SPIRITS

Alberto “AC” Cisneros, Alexandria P., and Isaac Johnson

REVIEWS

Taking the town by storm

Restaurateur adds brewery, more nightlife on tap for downtown Leesburg.

STORY: VICTORIA SCHLABIG ≈ PHOTOS: DOUGLAS TYLER

he owner of Pint Sized Pub, Main Street Cantina, Brick and Barrel, and the former 24 Tap Room is once again bringing events and nightlife to the City of Leesburg. Alberto “AC” Cisneros’s Mammoth Oak Brewing Company is open for business, o ering a selection of craft beers made in-house by head brewer and co-founder, Isaac Johnson.

While Isaac is the mastermind for most beer avors, AC and the third co-owner Kenny Romero, are very helpful with tastings. “Isaac used to host a home brewers club at 24 Tap Room, so he wanted to open up his own brewery, but didn’t have the nancial status to do it. We (Kenny and I) wanted to open up a brewery, but we didn’t know how to brew beer, so we just merged together, and all the beer you see now is his,” AC says. “We just let him have free range and it’s working out so far because it’s amazing – really good reviews.”

One beer AC likes to brag about is the Lightsaber Dance Party, which he inspired. “So at 24 Tap Room, I’m a big Star Wars geek so I had lightsabers, and I love to dance so I used to do a little show with my lightsabers, so they named that beer after me or my parties,” he says. The Lightsaber Dance Party is a hazy double IPA with tropical notes like lemon, mango and pineapple, although the orange avor stood out the most to me. I found it to resemble a beer-mosa, if you’re familiar with the mimosa-beer collaborative cocktail.

If you’re into fruitier drinks, you’ll also enjoy the Sunset Beach, “which has a distinct fruity sweetness to it,” says Style writer Roxanne Brown, who is not much of a beer-drinker. I enjoyed the Co ee Snob, a smooth Porter that reminded me of a nitro cold brew co ee because of its smoothness and co ee smell and avor. I don’t normally drink my co ee black, but for this I’ll make an exception.

An enticing option for many may be the Cookies and Cream Stout, which will greet your nose before your tastebuds with the rich smell of chocolate. Style writer James Combs had a lot to say about the sweet treat. “Who doesn’t love cookies and cream? Now, we can try this tasty combination as a craft beer. Mammoth Oak Brewery’s Cookies and Cream Stout comes with a blend of sweet milk brewed with cocoa and vanilla. Truthfully, if it wasn’t for the taste of alcohol, you might think you’re drinking a big glass of chocolate milk.”

Traditionalists need not fret. Mammoth Oak o ers the Ultra Bros. James comments, “I have steadfastly refused to budge from the mostly

“BECAUSE WE HAD SUCH A BIG FOLLOWING, PEOPLE STILL CAME IN AND BOUGHT GROWLERS OF BEER.”

—ALBERTO “AC” CISNEROS

watered-down beer I have religiously stuck to since my college days. So when I’m forced to drink craft beer, I always look for a familiar avor that doesn’t deviate too far from what I’m accustomed to. The Ultra Bros. at Mammoth Oak Brewery is that beer. It’s smooth, has a low alcohol by volume (ABV) and is refreshing.”

Like a lot of other small businesses, Mammoth Oak had to adapt to survive during the COVID-19 shut down earlier in the year. The brewery opened March 16th and closed its doors on March 20th. “Because we had such a big following, people still came in and bought growlers of beer. So we bought all the growlers we could in a ve-mile radius, we sold out. We ended up having to go to Orlando and buy some over there,” AC says.

The events calendar at Mammoth Oak Brewing is de nitely not lacking. You can nd live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays, trivia on Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are open mic nights, where anyone is welcome to get up on stage and plug in. The brewery is also trying to bring back virtual reality (VR) games, which were very popular at 24 Tap Room. And, you can come in for Saturday morning yoga, where for just $10 you’ll get a yoga class and a free beer afterwards. Talk about a great start to the weekend.

FOR YOUR INFO

MAMMOTH OAK BREWING COMPANY

1107 W N Blvd Suite 26, Leesburg, FL 352.326.0100 Hours: Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm Sunday 11am-9pm mammothoak.com

Do you know a place where we can drink?

Comment on this article or send story ideas to victoria@akersmediagroup.com.

VICTORIA SCHLABIG