Hops Restaurant Bar & Brewery is a chain brewpub located mostly on the East coast, stretching from Connecticut to Florida, with four locations in Colorado. Based solely on the beer, Hops Ft. Myers is average, but the service, quality of food and prices make it a good stop when in the Ft. Myers area. My wife and I visited Hops on our trip to Marco Island while touring around Ft. Myers. One item of note is that Hops is probably one of the few places to get a craft beer AND food in the Ft. Myers area.

The Ft. Myers hops is located in a standalone building in the Page Field Shopping Center complex. Upon entering the premises, it was obvious that the place was very busy, but you didn’t get the feeling you would be rushed out. The bar is right next to the entrance, impossible to miss when entering the building. It also has an open kitchen, which is always nice, and the brewery tanks looked clean and shiny. The ambiance is great. There is plenty of beer paraphernalia… and southern hospitality to boot.

As we sat down to eat, our server reminds us of the happy hour special… 2 for 1 drinks. Another great thing about not being in Massachusetts right now, besides the weather, is happy hour. For those who don’t know, in Massachusetts, happy hour drink specials are illegal. I just got 2 beers for the price of one. I love it!

Now, on to the food… Starters range from $4 for chips and salsa to $9 for the Seared Ahi Tuna. The entrees are price anywhere from $9 for a chicken chili burrito to $20 for Filet Mignon or a Lobster tail and steak combo, which I thought was very reasonably priced. The beers ranged from $3-4 a pint. My wife had the Caribbean steak, which was cooked to perfection, and I had the burger cooked exactly the way I ordered. The server was attentive and somewhat knowledgeable about the beers and ingredients, which is sometimes hard to find at brewpubs, surprisingly enough. The menu was well thought out and had a nice variety with plenty of options to pair with their beer.

I paired my burger with the Alligator Porter. They went well together. The Alligator was full of rich flavors and had a nice hop presence, which helped balanced the saltiness in the bleu cheese burger I was enjoying.

I recommend this Hops if you are in the Ft. Myers area. I‘ve heard many mixed reviews for Hops locations, but this one did fine by me. Below are the reviews of the beers I tried and some pairings I’d recommend when visiting any Hops location:

Mardi Gras Chicken (Double breasted chicken topped with fresh tomato-basil salsa and goat cheese) w/Lightning Bolt Gold or Beat the Heat Summer Wheat.

Walkers Wood Shrimp platter (Jumbo shrimp seasoned with a spicy wood Jamaican sauce) w/Alligator Ale or Powder Horn Pilsner.

Hops-Alligator Ale: Poured a dark brown with a thick tan head. The smell is sweet malt strong caramel, brown sugar, upfront with a slight chocolate backdrop. The taste is sweet and delicious chocolate, caramel, a slight nuttiness followed by a minimal hop balance but still dominated by the almost overpowering sweetness in the porter. Decent for the style and for this part of Florida.

Hops-Summer Wheat: Poured a cloudy lemon rind color with a frothy white head. The smell is orange and coriander with a musty fresh bread background. The taste is thick, sweet wheat and lemon orange citrus that comes highly carbonated. The finish has a slight wheat twang that is nicely balanced by some slight honey sweetness on the palate.

Hops Restaurant Bar & Brewery

5043 S. Cleveland Ave

Fort Myers, Florida, 33907

United States

phone: (941) 418-0190

website: http://www.hopsonline.com/

Definitely recommended when in the Ft. Myers area

Cheers,

Frank Bennett