As a new slate of Bay area breweries prepares to launch, and others continue to spring up like (intoxicated?) rabbits, we’ll soon have even more variety. Here’s a look at six breweries set to release their liquid genius in coming months.
Bastet Brewpub
Tasting Bastet's Hop Tub Time Machine, How Now Brown Cow or Fuzzy Frenchman (a saison) may not be necessary after the buzz generated from that imagery.
“We’re fans of the pun,” head brewer Tom Ross said. “It’s better than ‘Bob’s Beer.’”
The brewery’s name is an ode to the Egyptian goddess Bastet, who would’ve destroyed humanity if she hadn’t overindulged in beer.
“The Egyptians were one of the first large brewing cultures on the planet, though theirs was very different from what we drink today,” said Ross, who plans to experiment with beer styles from different cultures.
With a premiere date to be determined, Ross and his brewing compatriots, who offer 12 years of homebrewing experience between them, hope to snag a space in Seminole Heights.
What to drink: ¡OLE! Tepache. It’s Ross’ twist on a traditional Mexican ferment made with pineapple. He adds ginger and cardamom for some extra zip.
Croxbone Brewing Company
This brewing operation is all about adventure. Nicole and Brian Cendrowski use the seafaring life as inspiration for beers you might need courage to try, such as the Perlin’s Ghost Pepper Pale Ale and Tango with my Mango Saison.
Brian said he typically handles the brewing, while Nicole, a seasoned chef, develops the beers’ culinary twist.
Though Croxbone would like to debut next fall or winter, according to Brain, opening day depends on how soon the brewery finds its Tampa headquarters.
The Cendrowskis aim to outfit their tasting room much like a pirate den — plenty of dark wood, metal work and soft lighting.
“[It] will be at the heart of the experience,” Brian said.
There will be four flagship beers (an IPA brewed with citrus zest, a Belgian IPA, a porter and a lager) and others that rotate. Future plans for food-inspired beers include s’mores and PB&J.
What to drink: Brian’s a fan of the dark side. When the brewery sets sail, one of its core beers will be a Baltic Porter. Drink up, me hearties.
Hidden Springs Ale Works
After months of hunting, Hidden Springs owners Joshua Garman and Austin Good recently secured a home for their Tampa Heights brewery, slated to open around March 2015.
The 7,500-square-foot building at 1631 N. Franklin St. will make for an “industrial but inviting” tasting room, Garman said.
Inspired by their Floridian youth, swimming in springs and loving the outdoors, Garman and Good want the beers to be enjoyable and bold.
“We’ll have a wide variety, but we’re definitely going to have some funky stuff too,” Garman said.
A milk stout, an IPA, a double IPA and a Berliner Weisse will serve as staples next to revolving taps. They plan to showcase a Flanders Red and a Gose, among others.
What to drink: “Our double IPA is complex and delicious,” Garman said. “It’s one you can sip and take some time to enjoy, and that’s what I like in a beer.”
Late Start Brewery
Beer is a blank canvas when it comes to flavor. And the men behind Late Start — Tyler Sankey, Jordan Copher and Nick Streeter — want to make it taste like, well, not exactly beer.
The trio crafts Florida Weisse beers, variations of the Berliner Weisse that use real ingredients (usually fruit) for flavor instead of syrups.
They take the process a step further by modeling their flavors after cocktails. Thus, brews like Jams & Jellies, Tequila Sunrise and Cucumber Gimlet were born.
According to Sankey, the brewery’s seeking investment money to find a downtown Tampa site. Late Start plans to begin searching for a space, with room for a seven-barrel system, in the next six months.
What to drink: Tequila Sunrise Florida Weisse. “It has really nice sour notes and imparts a lot of the same flavors as a cocktail,” Sankey said. “It shows how beer can relate to other drinks.”
Pinellas Ale Works
Dennis Decker and Matthew Brown, Pinellas Ale Works founders, are decidedly dog people.
When they realized their St. Petersburg brewery’s name could be shortened to PAW, it became a theme.
The pair’s logo boasts a canine footprint, and after the brewery launches at 1962 First Ave. S., sometime in the spring next year, drinkers may be accompanied by their pooches.
Decker said PAW will have six regular taps, and six that rotate. Patrons can look forward to a spacious, high-ceilinged taproom, a huge beer garden and additional seating outdoors along First Avenue South.
What to drink: Stay Pale Ale. “We’re really happy with it,” Decker said. “It’s around 5 percent ABV, with a whole lot of hop flavor.”
Tangent Brewing
The married brewing duo who own Tangent, Rodney Sedillo and Jennifer Lee, are mad about suds, and each other. They aim to find a brewing space for Safety Harbor's first brewery by April 2015.
According to Sedillo, Tangent specializes in American Wild ales, beers made with the wild yeast brettanomyces, which adds more acidic and sour notes.
“There are four or five varieties I feel confident producing on a grand scale at this point,” he said.
Those brews include the Brett Sour, Brett Violet Pear, Brett Cherry and Spiced Apple Wild Ale.
Tangent’s beers are crafted with patience, brewed with more patience and aged with a little more patience in wood barrels. With a production time of four to six months for each beer, Sedillo said the brewery will mostly focus on production and distribution.
Although a small tasting room will be showcased once the brewery’s doors open, there may only be one beer to sample for several months.
What to drink: Brett Sour. “People are surprised you can get a sour beer out of these yeasts,” Sedillo said. “It has tropical fruit notes.”
