Photo via zydecobrewwerks/Facebook
Zydeco Brew Werks is located at 1902 E 7th Ave. in Ybor City, Florida.
Zydeco Brew Werks’ last day of operation at 1902 E 7th Ave. is Jan. 21, according to a statement.
Not getting to be with regulars and staff on a daily basis is one of the hardest parts of the closure, Zydeco brewer and co-founder Paul Rutherford told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
Zydeco’s second location at Tampa’s Museum of Science and Industry will stay open, Rutherford added, but he’s still not sure where he’s going to make beer while he and co-founder J.Paul Pepin search for a new home for the brewhouse they built inside of a location that’s rich with relics of Ybor City past.
“We’re definitely going to celebrate,” Rutherford said about the brewery’s final weeks in Ybor City. The 45-year-old who moved to Tampa from the northeast to open the brewery, brought Zydeco three medals at the World Beer Championship, including a gold for his American brett saison. He said that he even found a cask barrel of his infamous Butchy scotch ale, named for Colorado outdoorsman and salsa maker Butchy Craft.
While Zydeco Brew Werks has always been a brewery first, with Rutherford making some of Tampa Bay’s best beers right out of the gate, the corner was also known for its New Orleans-inspired menu (and was home to perhaps the best muffaletta in Tampa).
Its two-story parcel is just a block away from trolley stop no. 1 became a favorite for large groups that took over the brewery’s second level, and it was heartwarming to see Zydeco rewrite history at the address, which once hosted a set from Nirvana, before the band blew up.
In its statement, Zydeco thanks its staff and loyal customers and said the company is looking forward to the next chapter. "See you soon," Zydeco added.
Early this week, some Zydeco staff members got tattoos in solidarity with what they built in Ybor City.
“I’m gonna miss Ybor City,” Rutherford said, while expressing optimism about finding Zydeco’s future home. “My whole social life was here. I was so lucky, I didn’t have to go anywhere. People came here to see me.”
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