Minneola has a new food, drink and recreation complex, the first of its size and kind in Lake County: Crooked Can Brewing Company.
The mega-facility officially opened at the Hills City Center on July 15 with just hours’ notice.
What to expect there?
The massive new 43,000-square-foot Minneola location is a food, drink and family-fun hangout all in one.
It’s Florida’s largest craft brewery-dining-recreation destination to date with outdoor lawns, a kids’ splash pad and the City Center Market, which offers contemporary, international lunch and dinner options.
Crooked Can’s new headquarters edges out Florida Avenue Brewing Co. in Wesley Chapel, which previously held the title as one of Florida’s largest multi-use craft brewery complexes at roughly 40,000 square feet. But Carib Brewery USA (formerly the Florida Beer Company) on the Space Coast still holds the largest craft-brew crown with a 60,000-square-foot facility.
Altogether, the two-story space boasts multiple bars, a huge 2,000-square-foot taproom, and a performance stage for live music. The brewery and select vendors are open, with the remaining food hall stalls rolling out over the coming weeks.
The City Center Market vendor lineup includes:
A surprise grand opening
The owners didn’t announce the grand opening until July 15, hours before welcoming the public at 6 p.m.
According to a Crooked Can Instagram post, the Minneola location has some brewing equipment to set up, so it will have an abbreviated lineup of its brews, and some food kiosks are still under construction.
“We were blown away by how massive the whole complex is,” said Paul Krieger of Clermont.
Krieger and his wife, Amy, get out and about around Central Florida and help families book discounted Disney vacation lodgings and experiences. Paul told the Daily Commercial that they were pleased overall with the Crooked Can experience.
“There is so much outdoor space to relax, have a drink, and grab some food,” Krieger said. “It really feels like a place you’ll want to spend a few hours hanging out.”
Seeing how it all unfolds
Along with the brew pub experience, the Minneola Crooked Can is getting positive buzz for its food offerings.
“We were also among the first to try the new Three Birds Café location,” Krieger effused. “If you ever visited their old Winter Garden location, you’ll be happy to know a lot of the classic favorites are back, including my personal favorite, the chicken salad sandwich!”
Paul and Amy said they can’t wait to check out the other dining spots at Crooked Can as they open over the coming days and weeks.
“Living just a few minutes away in Minneola, we definitely see ourselves spending plenty of evenings and weekends hanging out at the new Crooked Can.”
If you go …
Navigate to 1600 Crooked Can Loop, inside the Hills City Center. Visit crookedcan.com for updates and hours of operation.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Crooked Can mega hall hosts surprise grand opening in Minneola
Reporting by Julie Garisto, Leesburg Daily Commercial / Daily Commercial
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Julie Garisto, Leesburg Daily Commercial | USA TODAY Network
