Editor’s note: The original version of this post had different hours for the tour; they have since been changed. Also, a tour has been scheduled for the Friday after Thanksgiving.
If you’ve ever been to or seen pictures of Saint Somewhere Brewing Company in Tarpon Springs, it may come as a bit of a surprise that owner and brewer Bob Sylvester has started offering tours two days a week.
The brewing happens in what might be kindly called an “industrial park.” You know, rows of units with steel-roll up doors housing small businesses of various types. Visitors won’t necessarily need to wear comfortable shoes: It’s not a long tour.
“The brewery tour takes six to ten seconds,” Sylvester said with a chuckle.
What happened is that he wanted to roll up his doors to people who wanted a taste of his handcrafted Belgian-style and farmhouse ales; however, a proper tasting room was not possible.
“We couldn’t get the property zoned for a tasting room, per se, but we can sidestep that by charging for a glass and a tour,” Sylvester said.
For $10, visitors will get that glass, three fills of it, and a chance to chat with Sylvester in the intimate setting.
“We’ll run through the brewing process, and what we do differently from other breweries,” he said, adding that some of the pours will be pilot batches that can’t be tasted anywhere else.
The first “soft tours” of the brewery took place Thursday and Friday night; the next will be on November 25 – Black Friday – from 6 to 8 p.m. Regular two-hour tours will commence each Thursday and Friday beginning the week after Thanksgiving (December 1 and 2, 2011) from 6 to 8 p.m.
Sylvester said that he’s considering holding a few all-day open houses beginning next year, perhaps with food trucks or other victuals as part of it.
Saint Somewhere is expected to produce about 450 barrels this year, he said, up about 100 from last year. And though he may expand the brewery into an adjacent unit in the future, don’t expect an increase in production: Sylvester says he’s still “catching up” from the last expansion earlier this year.
The brewery is at 1441 Savannah Ave., #E, Tarpon Springs, Florida. For more information, call 813-503-6181 or like the Saint Somewhere Facebook page to receive updates.
