St. Pete Brewing Co

St. Pete Brewing hit me like a ghost from a simpler time — the kind of place that still believes “craft beer” means a chalkboard menu and a neon sign that’s been buzzing since 1998. I wandered in, half expecting someone to offer me a pack of Camel Lights and a pint of amber ale named after a local sea creature.

The bar was dim but honest. The crowd looked like they’d been there for a decade, orbiting the same stools, talking about things that no longer matter. I ordered a New Zealand–style pilsner out of curiosity — a crisp, floral number that promised adventure and delivered competence. It was fine, even good, but this wasn’t a place for beer revelation. It was a time capsule.

The taps lined the wall like tired soldiers, the decor a mashup of coastal kitsch and forgotten homebrew dreams. I drank, nodded to no one in particular, and left as quietly as I came.

St. Pete Brewing wasn’t an experience — it was a memory, preserved in bar mats and fading signage. I didn’t linger. Some ghosts don’t need company; they just need acknowledgment before you move on.

 

 

 

In Flowida as I do, and now down in town for things that are beer. Parked and on walkabout with J & D. In a strip on the drag, a whole 2 doors down from the last place we were at as we await the opening of the next place we will go. Have I mentioned the oppressive May heat in St Pete? Well there is that…

Light wood ‘L’ shaped bar with a lip, vertical plank base, and a foot box. Seating for about a dozen on those clunky metal chairs scraping across the concrete floors. 12 tap barbell tower on the bar with logo handles + a six tap box on the barback. Growls and crowls and glassware stacked there and shelved below. Large ‘glowing lit bulb anchor with a pair of oars through it’ logo piece on the wall above. 2 rows of skateboards mounted listing tap selections forward the bar and a framed ‘cease & desist’ letter from Barry Manilow’s people with a pic of him in the corner (regarding the ‘Berry Manilow Raspberry Berliner’ they made a few years back). That’s actually quite funny.

Beige walls, concrete ceiling, deep red concrete block floors. Drop mason jar filament bulb lighting over the bar, and pan lamps & strung baby lanterns elsewhere. Bar counter space between pillars adjacent to the bar with seating for 16 on squared metal stools, and a single table forward and back behind. Forward roll up garage doors lend way to a pair of outdoor furniture sets up umbreall’d up out front. Shirt & swag corner, can cooler, a giant ‘Connect 4’ set, and some bar counter seating on the far wall. Framed bottle cap & coaster displays, and a few framed brewery pics. Flats in the rear corners and a brewery in the back.

13 beers (St. Pete Orange Wheat, 4.7%; Banyan Blonde Ale, 5.8%; Europe 72 Pale Ale, collab with Malmo Brewing, 5.5%; Put Me In Kolsch, 6%; Milo’s IPA, west coast IPA, with Northern Brewer, Chinook, & Columbus, 7%; Overcast IPA, with Idaho 7, Centennial, & Citra, 6.8%; Evacuation Route ESB, Ordinary Bitter, 5%; McCracken Scottish Ale, 6%; Weedon Island Brown Ale, 5%; Grateful Stout, American Stout, 6.3%; Goliath Grouper Imperial Stout, 8%; I-275, Imperial Red Ale, 8%; Old Ale, American Barleywine, 7.4%), and a single cider (Homemade Apple Pie, fruit cider, 6.9%).

They do samplers of 4, 6, or 10 on barrel stave pieces. I opted for the sweet spot 6 while Jed opted for a 4, and the chippie behind the bar told him, “I’m sorry, all the 4’s are in use, you can get a 6 though”, and I immediately added, “Or you can put 4 beers in a rack that holds 6…” She clearly wasn’t happy about my use of logic & how the maths work but too fucking bad.

Anyway, sampler of 6 (Milo’s IPA, a decent IPA; Overcast IPA, butter bomb; Evacuation Route ESB, butter bomb; McCracken Scottish Ale, malty good Scottish; Weedon Island Brown Ale, chocolate, pleasant; Grateful Stout, slight coffee bitterness, tasty enough). 2 of the 6 beers I had were Diacetyl laden, and the stout was thin, so McCracken Scottish Ale & Weedon Island Brown Ale for the wins, I guess, but it’s nearly by default.

Someone was eating pizza when we arrived. It didn’t come from here. It looked of the amazing, so I guess you can bring in amazing looking pizza. They’re playing journey, I wish they weren’t. The beers that weren't bad were just okay and frozen slushy drinks are being poured, it’s that kind of place. Free popcorn machine might be the saving grace here.

 

Went on a laidback Sunday afternoon and had a decent smattering of people inside and outside (enjoying the weather). The TVs were on old sitcoms before being changed to a race - make of that what you will. One bartender there but she knew her stuff and was quick whenever someone needed something. More of a laidback atmosphere so worth checking out when you want to relax. Beerwise they had a decent number of taps and hit a few styles so a little variety for people.

Interesting 1990s vibe brewpub with some interesting brews. Had the oatmeal stout which was drinkable. Enjoy a beer here as you wait for innoculum next door to open. Two words is all I gotta say. Beer slushies! enough said

They have free Nintendo and good beer. Enough said.

 

Vibe: I visited the brewery around 4:30 pm on a Sunday afternoon. It wasn't that crowded and I sat in a relaxing chair on the sidewalk. It seemed very laid back and there was a family next to me playing checkers on a picnic table.

Quality: Beers were served at the proper temperature in mason jars.

Service: There was only one bartender working, but the place wasn't that crowded so I never had to wait more than a minute or two to get a new beer.

Selection: A total of 11 beers from the brewery were available on-tap during my visit.

 

 

 

 

 

Open and airy, in the heart of a thriving downtown area.
Currently having 12 different brews of their own on tap ranging from a Mango Wheat to a barrel-aged chocolate porter. Yummy.
Very friendly, knowledgeable staff. I'll be back.

 

Located right in downtown St. Pete, but on 1st North which is a bit quieter even on a Saturday night. A small taproom with brewing equipment in the back, the most novel thing about the place is the N64 with partially functional controllers hooked up to an old TV... actually that image really says a lot about the place to me. Service was good, with a decent selection of about a dozen house beers on tap. The quality of the beer was pretty low, to be honest. All were mediocre to kind of bad... definitely one of those places that reminds you that there is a down side to the recent extreme proliferation of craft breweries in FL and elsewhere. The Scottish ale was decent at least. It is a convenient stop if you are already in the area for Cycle or Green Bench, but unless you are a voracious ticker the beers aren't really worth your time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A neat little space in downtown St. Petersburg. They have about 10 drafts and change them seasonally. Service was very good, the beers are pretty average.

The place was very open and felt comfortable. They had an N64 set up and giant Jenga set up with plenty of board games too. The beers were respectable enough, and great to entice some great Mario Kart competition!

 

 

Great location along the 'St Pete Brewery Crawl'. The nintendo with mario kart is a great touch! Solid beers, quick service, the smell of malt in the background. A great place to spend an afternoon.