Dogfish Head Sets Opening Date for Miami Location
Dogfish Head Miami will open May 21, occupying the Wynwood taproom previously housing Boston Beer subsidiary Concrete Beach Brewery, which closed in September 2020. Dogfish renovated the 11,000 sq. ft. building to include an updated kitchen and new sound system featuring a DJ booth.
The location will “center around house-brewed beers and scratch made foods, both featuring locally grown culinary ingredients,” according to a press release. The company is partnering with local farmers and purveyors to directly source ingredients and native flavors for both their tap and kitchen menus.
“I can’t wait for our doors to open, to have the chance to share our tasty ales and eats with beer lovers and foodies in South Florida and to deepen our relationships within the unique Wynwood community for inspiration,” Dogfish Head co-founder Sam Calagione said in the release. “It’s been a long time coming, but we are beyond excited to see this project finally come to fruition. Dogfish Head Miami is not only an extension of our brand, but an expansion of our awesome, off-centered family.”
Dogfish Head started a “residency” at Concrete Beach in February 2020 that was made permanent last August. Concrete Beach closed September 5, and the space has been under construction since then.
Big Storm to Open New Location in Ybor City
Big Storm Brewing Co. is also expanding in Florida. The Clearwater-based craft brewery is “hermit-crabbing” a vacant Hamburger Mary’s and Mary’s Pub in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa. The company plans to convert the two spaces into a 11,000 sq. ft. taproom and restaurant by the end of the year, according to a release. The company said it will install an oversized 5-barrel brewing system, creating small batches of dark and barrel-aged beer to brew and serve on-site, along with Big Storm’s core beers.
“We have long wanted to open an Ybor location and are excited to have finally found what we think is the perfect spot, in the heart of the district, overlooking East 7th Avenue,” Big Storm co-owner L.J. Govoni said in the release. “We are also excited to open our first taproom in Tampa, giving those who love beers a place to visit in Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.”
The Ybor City taproom will be Big Storm’s fifth Florida location, after opening a brewpub in downtown Orlando last November. The company’s beer is distributed in five states: Florida, Ohio, New Jersey, North Carolina and Texas.
California’s Flying Embers to Add Boston Taproom
California-based hard kombucha maker Flying Embers is expanding to the East Coast. Flying Embers is taking over the former taproom space of Backlash Beer Co. in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. Backlash shut down its taproom in January 2020; the building’s landlord had first listed the location for rent in midsummer 2019.
Flying Embers currently operates taprooms in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, in partnership with Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, and distributes hard kombucha, hard seltzer and beer nationally. Along with their core products, the Roxbury location will also serve non-alcoholic cocktails made with Flying Ember’s kombucha, according to Eater Boston.
The brewery will collaborate with local Boston restaurant and food truck Bon Me. The new space will feature indoor and outdoor seating, as well as space for live music and art exhibits.
California Wild Ale Opens Ocean Beach Tasting Room
San Diego-based sour beer maker California Wild Ales has opened a new tasting room in Ocean Beach, California.
The Newport Avenue location was previously a taproom for Helm’s Brewing, and was later purchased by cannabis beer brand, Two Roots Brewing Co., which put the location up for sale at the end of 2020.
“We feel that our style of beer will fit right in with the vibe of Ocean Beach, San Diego’s funkiest neighborhood,” co-founder Bill DeWitt told the San Diego Reader after the acquisition of the property.
The new tasting room in Ocean Beach is an expansion for the brewery and will be an extension of its existing Sorrento Valley, California-based brewery and tasting room. It will feature wild ales, barrel-aged sours and a variety of seltzers, as well as the brewery’s first lager and a pale ale made in collaboration with Ocean Beach Brewery.