Wop’s Hops Brewing Company

Visiting family from the northeast where we aren’t strangers to microbrews and microbreweries. We stopped by on a Friday, lurking outside the building at 3:45 before they were open. The bartender welcomed us in despite the fact that they weren’t really open yet. I’m sure he, Eli, immediately regretted doing so since my wife, parents and I were interested in sharing a 14 beer flight, trying each of the beers brewed in house. Good thing we were his only patrons for the next 20 minutes as he painstakingly poured and labeled each brew. He was kind and patient, sharing his thoughts on a few and asking us ours.
As for the beer, it surpassed even the service. I was so glad to be in a place with so many unique flavors — something for every palette or every hour of the day (breakfast: Blood Orange. Dessert: Ode to Joy. There was even one with chamomile to ease you to bed.).
Most of the beers were excellent and indeed the Sweet Potato beer should not be missed. We left with a growler ode Roman Red IPA which, although not nearly the most creative beer they had on tap, was a crowd pleaser. Had I the time and constitution surely I would have stayed a few more hours to appreciate the stock more fully. Great job to Wop’s Hops, which is (perhaps with the Belgian beer establishment down the street that we did not visit) cementing Sanford as a burgeoning beer lovers paradise. I hope to be back.

Absolutely fantastic place. Each of these beers is a masterpiece within itself. Greg is knowledgeable, personable, and truly a master craftsman. My personal favorite is the American pale ale, but using a favorite is next to impossible as each of these fantastic beers is incredible. If this place was located in New York City or San Francisco, there would be a waiting list to have a beer. If you were in Sanford and fancy great beer, this is the spot. A+++

There probably isn’t a more inviting bar in Sanford. On Sunday afternoon the owner makes food for patrons as a thank you for free. Add that to some of the best craft beer in Florida and you have a place that should always be on your Sanfording to do list.

Holy Butter rum beer! This was sweet, but really tasty!

Every homebrewer has that friend who tells them they should open a brewery. More often then not, that friend is a liar. Not, this guy’s though.
Coming to Florida, I hadn’t expected much from the craft beer scene outside of Tampa. I’ve never been so happy to be proven wrong. A small place, I drove by in time to find the brewer walking in, waving me in an hour before he officially opens, I, of course, tried all the things. Decidedly Experimental, predominantly non-​safe, there exists a strong staple of drinkable great beers.
I’m pleasantly surprised to see a Smoked Beer offered up here. It’s getting pretty trendy to be sure, but this one is done right, balanced and pleasant. The brewer is pulling the pints half the time, so stop and ask, the passion is evident. My growler safely back with me in Canada, now to find an excuse to return…

Tried this place out about a month ago after lunch. The staff were really friendly and actually opened early the day we went. My husband had a flight of their beers which were quite good. I decided to try the orange cream ale mixed with a cider. They put a starburst in it and I was sold! It was very good. The next time I’m in the area I’ll be happy to come here again and try a flight.

Great selection with beers you wouldn’t find at other breweries. Looking forward to having their award winning sweet potato brew on the fall! The owner is awesome and they have a cute outdoor seating area. Will definitely be back!

I recently visited Wop’s Hops after a trip to Shantell’s (they share the same building) and was pleased with this new-​ish brewery. They have a wide variety of styles to try, including some really funky stuff like Dolce Vita (peanut butter/​chocolate/​marshmallow brown ale) and Winter Solstice (ginger and honey). The staff was great and even opened up early for the late lunch crowd. The next time we head into Sanford, we will definitely be stopping by.

Locally-​owned by some very friendly & convivial people. Great selection of unique beers. Very comfortable setting both inside and out — looking around shows the results of well-​done renovation of an older Sanford bldg, yet still retaining the traditional old-​Sanford look from many, many years ago.
Best bet: Join the Wop’s Hops frequent patron club and get loads of cool stuff & discounts. If folks want to enjoy a refreshing craft-​made beer in a homey and relaxed setting, this is the place. Best of luck, guys. Cheers!

another great experience! great beer, service, music and there is even a food truck tonight! love love love the beers! there are always great new craft beers!

I love breweries! Wop’s Hops came up on our radar recently, so we set out to try it. They had 8 of their own beers available at the time, so we got a couple of flights so we could try all of them. We both really liked the Ode to Joy (in fact, between the two of us we eventually finished off their supply) and the Winter Solstice. I’ve been in sort of an IPA mode lately, and they really didn’t offer anything that was particularly hoppy (I was told that an IPA is on the way, so I’ll be returning for that!) so I wasn’t really blown away by any of the others. I liked them all, but I didn’t LOVE them all.
The people are great, and fun to talk to. The indoor bar seating is limited but nice, and the outdoor area has a place for live music and is dog friendly. (yes!)
Overall, a great place to hang out. Despite the 45 minute drive, we’ll be back soon.

This place is small but cute. We had a sampler of all their beers. They were all good! The owners stood there and talked with us while we were enjoying their beers. They had some snacks to munch on while drinking, but no food. Hopefully in the future they can incorporate some food on the menu. When we are back in Sanford we will stop by again.

Great craft beer in a family friendly environment! If you’re a fan of craft beer, this place is a must!

A local brewery owned and operated by local people that are doing a great job. I was there on opening night, and the place was packed, bands were playing, Surly Que (another local business) was selling food, and most importantly the beer was flowing.
This project in the historical section of Sanford has been a long time in the making, and the end result is good. A nice, comfortable spot complete with n outside beer garden (if you prefer a good cigar with your brew) that should please everyone. I have been following the brewer, Greg Picora, for a while now and he has a good take on beer. Some traditional (Scottish Ale), and some that are a little more adventuresome like his award winning Sweet Potato Ale that has been pleasing the locals for a few years now. With the craft beer scene being the way that it is in Sanford, this place really puts the feather in the city’s cap so to speak with beers that are brewed with quality ingredients in mind. I have been brewing beer for 25 years, so I can appreciate the quality grains, hops and yeast that they are using. Being that they just opened, they are still trying to round out the selection, but what I have tried are nice brews. The brown ale is good, as well as the Scottish. The Sweet Potato is a good example of a traditional winter warmer beer, and has won several awards for its full bodied flavor. I have been told that there will be many more beers that will be offered, but they’re off to a good start. I will not be so presumptuous as to how to tell a brewer how to run his brewery, but if I had a question about plans, I have no problem asking what they will plan on serving once they get up to full capacity, which they really aren’t.
So next time that you’re in Historic Downtown Sanford, check this place out — you won’t be disappointed.

I was really looking forward to this place because I love breweries. But their inaugural beer list seems to be more ‘experimental’ beers. ‘Experimental’ beers do not drive business. You need too have a base of that everyone likes. I got the red apa and there was nothing bad about it but it just wasn’t special. They do offer guest taps and have a good selection of craft beers but it’s not a good sign that the majority of sales are guest taps. Hopefully they will offer some other beers in the future.