Beer & wine unite: Local brewers, distillers expand in Manatee area

BRADENTON — There’s a small brewing and distilling movement afoot in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

In the past three years a distillery has started up as well as a craft brewing company in Sarasota. And, now a Bradenton pub wants to get into the business by producing wine and mead for distribution.

“It’s a cool movement that’s going on here,” said Troy Roberts, owner of Drum Circle Distilling, Sarasota’s first distillery.

About three years ago, Roberts opened a distilling facility in a Sarasota industrial park where he makes rum that is now distributed to about 50 retailers and venues locally.

The former web designer’s success has now been followed by that of Jalehouse Beer, a local craft brewing company that launched last November and now has about 100 local establishments selling its Jalehouse Light Lager, which is mass produced at a plant in Melbourne.

Now, a popular Bradenton bar is seeking a special use permit from the city of Bradenton so it too can begin producing its own blends.

The Lost Kangaroo is seeking to make wine and mead at its downtown bar at 406 12th St. W.

Owner Robert Woodring and his business partner Jon-Paul Taylor saw the potential to produce, package and distribute their own beverages when they doubled their space from 2,000 square feet to 4,000 square feet with a move from their previous location at 427 12th St. W.

The two want to use the upstairs portion of their bar to operate four 160-gallon tanks to manufacture wine, mead and hard cider. The Lost Kangaroo also wants to open its second floor for a wine bar for tasting and build a balcony with outdoor seating.

“This will allow us to cover a new market,” Taylor said. “Of course, we’re hopeful this will add to our revenue. But we’re going to be patient with it, it’s not going to be an overnight setup and we’re not going to make millions of dollars off of it but it’s something different we can do to make more money.”

Taylor has already begun researching distributors in hopes that when the Lost Kangaroo packages its drinks, which will include honey-flavored ciders, wine and hard lemonade, they can get their product into several retail outlets.

Jalehouse Beer has a contract with Florida Beer Co. in Melbourne to mass produce an ale recipe developed by Brian Tresidder. Tresidder and his business partner Keith Redding have been able to get the Jalehouse Light Lager sold at about 100 establishments including Mattison’s, Ceviche, the Sports Page and The Distillery.

The two are developing a second line, an amber-based ale called Jalehouse Lockdown Lager, to be launched in the fall, but Redding said their ultimate goal is to open a full-service brewery in Sarasota County.

“We realized Florida is just an untapped market for this,” said Redding, who expects it will take about $1 million in capital for them to start a brewery. “It’s a huge stress so we wanted to test the market first and build a brand name.”

Roberts was able to brand his Sarasota-based distillery and Siesta Key White Rum by emphasizing that his liquor is locally produced and packaged.

Roberts, who started up Drum Circle Distillery after selling web sites he created for automotive enthusiasts, now sells his rum at retailers such as Total Wine and More, Michael’s Wine Cellar, Norman’s Liquors and ABC Liquor.

“Local is the key,” Roberts said. “It’s been in large part consumer driven by word of mouth and Facebook.”

Now, Roberts is working on extending the Siesta Key rum line by introducing a gold rum, spice and citrus flavors.

“We’ve had everything come together nicely for us,” Roberts said. “I think more importantly we’ve had a lot of good local support.”