John Vellines (pictured left) is owner and operated at Empouria. Credit: Empouria

John Vellines (pictured left) is owner and operated at Empouria. Credit: Empouria

John Vellines (pictured left) is owner and operated at Empouria. Credit: Empouria
  • Empouria
  • John Vellines (pictured right) owns and operates Empouria.

St. Petersburg's first craft beer bar owner John Vellines wants Empouria (formerly the Independent in St. Petersburg) to be all about "Bier Kunst."

"It means the art of beer in German," Vellines said Wednesday morning. "That's our new mantra."

Empouria celebrates its grand opening from January 14-19, with special beer programming every night in the updated space at 29 Third St. N.

Throughout the past 20 years, Vellines watched the beer scene evolve — firsthand as a distributor, and then as a bar owner.

This article appears in Jan 10-16, 2013.