In 2002, Brian Fenstermacher opened Southern Brewing Supply as a wholesale supplier to the southeastern United States. Fenstermacher had been a brewmaster at Atlanta Brewing Company, and then became the head brewer at Ybor City Brewing. He saw the need for a local wholesaler in the region. In 2008, the only homebrew store in Tampa closed. Local residents left with the choice of ordering online or trekking across the bridge to the last remaining store, turned to Southern Brewing.
Again seeing a need that waited to be filled, Fenstermacher enlisted the help of his wife Kelly, a 25-year veteran of the banking world, and opened a retail space inside the wholesale company. Southern Brewing and Winemaking was born. In 2011, the operation was moved to Nebraska Avenue in Seminole Heights. With a more open space, a beer and wine bar, a beer garden, and space for homebrew classes, it’s a draw for beer lovers everywhere.
Last year, it expanded to include a brewery. The choice to move to Seminole Heights came after months of looking.
“We wanted a place close to our house with easy access to 275 and large enough to grow the business for many years,” Fenstermacher told me. “We were immediately drawn to this property but it was under contract for quite some time before it fell through. It wasn’t until we started the build out that we realized how many of our customers from our old shop lived in this area.”
He credits their success to support from the neighborhood and community.
“The support of the neighborhood has been tremendous and the most welcome surprise,” Fenstermacher said. “We are thrilled to be able to contribute to such an amazing neighborhood.”
Drawing on the talent and experience of the staff, Southern is now widely recognized and has several beer championship medals to its credit.
“We are very excited about the awards we recently won,” he said. “But to me competitions like these are less about validating the quality of our beers and more about gaining feedback to help us improve. …”
During Tampa Bay Beer Week, just a few weeks ago, Southern Brewing hosted and collaborated for the beer dinner at Tampa Bay Brewing Company. The collaboration brew with 7venth Sun in Dunedin “Ale of Two Cities,” a Belgian-style Barleywine was released to considerable fanfare during that week as well. One of the signature events of was Southern Brewing’s “Leftover Party,” a public sharing of the remaining 800+ bottles of homebrew submitted for the Best Florida Beer Championship Homebrew Championships. Only one or two bottles are opened for judging purposes; the rest is thrown out. But the folks at Southern had a better idea. And so was born the Best Florida Beer Championship Leftover Party. The event was a huge success, and showcased the true craftsmanship of the homebrewers.
As a homebrew supply store, I can personally attest to the excellent selection and quality of ingredients. Take the time to stop in, try some of the brewed on-site beers, and pick up supplies to make some of your own.
