocolate marshmallow flavor, but they charged a lot for just one large bottle, so it wasn’t worth it to me. Overall, you can expect to find a variety of beers at Hell ‘n Blazes that range from average to very unique. They definitely have gotten the hang of making fruity beers, but I think their stouts could use some work.

The Atmosphere

The brewery is a huge space with a the front room having tons of tables, a large bar, multiple TV’s streaming sporting events, and a few couches. Then in the back they have a game room with a shuffleboard table, darts, and some foosball tables. They have also just started serving food although I have yet to experience this. The hours are 4-11 PM Monday through Thursday, and then noon to 2 AM on the weekend (11 PM close on Sunday).

A lot of people compare Hell ‘n Blazes to Intracoastalbecause they are the two largest breweries in Melbourne. However, I have found they both serve different purposes for me. Intracoastal has been around longer and they definitely are making the best beer of the two, especially now with all the New England IPA’s and Sours they have been making.

When it comes to going out with a group of friends though, Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing is definitely the better spot. This is mainly due to the game room as well as the larger availability of tables. Intracoastal has been taken over with children running around lately, so that definitely has made refined indoor taproom of Hell ‘n Blazes more preferable. I hope offering food doesn’t change the atmosphere here.

Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing in the Community

The fact that it’s now a restaurant also definitely puts an end to them allowing dogs unfortunately. We used to be able to take our pups to Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing and have them sit with us even though it’s indoors. The Florida Health Department has stated that it classifies breweries as restaurants and has been warning breweries not to allow animals unless they are service animals. However, their is a petition going around to change this that I urge you to sign if you like taking your dog to a brewery. Now that Hell ‘n Blazes is a restaurant, there’s not way it can ever allow non-service dogs in anymore and they don’t have an outdoor area either for them. We will miss taking Charlie there, but we can always pick up a growler and enjoy it at home with him!

I mentioned before that I have spent three holidays here and would do it again! With so much room, this was a fun place to spend New Years Eve packed people and live music. We also were able to watch the ball drop on their many TVs. Hell ‘n Blazes Brewing has brought the community together in so many ways! When we still were without power due to Hurricane Irma almost a week after the storm, they were happy to share their A/C. We just brought our laptops and chilled out with some delicious beer inside! They have monthly events that range from happy hours and meet-ups, to their big anniversary street party. I am sure we will be enjoying this brewery for years to come and I hope you can try it at some point too!

I think this brewery can appeal to everyone with it’s rustic yet refined decor and variety of beer and wine! Let me know if you agree.