If all goes according to plan, Florida Avenue Brewing will open in Wesley Chapel by next spring.
It aims to become “a destination, a gem,” said Anthony Derby, the Founder and CEO of Brew Bus Brewing, located in Seminole Heights.
Brew Bus Brewing and Florida Avenue Brewing are affiliated, but Florida Avenue Brewing is considered to be the company’s flagship brand.
And, while operations will continue in Seminole Heights, the Wesley Chapel location will be called Florida Avenue Brewing and will be known as the company’s flagship location.
The goal for the new Pasco County location is to create a place that people refer to as “a cool brewery,” Derby told those attending the North Tampa Bay Chamber economic development luncheon last week.
“The project that we’re building now is going to be able to do 60,000 barrels (a year). It will be the largest locally owned brewery in the state of Florida,” Darby said.
The brewery wants to be a place where people gather to drink , to eat, to play games — such as bocce ball and cornhole — to listen to music, to watch sports, to celebrate special events, or to just hang out in the beer garden, he added.
He’s excited about the possibilities.
The brewery will operate in a 32,000-square-foot building, formerly known as Sports + Field, at 2029 Arrowgrass Drive.
“For us, it’s kind of a blank slate. We’re going to be able to do a lot of really cool things,” Derby said, noting he wants to incorporate the best elements of what he’s seen at breweries across the United States.
The company is making a sizable investment.
“Before we open the doors, we’ll have spent about $10 million on the project,” Derby said. That includes land acquisition, new equipment and building improvements. Over the course of the next five years, he expects the company to invest another $2 million to $3 million.
There will be an open kitchen, and also a larger closed kitchen.
Part of the brewery will have community seating, on a first-come, first-served basis — promoting a come-and-go vibe. And, a small space will be devoted to a more formal dining setting.
There will be a private event space, too, accommodating about 100 seated guests, or between 150 to 200 standing, Derby said. That area will have three huge sliders that open to a private beer garden.
Plus, a 3,500-square-foot outdoor beer garden is planned, too.
“We’re not building any new structures, but a lot of internal modifications need to happen,” Derby said.
“We are painting the entire façade, almost a whitewash brick with a gray metal roof and then some red or burnt orange accents.”
The entrance to the building will be moved.
Glass is being installed, so guests will be able to see into the brewery from the outside, and also from the dining room.
“We’re upgrading our water line from a 2-inch to a 4-inch,” he said, to support brewing operations. Additional power is needed, too, so an additional transformer is being added.
To preserve parking, they’re paving a roadway to enable valet parking for the special events area.
On the brewery side, all of the equipment will be new, including its canning line, which will be imported from Italy. It will be able to do about 250 cans a minute, compared to the company’s current canning line that does 50 cans a minute.
A grain silo is planned, on the State Road 56 side, to allow the brewery to buy grain in bulk.
Besides getting the site ready for the business, the company also will be hiring about 50 employees. That’s in addition to its 53 current employees in Seminole Heights, Derby said.
Jobs will include such roles as a lab manager, a general manager, an assistant general manager, an event coordinator and hourly employees, such as bartenders and servers.
Plans call for being open daily, with doors opening at 11 a.m. Closing times will be set, as the business dictates.
Published October 30, 2019
