Swamp Head Brewery & Tasting Room

MarcatGSB

Michigan

4.29/5  rDev +1.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4 | $$

What a gem this place is. One of my long time trading partners sent me a Swamp Head Saison du Swamp last May or so...I sampled it in August and was blown away. I needed to visit this place...so we stopped on our most recent road trip to Cigar City.
It's a small place kind of tucked into the back of an industrial looking, maybe ren zone or something. They have a warehouse with two or three garage door bays that were wide open, with the brewing equipment open to the public eye. They have a rather small brewing system, I didn't really check out their fermenter set up so I don't know the capacity.
Their sign outside is cut from what I think is a slice of live oak, and it looks awesome! After venturing in, it appears that the entire bar and tables are crafted in the same fashion. Really classy, yet rustic looking. Reminds me of some north woodsy stuff...awesome.
There were about 10 people waiting for the doors to open, and when they opened up most of them seemed to local regulars, that the bartenders knew. In fact, one of the bartenders pulled out two bottles of Great Lakes Brewing Christmas Ale and gifted them to two of the regulars. Awesome.
The beer was fantastic. I started with a Midnight Oil and also had a Saison du Swamp...they were also pouring batch 300 I think, which was a Belgian Style Triple, that they were selling in 750 ml C & C bottle with a great glass included.
I met up with a local BA to trade some BA Plead the 5th I had just picked up, and he was kind enough to include the Swamp Head glass in the trade. Good lookin out! One of our favorite stops of our trip, I kind of wish we would have stayed longer or stopped again.
I will make it a point to visit, and keep up with their progression of a brewery. Great stuff.

01-14-2013 15:16:20 | More by MarcatGSB

chinchill

South Carolina

4.15/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.75 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Way nicer experience than I expected upon arrival at the industrial warehouse parking area. Excellent service from very nice and knowledgeable staff, attractively priced beer flight (all 5 year-round beers), a few guest taps, and some fine woodwork here and there. Has a small bar, some tables near the bar, and a couple more in the brewing area itself. The selection of Swamp Head brews (6-7 counting 2 available in bombers) was a little more limited than I had hoped. Growler fills and bomber bottles to go.

03-28-2013 23:16:39 | More by chinchill

cubanbeerguy

Florida

4.34/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$

I love coming here. As a gainesville resident there arent many options for craft beer and this is the best brewery in town. Friendly staff and pretty good prices on their beers. Wish they had more guest beers but their beers are very solid. I love coming here and bringing friends to experience what micro brewing is all about.

01-29-2013 19:11:04 | More by cubanbeerguy

iemailjack

Florida

4.94/5  rDev +17.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

One of the best spots in Gainesville to get Craft Beer! You turn down this road that you would never expect a brewery to be down and then tucked away at the end of the warehouses is Swamp Head. You park in the grass, and enter the Wetlands. Growlers and Pints flow daily, with a staff that is knowledgeable, friendly, and fun. They’ve recently stepped up their pilot series and weekly tap new brews exclusively available through their taproom only. They fill other breweries growlers, and sell their own. The Wetlands is one of the best taprooms you can visit in the state.

01-08-2013 01:29:55 | More by iemailjack

jp11801

Florida

4.44/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $

Overall awesome place! We got there just after opening on a Saturday and we were one of three groups. Very friendly staff that clearly loves craft brewing. They had Catherine's Passion, 10 10 100 imperial IPA, Smoke Signals and Matamata on draft so were drank these and did not partake in their normal line up.

These seasonals were extremely good with Smoke Signals and Matamata were my favorites. Matamata is a crazy good session beer.

The atmosphere is warehouse area craft brew akin to CCB in Tampa.

The folks working took the place from very good to exceptional. Andy behind the bar is a great guy and made our experience.

Cheers I'll be back.

04-21-2012 21:31:34 | More by jp11801

nmbr0ne

Florida

4.36/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

The brewery is only a mile away from my apartment so I try to go as often as I can; especially when they have a beer release.

