By the time he signed up for courses at USFSP’s Brewing Arts program in 2017, Chris Price had been a homebrewer for over 15 years. He was on a mission to get schooled on the commercial side of the brewing industry since he was already on track to launch Dissent Craft Brewing Company the following year.
“The timing of the program and Dissent’s trajectory were actually paralleled,” Price told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “My partners and I already had a business plan and space, we were in the middle of build-out.”
Needless to say, thanks to the USFSP Brewing Arts Program, Dissent is running smoothly, and is even expanding with a second location later this year.
“Obviously going from homebrewing to commercial, there is certainly a fairly large difference. We’ve grown a lot because of that foundation I gained from USFSP, I don’t think I would’ve been successful without it,” Price added. “While the science [of brewing] is the same, there are a lot of other aspects as a business that I was completely blind to.”
Before Dissent’s location—stationed at 5518 Haines Rd. in St. Petersburg—spread its wings, Price found himself in the six-month program learning about production scheduling, completing an internship at Green Bench Brewing Co., taking a behind-the-scenes tour of Tampa’s Yuengling facility and picking the brains of thriving local brewers like Bob Sylvester of Tarpon Springs’ Saint Somewhere.
When CL asked how the dynamic between established brewers and students who are looking to open their own locations in town (and compete for consumers) works, Price said his interactions were nothing but fruitful.
“You’re connected with people in the local industry, who were all very friendly and open. Any questions we had, they were happy to offer their perspective,” he added.
Price also tips his hat to Jennifer Sedillo, Program Director at USFSP’s Brewing Arts, for staying connected with alumni and staying abreast about events happening not only in the local brewing industry, but also within the program. Wanting to keep that bond strong, Price finds himself also reaching back out to Sedillo so he can pay it forward to those who are looking to start, continue or amplify their journey in the industry.
“We’ve actually done a collab with a recent cohort where all of the students created beer recipes and we chose one winner,” Price said. “The entire class then came out to watch us brew it and put it on tap.”
While Price is a success story of the program, his journey is far from over. Wanting to expand his brewing horizons, Price is in the process of opening a second location in downtown Lakeland at 125 S. Kentucky Ave. less than a mile away from the new food hall The Joinery. Looks like Dissent no.2 will be in good company. The Lakeland location is set to host a similar vibe to the original location, which means a self-funded, small brewery and possibly filled with Funko Pops. Funkos or not, Price is itching for the debut.
“We’ve been waiting on permits and plans for the last six months,” he said. Thankfully, the wait won’t be much longer, as Price predicts the doors should open in the next two to three months.
Want to see what’s brewing at Dissent? Hours for the St. Petersburg location are Mon.-Thu. from 3 p.m.-9 p.m., Fri-.Sat. from noon-10 p.m. and Sun. from noon-6 p.m.
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This article appears in Feb 20-27, 2020.