Saint Somewhere Brewing Company brewer and owner Bob Sylvester has decided to pull the plug on his taproom. Yep, the 2,454-square-foot property of Brasserie Saint Somewhere, which launched in downtown Tarpon Springs in January 2017, is up for sale.
But this doesn’t mean the brewery with a global reputation will be no more. Sylvester simply plans to consolidate the taproom at 312 E. Tarpon Ave. into the brewing facility behind it at 115 S. Ring Ave.
The taproom space went on the market a little over a month ago. Recently, the listing was pulled from the web due to an offer on the table, confirms realtor David Banther of Tarapani Banther & Associates, meaning the consolidation could happen sooner than expected.
“Tarpon is tough. The barbecue place next to us opened right after we did and has already closed,” Sylvester said, referring to late restaurant KC Que.
After purchasing the renovated two-story home that was converted into Brasserie Saint Somewhere, Sylvester wanted to rent out the bedrooms upstairs as an Airbnb. However, as time went on, funds were routed elsewhere to keep the taproom going.
Business isn’t as substantial as he anticipated, and the brewer attributes it to the city’s culture.
“I’ve come to notice that Tarpon locals don’t frequent Tarpon businesses,” he said.
He went on to compare Tarpon to Dunedin, as both are historic locales with similar populations, saying the support Dunedin bizes receive from their neighbors is much different than what goes down in Tarpon.
“People in Dunedin ride their bikes to restaurants on the weekends,” Sylvester said, “whereas today, a Sunday, 100 percent of my business has been from guests that live outside of Tarpon Springs.”
Although Brasserie Saint Somewhere does attract a considerable crowd when events — including beer releases and the semi-world-famous Occupy bottle shares — are hosted on-site, Sylvester credits the turnout to members of the beer scene coming together from all over Tampa Bay.
“Everyone who visits loves the place. Prices are comparable with everyone else’s. It’s just a weird dynamic locally,” he said.
A tasting room is still fairly new territory for the craft brewery, which is the second oldest in the region with nearly 13 years under its belt (Dunedin Brewery is 10 years Saint Somewhere’s senior). At first, Sylvester says he and the crew “arrogantly” thought the taproom’s house draft selection would attract people from Tampa and Dunedin. When that didn’t work, they began brewing IPAs and porters to adapt to the community’s palate.
These additions have failed to spark consistent taproom business from residents or commuters, so the brewery will go back to its roots, focusing on the production of traditional Belgian-style ales.
Once the taproom space is sold, patrons can hang out in the brewing facility with a beer like old times. Sylvester will also update his hours of operation from six days a week to three: Thursday through Saturday.
“We want to continue our dynamic of hosting events,” he said, “and being a late-night hub for our regulars.”
This article appears in Feb 21-28, 2019.