Green Bench Brewing Co. at 1133 Baum Ave. N has established a reputation in St. Pete for its kid and dog-friendly courtyard and crisp IPAs and pilsners, while sister concept Webb’s City Cellar is its five-year-old tasting room counterpart that offers a more specialized experience and a funkier taplist.
While Webb’s City Cellar may be the smaller concept in terms of volume, a globally-recognized hospitality organization recently gave it a nod that may put it on the map as a national destination for unique beer, cider, ales, mead and more.
But when 36 year-old owner Khris Johnson took the plunge to open the specialty tasting room over five years ago, he and his team weren't so sure that it would be well received by their consumers.
“I remember how challenging Webb’s City Cellar was at the beginning to like, even conceptualize,” Johnson tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “Honestly, it felt like there was a high failure rate when we built it, but our mission has always been to challenge both ourselves and the market.”
With an intimate, nine-seat bar and high top tables amongst its many barrels, foeders and other brewing equipment, Webb’s City Cellar offers a cool, industrial ambiance that differs from the brewery’s bright and airy space. Although Webb’s City has only been open since 2019, Johnson and his team have been releasing specialty beers under its brand since Green Bench’s inception in 2013. What originally started as a “small climate controlled closed that could originally fit about 20-25 barrels” has evolved into a unique tasting experience that just snagged a James Beard semifinalist nomination for “Outstanding Bar” last month. By April, Johnson will find out if Webb’s City Cellar has been selected as a finalist and may travel to the award ceremony in Chicago this summer. According to the foundation itself, bars that earn a semifinalist nomination must “demonstrate consistent excellence in curating a selection or in the preparation of drinks, along with outstanding atmosphere, hospitality, and operations, and contributing positively to its broader community.”
Whether Webb City Cellar takes home the prestigious award or not, making it to the semifinalist stage is still incredibly impressive, especially since it’s the only business in the greater Tampa Bay area that was represented in the James Beard Foundation’s 2024 nominations.
Notably, Webb’s City Cellars is the first bar/brewery in the greater Tampa Bay area that has been recognized by foundation. Tampa Bay as a whole has snagged a few semifinalist nods over the past two decades, but its Beard roster has been overwhelmingly dominated by Tampa institutions like Bern’s Steak House and Columbia Restaurant.Perhaps Green Bench Brewing Co. and Webb’s City Cellars can help usher in an era where exemplary hospitality concepts in St. Pete can start gaining national recognition, which is particularly important since the Michelin star has not—and may never—make its way across the bridge.
With the Beard under his belt or not, Johnson still looks toward the future of his business—and the brewing industry as a whole—with calculated optimism.
“We’ve never wanted to simplify things for the consumer and we don’t really believe in the ‘market not being ready for something,’" Johnson explains. “Beyond the James Beard nod and everything that comes with it, it’s just been amazing to see how our market has embraced everything we’ve done so far. But I think I spend more time thinking about the work that still needs to be done more than what we’ve done up to this point.”
GreenBenchBrewing / Facebook
Webb's City Cellar is located at 1133 Baum Ave. N right across from Green Bench Brewing Co.
Every year, Green Bench’s annual Tampa Bay Beer Week event focuses on fermentation-forward brews and education around them, but this year’s celebration coincides with Webb’s City Cellar’s fifth anniversary on Friday, March 8. The 2024 rendition is an expanded block party on Baum Avenue filled with plenty of flowing beers from Green Bench and visiting breweries, live entertainment, educational panels from head brewers and commemorative merchandise.
Despite the wave of James Beard-related media coverage, the start of “season” for the local hospitality industry, and upcoming anniversaries, Johnson is still well aware of the trials that all small businesses are experiencing right now and is not taking the regular closures of craft breweries around the country lightly. With the business’ platform from the James Beard nod and the wave of new customers it has garnered, Johnson hopes to be transparent about industry issues like inflation, equity, and the “plummeting of profitability” he’s experienced since 2020.
But profit aside, he still maintains the same enthusiasm that he did when he first started home brewing 15 years ago. “I celebrate this industry as a whole—I love beer. I still love beer, like, I'm so passionate about it. I’ll never know everything there is to know about beer and that excites me.”
Looking forward, Johnson hopes to continue brewing unique beers, meads and ciders and possibly start experimenting with spontaneous fermentation. He may even open a third “experience-based concept surrounding beer and cider.”
While there’s a possibility of opening other Green Bench tasting rooms around Tampa Bay, Johnson will most likely stay in his home of St. Pete—the city he’s spent the last decade doing his best to represent within the brewing industry and beyond.
“We don’t want anybody to forget what we've been through as a city or take for granted how special this place is. And that history is a part of what makes it special,” Johnson—who spends much of his spare time advocating for fellow Black brewers, distillers and business owners—explains. “If we're going to promise to represent the city as best we can, we have to create the best products and customer experience that we possibly can. That has been our mindset since day one.”
Head to @GreenBenchBrewing on Instagram for the latest news on Green Bench’s TBBW events, latest beer releases and updates on its James Beard nomination.
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
