Orlando-based Brewlando has added two new beers to its lineup just as UCF's football season kicks off, giving Knights fans fresh options at the Acrisure Bounce House. The brewery, founded and led by UCF alum Shara Pathak, debuted the Brew-CF Pilsner and Brew-CF Light Lager at the stadium, joining Jernigan's Hazy IPA, Brewlando's bestselling pour, as part of its lineup of 23 total pours.
The rollout comes as Brewlando settles into its role as the official craft beer of UCF Athletics, a partnership that began after UCF reached out to the brewery, according to Orlando Sentinel. Pathak, who earned a marketing degree at UCF, called the tie-up with her alma mater especially meaningful. Brew-CF beers, including the two new pours, are lighter-bodied, easy-drinking options with lower alcohol by volume, and they're sold in cans at games and elsewhere on campus.
From Corporate Wristbands to Craft Beer
Pathak's path to running a brewery is unconventional. Her family emigrated from Trinidad when she was 16, after visiting Orlando annually beforehand, per the same account. She went on to become president of Price Chopper Wristband, a company that supplies ID wristbands to UCF and that, under her leadership, acquired a software company in 2020 and expanded into digital ticketing and access control.
She entered the beer business in 2022, initially planning to operate a brewery temporarily while she sought another operator to take it over — a plan that clearly changed course. Brewlando was founded after Pathak took over a commercial-building tenant's beer business, and the company has since grown into a small regional chain, with locations in Maitland, Sanford, and Orlando, including Brewlando Maitland at 160 Independence Lane, Brewlando Brewing at 6820 Hoffner Ave., and the Brewlando Winery & Tasting Room, which operates locations at ICON Park and at 8395 International Drive. In 2024, the company also acquired Sanford Brewing Company, now Brewlando Sanford at 400 Sanford Ave.
Brew-CF Started as a Homage, Then Went to the Stadium
The Brew-CF name — short for Brew Central Florida — didn't start out tied to UCF at all. Brewlando first introduced the brand in December 2025 with a Brew-CF Belgian Ale, launching it as an independent line celebrating Central Florida culture before expanding it into the stadium-ready pilsner and light lager for the 2026 UCF football season, the brewery has said.
Brewlando's beers are also sold at 20 Publix stores around town, giving the brand retail reach beyond its taprooms and stadium concessions. The UCF partnership places Brewlando alongside a growing number of Florida university athletic departments cutting craft beer deals — Florida State partnered with Oyster City Brewing in 2022, and the collaboration's Legacy Lager was announced in 2023, while the University of Florida struck a deal with Shock Top in 2024, according to Learfield. Nationally, the trend is accelerating: Learfield has reported that 93 university athletic departments now hold licensed alcoholic beverage agreements, a 57.6% jump from 2023, with craft brewery partnerships specifically more than doubling in that span, as reported by WKMG.
Airport Expansion and National Recognition
Brewlando's growth isn't stopping at campus concessions. The brewery is set to open a location at Orlando International Airport's Terminal B in 2027, replacing the current Outback Steakhouse space there. Pathak has said the MCO location ties Brewlando into Orlando and Central Florida in a significant way. The airport spot fits into the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority's broader Concession Master Plan, approved in December 2024, which calls for redeveloping more than 200,000 square feet of guest space across Terminals A and B — including a Winery and Tasting Room powered by Brewlando inside the airport's Citrus Market concept, according to the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. MCO serves more than 57 million passengers annually.
The brewery has also racked up accolades beyond the stadium and airport deals. In July, Brewlando won two bronze medals at the 2026 U.S. Open Beer Championship for its Belle Isle Blonde and Black Hammock Porter, the latter of which also won a statewide medal at the Best Florida Beer Championships. That same month, Brewlando was named a Top 25 finalist for UCF Alumni's inaugural Ever Upward Awards, which recognize the fastest-growing Knight-owned and Knight-led businesses by revenue growth, and it took Gold for Best Brewery in the Orlando Sentinel's Central Florida Favorites Awards for the second consecutive year, with its ICON Park location also earning silver for Best Wine Selection and bronze for Best Date Night Spot.
Growing Against the Grain
Brewlando's expansion is happening at a moment when the craft beer industry overall is contracting. National craft beer production fell 5% in 2025, and brewery closures outpaced new openings for the second straight year running, according to the Brewers Association. Florida bucks some of that trend, ranking 10th nationally with 379 operating craft breweries and $3.6 billion in economic impact, the fifth-highest such figure in the country. According to the Brewers Association, the craft brewing industry contributed $71.8 billion to the U.S. economy in 2025 and supported over 415,000 jobs, underscoring the broader economic footprint behind local brewery expansion.
Pathak's position in the industry is also notable on another front. Roughly 23% to 41% of U.S. craft breweries have female co-owners, but only about 2% are fully owned by women, according to the Brewers Association figures cited by Forbes. That places Brewlando's founder in a small slice of an industry still dominated by male ownership, even as Brewlando itself keeps adding beers, taprooms and stadium taps ahead of the Knights' season opener against Bethune-Cookman on Thursday at the Bounce House.
