Dan Pemberton doesn’t mince words when it comes to why he took over the building that now houses St. Petersburg’s restaurant-turned-brewpub Pesky Pelican: He wanted a place to brew.
With no previous brewery or restaurant experience, the local homebrewer and his daughter, Danielle, sketched up plans for a brewpub in the basement of their house in Missouri more than a decade ago. But it wasn’t until Dan’s 25-year career in software development ended— and neighborhood bar and grill McNally’s went up for sale — that their longtime business idea came to fruition.
Sort of.
Although the Pesky Pelican’s doors opened in May 2016, guests have only been pairing its well-received bar food with easy-drinking pints of house beer for a little over a year, as the process of acquiring a brewer’s license took some time. The barrel-and-a-half brewing system that Dan initially purchased remains unpacked and untouched — because most of his nanobrews are made on a homebrew system that does 10 gallons at a time. He recently scored additional equipment from the Grand Central District’s Cage Brewing, which now allows him to produce two-thirds of a barrel.
“It’s a lot of work,” said Dan, who adds brewing on-site in the back of the building keeps him busy. “I was brewing four to five times a week. Now I’m down to two to three times a week.”
Tampa Bay’s beer scene isn’t unfamiliar territory for Dan. He used to volunteer and compete at festivals for years as a homebrewer. However, despite the challenge of having its headquarters nestled in the middle of a residential locale, the Pesky Pelican does fill a void for beer buffs living on that side of town. Plus, the added bonus of a kitchen means patrons don’t have to worry about grabbing a bite to eat elsewhere.
Typically, the brewpub carries five of its own beers on tap, alongside one nonalcoholic root beer originally created for Dan's grandaughter. The recipes Dan dreams up are designed to complement a guest’s meal, and the saison, Sunny Honey and pale ale, to name a few, get the job done. Yet not-so-ordinary draft selections are on hand, too, like the hybrid Pesky Pete’s Raspberry Wheat with roasted malt.
“It’s just very strange because it has an appeal to everyone,” Dan said.
The Pesky Pelican aims to expand deeper into the St. Pete strip mall it calls home at 923 72nd St. N. in the future. According to Dan, the brewpub’s growth will likely involve a three-barrel system and a tasting room, but most of all?
“We wanna get people in here, and keep ’em coming back.”
