ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Across the Tampa Bay region, there is a rising demand for locally crafted brews as more than a dozen microbreweries opened for business in 2023.
The Tampa Bay Business Journal recently reported that 13 new craft breweries added their name to a list of more than 100 breweries in the region, including three planning to open up later this year or early next year. One of the breweries wrapping up the final touches before its grand opening is Broad Street Brewing Co. in Hernando County.
The opening of this brewery will be historic, according to co-owners Tanya and John Myers. They said it would be the first microbrewery in all of downtown Brooksville.
The husband-and-wife duo are Tampa Bay natives and say they have seen a dramatic shift in the number of local craft breweries firsthand.
“You couldn’t get craft beers 20 years ago. And, I mean Yuengling, but I mean Yuengling is, you know, a major corporation out of Pennsylvania and Tampa,” Tanya said. “But you couldn’t find craft beer. It was a very secret society, if you will.”
Both agreed that the rise in the number of breweries in the region has been explosive and believe it’s thanks to a strong local community among residents and in the brewing industry.
Florida has seen an uptick in local breweries with nearly 400 in the entire state, compared to just 166 in 2016, according to the Brewers Association. The Tampa Bay region, however, is home to the most breweries with a little more than 100 shops, according to drinklocalflorida.com.
Some local breweries are seeing so much success that they are even delving into spirits.
Big Storm Brewing Co. opened shop in 2012, but during the pandemic, its owners decided to open up Big Storm Distillery. In 2023, the distillery made Florida history and gained national recognition after winning 11 medals at the world's largest spirits competition.
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“Our distillery is the most award-winning distillery in Florida, and we've only been doing it for two years. We have our best stuff still sitting in barrels,” said L.J. Govoni, co-owner of Big Storm.
Both Big Storm and Broad Street owners agree that the local craft beer scene has seen a dramatic uptick in recent years.
“I think the industry has changed a few times in the last couple of years. I think we've had four cycles of newbies in the market,” Govoni said.
“And the business model changed every time a little bit. I think ironically, we're back to where we were 15 years ago; we're opening up on a shoestring budget, you know, small system, maybe a 10th of the size of what's behind you,” he said while sitting inside the Big Storm Clearwater location.
He attributed much of the success across the region to the community’s support.
Broad Street owners said getting their business off the ground was partly due to the supportive, tight-knit local brewing community. They said they received most of their equipment from other breweries that either went out of business or upgraded their systems.
“When we speak, we speak of our community,” John of Broad Street said, in part. “It’s not so much the brewing industry. It’s really the brewing community. And I feel like we all, most of us, brewers and members of that community, we kind of take that to heart and try to keep it as a community and really grow that.
“It’s supportive. That’s what we love about this industry. And I feel that’s got a lot to do with the catalyst of growth in the craft community,” Tanya said.
Tampa historian Rodney Kite-Powell agreed with the breweries, saying much of the local success could be attributed to how breweries view themselves as more of a community than competition.
“There is a lot of camaraderie within the industry,” Kite-Powell said. “A lot of helping [each other] like borrowing equipment.”
Historically, the Tampa Bay region has loved its beer and spirits. The first commercial beer brewery, the Florida Brewing Company, opened in 1897 and was the first brewery in the entire state, according to Kite-Powell.
The historian said that most big cities in Florida, including Tampa, Miami and even Orlando, did not take too well to prohibition. The bigger cities, which housed large immigrant populations, were more open to drinking culture and were less homogeneous compared to rural areas of Florida which were heavily Protestant and white.
The man behind Florida’s first-ever brewery was a Cuban man named Vincente Martinez Ybor, who many may recognize the name from Ybor City, which is named after him. Kite-Powell explained that the immigrant population played a significant role in why Florida never entirely went dry.
Tampa Bay, specifically, was even more special because culturally, the area was more industrial with a more working-class population who enjoyed their local brews and spirits, compared to a more transient city like Miami, Kite-Powell explained.
Local law enforcement was even known to ignore illegal drinking during prohibition years. Kite Powell said: “Tampa’s business, political and social leadership seemed to mostly turn a blind eye, so finding illicit liquor was an easy task.”
It’s no surprise that today, Tampa Bay’s craving for good locally crafted beers and spirits never diminished, and seemingly more breweries are welcomed here than any other region in Florida. Broad Street Brewing's owners don’t feel like more breweries are more competition; they think it’s needed.
“Please bring it. We want other breweries downtown. We want other breweries around Brooksville,” Tanya said. “We know that a brewery can truly revitalize a district and activate a downtown.”
Big Storm Brewing said competition wasn’t a bad thing.
"I think rising tide lifts all boats. Right. So, you know, certainly the times were helpful to us. But I think the better Tampa Bay is known for good craft beer. That's great for all of us," L.J. Govoni said.
As more and more people move into the region with their cravings and demands on local craft beers, the soaring brewing community doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.