Guide to Orlando's brewery tours

Craft breweries have quickly become popular hot spots around the city and they're the perfect place to grab a drink and hang out with friends, but some local breweries offer more than just a place to get a cold brew.

Several breweries in the Orlando area offer a behind-the-scenes look into its taprooms and give guests the opportunity to see where all the magic happens. While each Orlando brewery tour is different, they all focus on teaching participants about the ins and outs of the brewing process, starting at the beginning with the ingredients they use all the way to the final stages and tasting.

Here are four Orlando brewery tours that are worth checking out:

Orlando Brewing 
1301 Atlanta Ave.
407-872-1117
Hours: Monday-Thursday: 3 p.m.-1 p.m.; Friday-Saturday: 1 p.m.-midnight; Sunday: 1 p.m.-9 p.m.

Orlando Brewing offers free brewery tours each week at 6 p.m. from Monday to Saturday. No reservations are required to take the tour, they are first-come, first-served, but participants must obtain a ticket from a server to guarantee a spot on the tour. (There are no tours on the 30th of each month.)

Red Cypress Brewery
855 E. State Road, Winter Springs
407-542-0341
Hours: Monday-Thursday: 2 p.m.-11 p.m.; Friday: 2 p.m.-midnight; Saturday: noon-midnight; Sunday: noon-9 p.m.

Stop in and take a peek inside one of Orlando's newest craft breweries, Red Cypress Brewery. They offer a free tour every Saturday, with three time slots available at 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m. On the tour, guests will get to take a closer look at the Red Cypress brewhouse and learn about the brewery's brewing process that is largely centered around using quality, locally-sourced ingredients.

The Bear & Peacock Brewery
1288 N. Orange Ave. Suite 1A
407-801-2714
Hours: Monday-Thursday: 4 p.m.-11 p.m.; Friday: 4 p.m.-midnight; Saturday: 11 a.m.-midnight; Sunday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Each week The Bear & Peacock Brewery offers one of Orlando's most unique brewery tours, which they call their "brewstillery" tour — a combination tour of their brewery and the Winter Park Distilling Company's distillery. Tours last around 40 minutes and includes a craft beer tasting at the end. It's suggested that guests arrive 10 minutes before the tour begins. Tours are $11 and must be prescheduled. To book a tour, visit the brewery's official site at thebearandpeacock.com. Must be at least 21 years old to take part in the tasting, but all ages are invited to take the tour.

Hop On Tour
407-434-1671

To visit more than one brewery in a day, consider taking a Hop On tour, which visits four breweries in a four-hour span. There are several different Central Florida tour routes to choose from, including a Downtown Orlando route, Winter Park route, and a Seminole County route. Hop On Tour tickets start at $37.99. For more information on Hop On tours and to see a list of breweries on each route, visit their official site at www.hopon.tours.

Cox Media Group