SPIRITS
REVIEWS
Creating a buzz Jose Villafana, Jr. taps into the increasingly popular craft beer scene. STORY: JAMES COMBS
Uncle Mikey’s Peach Blond Ale
Paul Griffin and Greg Nall
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am Gordon remembers the first time she saw the dark brown liquid cascading into a glass with milky white bubbles rising to the top. She brought her nose to the glass and inhaled the wonderful aroma. Her favorite craft beer, a coffee stout called Coocha, was love at first sip. “I love the creaminess and richness,” says Pam, a resident of Eustis. “This is a very smooth, easy-drinking beer.” It’s one of many brews readily available at her preferred watering hole, Wolf Branch Brewery. “This is my favorite place to come,” she says. “The craft beer here is out of this world.” Those words warm the heart of Jose Villafana, Jr., who opened Wolf Branch Brewery in December 2017 with the help of his father and brother-inlaw. Jose previously spent 18 years in the U.S. Army, serving two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. His military travels allowed him to visit craft beer venues in other
≈ PHOTOS: NICOLE HAMEL
countries. One day, he realized he could “serve” his country in a different capacity. “I was able to go to places like Munich, home of the Hefeweizen beer, as well as the Belgian Brewers Museum in Belgium. I also visited a monastery where beer is brewed by Trappist monks. I began falling in love with the whole craft beer culture and wanted to do my part in promoting it here.” The veteran-turnedbusinessman has successfully accomplished that mission. Much like serving in the military, owning a brewery requires long hours and hard work. But it’s all been worth it. His original location in downtown Eustis fared so well that he opened a second location in downtown Mount Dora. Both venues are popular hangouts where friends and strangers alike order drinks and socialize with fellow craft beer enthusiasts. Jose is more than an astute businessman. He is also a certified master brewer who spends much of his time concocting new craft beer recipes. Jose graduated from the master brewer program at Siebel Institute of Technology,
