Ybor City’s Sky Puppy Brewing opens on September 13

Nearly three years after getting the keys to Ybor City’s historic Tampa Fire Station No. 2 building, Danielle Vergnaud-McKinnon and her husband Matthew McKinnon will finally open their new brewery to the public.

Sky Puppy Brewing, located at 1313 E 8th Ave, opens on Friday, Sept. 13, Matthew’s birthday.

At recent soft opening nights, Sky Puppy featured a dozen beers on tap, along with four natural wines by the glass. Beer styles created with Sky Puppy’s seven-barrel SS Brew Tech system included Mexican lager, hazy IPA and hazy DIPA, Czech pilsner, Belgian wit, two Florida weisses, and a sweet stout.

This morning, Matthew—a local home brewer and professional brewer who’s worked on teams at TBBC & Coppertail—told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that all the beers from the soft opening will be available when doors open. Two more stouts—a vanilla cold brew coffee stout and peanut butter stout—may also be ready along with a Munich dunkel.

Beer lovers are in for a treat when they open the heavy fireproof doors at Sky Puppy. The interior, which can accommodate about 45 people, was designed by Danielle and features high ceilings, comfortable booths and tables, plus a small bartop and common areas for standing. Dramatic bat sculptures by Florida artist Copper Tritscheller greet visitors upon entry and reappear on the brewery’s 13 tap handles. Textile works from artist Sydney Brown (of Foot Stuff Rugs & Co.) is currently featured in the rotating gallery space.

“We set our craziest ideas on a path to take shape and breathe life into the heart of our soul city, Ybor. It’s a space for art, a home for craft beer. It’s a place for exploring, sharing thoughts and diving deep into our interpretation of our senses,” Matthew and Danielle wrote on social media. “The impossible idea has become possible, the time has come. Lets take flight.”

This article appears in Aug 29 – Sep 4, 2024.