The facility is really pretty nice. They have taken an abondoned oil auto repair facility and converted it to create a very pleasant tasting room and brewery. While you are sitting at one of the tables you can look down through a glass window into what was at one time the oil changing access pit and oil storage to see barrels of aging brews. Nicely done. They are dog friendly as well and will even bring your stinky pooch a fresh bowl of water to enjoy. Also, the bar features a cooling tray to keep your beers nice and cold and the servers are quite pleasant.
At some time, however, you are going to actually have to try their beer.
The were several first timers at our table, none local, and all had very similar views on what was being sampled. Here is a brief synopsis of what we tried:
Half Fin Hefe (7% ABV) - Slightly yeasty, traditional banana flavor, very light. Easy drink
Gulf Coast Blonde (4.5% ABV) - Fair session beer with just enough hops to be interesting. Light body.
Suncoast Trail, Cream Ale (5.5% ABV) - Can't say that I would care to try this one a second time.
Meet the Heat, Raspberry Chili Saison (7% ABV) - The raspberry overpowers any subtly that you would expect from a saison. No chili burn detected.
Belgian Bronze, 'Belgian Specialty' Beer (6% ABV) - Not sure what exactly is Belgian about it. Tastes like an OK brown ale.
Mermaids Milk, Milk Stout (6% ABV) - A decent enough stout that I wouldn't turn down if offered to me, but I wouldn't seek it out.
Our biggest issue that we had with the Marker 48 beers was that all were thin and water with none of the beers tried having any texture. Though to be perfectly honest ... Brooksville. The brewer may be having to choose between producing full flavored brews vs. the palates of people that typically choose Bud Light as their beer of choice.
Their beer are decent enough (except for the cream ale, which is a beer to avoid) and not unpleasant. In a sports bar setting I would choose their beers over mass market beers, but I would probably not choose them over most of the other local craft brewers. Should you be driving along Cortez Boulevard in Brooksville, stop in, have a beer, it is worth the stop. We cannot, however, recommend making a special trip.
Marker 48 Brewing can be found at:
12147 Cortez Blvd, Brooksville, FL 34613 Tel: (352) 606-2509
