Only a few hours after we published a story about the numerous breweries opening in the coming months, we're happy to report one of the seven arrived early. St. Petersburg's Cycle Brewing opened Thursday afternoon with beer a plenty at its 534 Central Ave. location.
Owner and brewer Doug Dozark (who we featured earlier this year on the cover of the Drinking Issue) looked around the room that was buzzing with friends and fans, all sipping on one of Cycle's six brews on tap.
"It's out first night open and we're about four hours in," Dozark said. "It's going great. We've gotten a great response and a lot of surprise visits. It's been really positive."
He said they didn't know they'd be able to open until about 12 p.m. on Thursday.
"We told ourselves we were going to open the doors as soon as possible," he said. "We did everything we needed to pass code and will make improvements as time goes on. But St. Pete has been crying for this and we made promises to open at the end of July. We missed that, but we did the best we could."
After months of work, and years of brewing locally (read more here) Dozark and his crew showcased the following brews to the 'Burg: Freewheel IPA; Unicycle: Motueka; Unicycle: Wakatu; Fixie American IPA; Ryerish Red; and The Dude Porter. In attendance were fellow brewers from Green Bench Brewing Company who are slated to open down the road in just a few weeks.
"It's a lot of work but it's rewarding," Dozark said. "There've been roadblocks. Everyone says you can't fight city hall, but the city of St. Pete and local government have been really supportive and helpful in the process. It's been pretty smooth by and by."
For now, Cycle Brewing will post daily hours on their Facebook page, but Dozark said you can count on afternoon and evening beers available at the newest brewery in town.
Cycle Brewing, 534 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-328-2720.