It's a great atmosphere to be in because the tasting room is not huge so you're surrounded by beer enthusiasts even when the place is relatively empty (I've never seen it actually empty).

The first time I went, my friend and I had to stand cramped into a corner of the room. Less than a year later though, the tasting room has almost doubled in size. It is much more comfortable and a lot more seating too. Plus they have extended their bar area.

As far as service goes, I get served pretty fast. I've never had to wait to order nor stand around while they assisted me.

The beer is great for a young brewery. You can get growlers of their five year-round brews only, which I consider the only bad thing. They have around ten or a little bit more beers on tap that you can drink too, which is also a plus.

Besides that, it's a great brewery and tasting room to visit if you're in town.

11-09-2011 02:07:29 | More by nmbr0ne

Holland

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

A couple of highlights about this place:

I have visited on several occasions since it's the best brewery in town and I like getting fresh beer. I've had just about every beer on tap there, purchased growlers, etc.

Some of their mainstay beers are great, like the Big Nose IPA. A lot of them are okay, just not my style.

This place has improved tremendously over the last couple of years while I've lived in Gainesville. They've expanded their hours, but it's packed on Friday still. They've bottle their first two beers since I last reviewed the place, and they're both excellent!

Even the atmosphere has grown on me. The people there just love beer. It's not a downtown brewpub (Tall Paul's is cool), but it's still a cool venue in a very different way. Drinking their beer right next to the next batch is fun, and not every brewery can pull that off.

09-13-2011 23:36:28 | More by Holland

nickfl

Florida

3.85/5  rDev -8.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | $$

A surprisingly small and tremendously crowded taproom. The inside bar area was literally packed wall to wall with people and while there was a bit more breathing room outside, it was not much more pleasant considering how hot it is in Gainvesville in August. Despite the lack of space and airconditioning, it is nicely done and has some potential if they ever expand their hours enough that you could come during the off hours.

The beer was of course quite good, but the selection was not tremendous. Aside from the standard Swamp Head beers that you could find anywhere in town, the only special beer they had on tap was 10-10-100 (100th batch special DIPA). I am glad I had the chance to check the place out, but I don't see much point in going back until they expand a bit and perhaps begin to offer a few more brewery exclusives on tap.

08-09-2011 01:38:35 | More by nickfl

kylehay2004

Florida

4.15/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Drove down from Jacksonville for a visit to Swamp Head. They had their 5 regulars on and two extras, the Springboard and the 10-10-100. The space wasn't too hard to find. I went to UF so I had a general idea of where it was and despite making a wrong turn, I made it. I parked on the road about 7pm but there were actually plenty of spots up front. I imagine if you arrive around 5 to 630 that wouldnt be the case. The inside space is tight. It is also small due to the fact that they seem to be very popular. Mostly standing room and the indoors is relatively well air conditioned. The staff is very friendly and were working their tails off to keep up. The beer selection was very good and broad in their choices. Prices were standard for most tap rooms. They do well for what they have to work with, which isn't a whole lot, but I definitely will be coming back down in the future.

07-31-2011 00:48:36 | More by kylehay2004

fission451

Florida

2.7/5  rDev -36%
vibe: 1 | quality: 2 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$

An absolute nightmare. No air conditioning, hoardes of people, sub-par beers.

We walked in to a sardine-packed taproom which consisted of the typical beer paraphernalia and college hipster crowd. Bartenders were too busy to provide any type of quality service. Brewery looks nice, but we enjoyed our beer on a cramped plywood board accompanied by someones leftover rib dinner on a plate (they don't serve food here) Given the popularity, you would think they could spring for actual tables and seats.

Everything is cash only, so be prepared.

Hot, disgusting, and only one restroom really made this place unbearable. I've enjoyed their stumpknocker beer at other establishments. After my visit, I do not plan to return anytime soon.

07-23-2011 00:02:45 | More by fission451