USA, FL: Golden Isles Brewing Co. to hold soft opening in St Petersburg this weekend

There’s no shortage of craft breweries in Pinellas County, from larger-than-life taprooms to intimate spots with just a few in-house beers. But a brand new, pet and family-friendly business tucked away in a quiet St. Pete neighborhood will soon add to the Bay area’s wide variety of craft breweries.

Owners Angie and Jonathan Bryan, along with general manager Kyler Dressel, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that Golden Isles Brewing Co. soft opens this Friday-Sunday, Oct. 6-8 at 3000 Dr. MLK Jr. St.

Built out of a refurbished gas station, the new spot will soon be adjacent to other St. Pete businesses like Pineapple Espresso, Sunset Grill and the newly-opened Calida Kitchen & Wine.

Although it's not open to the public just yet, its sign that reads “Good Times, Great Coldies, Stay Golden” has been hyping up residents of the ‘Burg for a few months now.

Angie stresses to their first wave of patrons (and soon-to-be regulars) to attend this weekend’s launch with grace and patience, as it’s the first time the new business will handle a high volume service.

“We’re definitely beer focused, but we’re not necessarily a beer bar,” Dressel says. “We’re trying to appeal to everyone in the neighborhood, so we really want to offer beverages for all walks of life.”

In addition to a variety of Golden Isles beer—that’s brewed down the street at The Brutalist, not in-house—other refreshing “coldies” include wine, and prosecco, cold brew and kombucha on tap, organic sodas and other NA options. Of the brewery’s 15 taps, about 10 will feature lager, pilsners, IPAs and sours from both Golden Isles and other local breweries.

A small menu of bar snacks and a schedule of rotating food trucks will also compliment its sprawling drink menu. Mobile pizzeria Cipolla Rossa and Funnel Vision will be present at Golden Isles' soft opening this weekend, and may become regular food trucks at the new Magnolia Heights brewery.

The Bryans say that an official grand opening block party will take over Golden Isles sometime in November, and that more events, live music and locally-painted murals may be on the way, too.

Golden Isles’s highly-awaited opening comes about a year after Angie and Jonathan acquired the space. Even with loads of brand new construction, the brewery still retains its vintage gas station/body shop character, with a functional garage door and huge windows. Its indoor-outdoor bar is joined by a 3,000 square-foot air-conditioned lounge area, a 4,000 square-foot shaded patio and plenty of space for both kids and dogs to play.

"We did a lot of beautification on the block of the corner of 30th and MLK under St. Pete's ordinances. The city has right idea by requiring it, because we're located on a historic street and there's a lot of growth and development happening in this area," Jonathan says.

The neighborhood brewery was originally slated to open in the spring of 2023, but the Bryans encountered a few permitting-related delays.

05 October, 2023