USA, FL: New brewery opens in Miami's Wynwood District

The Wynwood Arts District, once known solely for harboring Miami's street art and counterculture, has slowly added culinary cultivation to its neighborhood agenda. After organically spring-boarding restaurants, a rum distillery, and a cigar company, Wynwood can now add a brewery to its area repertoire, USA TODAY reported on January 7.

The aptly named Wynwood Brewing Company soft-opened its tap room in mid-October and was warmly embraced by an anxious legion of beer aficionados. The tap room serves three year-round sips - La Rubia, Pop's Porter, and Wynwood IPA - as well as seasonal and limited-run crafts. Word of mouth during the two-week preview even led to one brew's sellout. "It was great to see strangers sitting together at the communal table and just talking and enjoying beers together," says founder Luis G. Brignoni.

If community building is part of the business' long-term goal, Brignoni is on the right track. The tap room is lined with original artwork by Wynwood muralists like CP1, Trek6, and Eva Ruiz. Wynwood Brewing Company's beer cans are even designed to resemble spray cans while each hand painted work pays to tribute an aspect to of the brewery's backstory. Several pieces put special emphasis on the Brignoni family's and Wynwood's converging Puerto Rican roots. After all, The Wynwood Brewing Company holds family at its core.

Brignoni courted his father, Luis Sr. out of retirement in Orlando to co-found the brewery. The father-son duo currently spearheads a five-man crew alongside cellarman and assistant brewer, David Rodriguez. Together, they hope to double their staff within the next several months to meet the industry's growing demands.

The Wynwood Brewing Company can already be found in fifty venues across Miami. The Wynwood Brewing Company's grand opening was held just in time for the city's famed Art Basel week.

08 January, 2014