{"id":389471,"date":"2026-09-03T18:18:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T18:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/389471\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T18:18:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T18:18:19","slug":"brewlando-debuts-ucf-centric-beers-for-new-football-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/389471\/","title":{"rendered":"Brewlando debuts UCF-centric beers for new football season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tonight, as the University of Central Florida Knights make their 2026 season debut at the Bounce House, so, too, will two beers from Brewlando<\/a>, exciting additions that are part of the local brewery\u2019s new Brew-CF line.<\/p>\n

The Brew-CF Pilsner and Brew-CF Light Lager will join the Jernigan\u2019s Hazy IPA, Brewlando\u2019s bestseller, helping fans cool off amid the heat of competition \u2014 and the unforgiving Florida summer.<\/p>\n

Brewlando founder and UCF alum Shara Pathak will be sweating among them, cheering loudly, charging on.<\/p>\n

Any craft brewery would be delighted to secure an official partnership with a Big 12 school, but for\u00a0Pathak, its significance goes far beyond the beer biz that the Bounce House will afford.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s especially meaningful,\u201d Pathak says. \u201cA partnership with my alma mater was just huge for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pathak\u2019s family visited Orlando annually from their native Trinidad every year before emigrating when she was 16.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The frequent visits and friendships her father formed] were how my family decided we\u2019d settle here,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd though I graduated a long time ago \u2014 almost 80,000 students graduate every year, and you wonder where everyone goes and what everyone does \u2014 I stayed local.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Brewlando'sBrewlando’s lineup of University of Central Florida-themed beers includes a pilsner, an IPA and a light lager at the Acrisure Bounce House on campus. The brewery is debuting its “Brew-CF” beers at the stadium in time for UCF’s home opener tonight against Bethune-Cookman. (Joe Burbank\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

And thrived, though at first, craft beer was not on the marketing major\u2019s bingo card.<\/p>\n

Back in Trinidad, her family\u2019s business was printing. They started anew once stateside, a niche spinoff into ID wristbands. Pathak was working there full-time while earning her degree full-time, as well. Upon graduating, she became president of Price Chopper Wristband<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The business continued to grow, as did Pathak\u2019s entrepreneurial spirit. In 2020, the acquisition of a software company gave Price Chopper a leg up, elevating it into digital ticketing and access control. The company, which supplies ID wristbands to UCF for use in different areas of the campus, turns 29 this year.<\/p>\n

When beer (much to her craft brew-seeking husband\u2019s delight) joined the portfolio in 2022, it was sort of by accident.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d done a real estate development project a few years prior and one of the tenants in a commercial building I owned decided after three years that they weren\u2019t going to continue,\u201d Pathak explains, noting that she\u2019d had no intention of jumping in.<\/p>\n

But it was right before Christmas. The staff really wanted to stay open. Pathak\u2019s heart was open, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said I\u2019d do it temporarily. I\u2019d keep the doors open until we could find somebody else,\u201d she laughs. \u201cWe were going to run it as a business. Beer wasn\u2019t a hobby for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt *was* supposed to be temporary,\u201d she laughs. \u201cI was actively looking for another operator, and in that search, found an executive in the brewing business who had 25-plus years with some big names, like Yuengling. We decided he would come in as the chief executive officer.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s how Brewlando was born.<\/p>\n

Brewlando to acquire Sanford Brewing Company<\/a><\/p>\n

Two years later, a similar situation saw them acquire Sanford Brewing Company. And not long after, UCF came calling. When the phone rang, Pathak laughs, she didn\u2019t think it was real.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t return it!\u201d she says. \u201cBut then I got an email and saw it was actually attached to UCF, so I picked up the phone to call him back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Becoming a part of the Big 12 had expanded their partnership opportunities, and craft beer was on their list. A UCF alum-founded company was appealing. Even better, one with a woman at the helm.<\/p>\n

Pathak laughs.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy background was in manufacturing and technology \u2026 but Brewlando is all about community and this particular partnership with UCF was, to me, a big window into that community-driven spirit that is our foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Named for Aaron Jernigan, Orlando\u2019s first settler, Jernigan\u2019s Hazy IPA, Brewlando\u2019s bestselling of its 23 pours, has been available at Knights games in previous years. Joining it in 2026: the Brew-CF line.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to continue to evolve Brewlando into more of a Central Florida staple,\u201d says Pathak of the catchily-named line. \u201cIt has a fun ring that works well with our UCF partnership. It stands for \u2018Brew Central Florida.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SharaShara Pathak, founder and CEO of Brewlando, holds up a can of pilsner, one of their University of Central Florida-themed beers at the Acrisure Bounce House on campus. (Joe Burbank\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Available in cans at games and elsewhere on campus, the Brew-CF Pilsner and Brew-CF Light Lager are inspired equally by Floridian weather and a desire for crushability.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople want something refreshing,\u201d she says. \u201cThese are lighter-bodied and easy-drinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

UCF Knights vs. B-CU: TV info, betting odds, keys<\/a><\/p>\n

And with lower ABVs, fans can enjoy a little more.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also find these and other Brewlando pours at 20 different Publix stores around town, with concentrations near UCF, as well as at their other locations in Maitland, Sanford and the original on Hoffner Avenue<\/a> in Orlando. Brewlando\u2019s Winery & Tasting Room at Icon Park<\/a> offers up even more choices for less beer-centric patrons.<\/p>\n

Brewlando\u2019s footprint continues to grow, and next year it will begin greeting visitors to the city at MCO\u2019s Terminal B, replacing the Outback Steakhouse location. Pathak is thrilled.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ties us into Orlando and Central Florida in a very significant way.\u201d<\/p>\n

For tonight, though, she need not look beyond the Bounce House, which always feels like a homecoming.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have this theory that things move the way that they should in exactly the times that they should,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I\u2019m so excited that we\u2019re a part of craft culture in Orlando \u2026 and at UCF.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram\u00a0@amydroo<\/a>\u00a0or on the OSFoodie Instagram account\u00a0@orlando.foodie<\/a>. Email:\u00a0amthompson@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>, For more foodie fun, join the\u00a0Let\u2019s Eat, Orlando Facebook group<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you go<\/p>\n

Brewlando is Central Florida\u2019s Official Craft Beer of UCF Athletics and is available at the stadium on game day. More info: brewlando.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Brewlando Brewing: 6820 Hoffner Ave. in Orlando<\/p>\n

The Winery & Tasting Room: 8395 International Drive in Orlando<\/p>\n

Brewlando Maitland: 160 Independence Lane in Maitland<\/p>\n

Brewlando Sanford: 400 Sanford Ave. in Sanford<\/p>\n

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