USA, FL: Perfect Plain Brewing Co kicks of operations in Pensacola
Just in time for the biggest drinking day of the year — the eve of Thanksgiving when college students return home and reunite over pints with high school friends — the newest brewery in downtown Pensacola, Perfect Plain Brewing Co., officially kicked off operations on Tuesday, November 21 with a range of craft selections on tap, the Pensacola News Journal reported.
"We want this to be a community hub that our community is proud of," said D.C. Reeves, co-founder and co-owner of Perfect Plain Brewing Co.
Hours before the brewery opened its doors at 50 E. Garden St., Reeves and other employees set about tidying up the final aspects of the venue's 5,400-square-foot interior, an open setting designed in an urban industrial approach.
"For all of this time, there have been people who have come to Pensacola and bragged about other breweries," he continued. "We want to flip that. We want people in other places to brag about our brewery."
Perfect Plain Brewing Co. started its opening day with six styles of beer on tap, which included multiple IPAs and saisons. By the end of the week, Reeves said it should offer a total of eight types of beer. After it settles into its routine operations, the plan is to offer a regular daily rotation of 12 varieties.
Reeves said the brewery will also feature a crowler machine for those seeking on-the-go local brew. Patrons can visit the bar and buy a crowler, a 32-ounce aluminum can, filled with their choice of beer. The machine then seals the crowler. Customers can then enjoy a beer from Perfect Plain Brewing Co. in locations that may not allow for glass containers, such as Pensacola Beach.
"That was a no-brainer," said Reeves, about the crowler machine. "This is a beach community, but you're not allowed to have glass on the beach. So this just fit."
As an additional function, Reeves said the bar remains open to all ages and will host activities for the community. The all-age possibilities include yoga sessions, CrossFit and crafting lessons, as well as other events designed more toward those 21 and older, such as lessons on how to brew beer.
"We want to be a community hub, not just a bar," he said.
In that spirit, Perfect Plain Brewing Co. also primarily hired companies from the region for the bar's construction. The company purchased much of its dйcor from local suppliers, such as Joe Hobbs from First City Art Center who blew the glass for the orbs in the bar's chandeliers. It also retained much of the original structure to preserve the building's history.
For those who frequent the Perfect Plain Brewing Co. Wednesday evening, local artist Daniela de Castro Sucre will be at work placing the finishing touches on her mural inside the brewery. Her piece is a portrait of former first lady Rachel Jackson, wife of President Andrew Jackson, who while accompanying her husband during the president's acceptance of the transfer of Spanish West Florida to the United States in Pensacola in 1821, wrote a letter home describing Pensacola as "a perfect plain."
The artist's portrait of Rachel Jackson utilizes negative space to evince the first lady's likeness. As an homage to the events surrounding Rachel Jackson's letter home, she hid Spanish and American flags in the mural for customers to try to find.
"I decided to carve out hop flowers on linoleum and stamp out Rachel's portrait," said de Castro Sucre, describing her approach to the mural. "If you look closely, you'll see hops. The stippling represents barley grains and yeast."
Finally, with a few hours to spare before the launch of Perfect Plain Brewing Co., Reeves reiterated the ultimate intent of the brewery. The hope, he said, is to see the company's mix of beers expand Pensacola's presence in other locales across the Southeast.
"We hope Pensacola can be more celebrated, because people hear about us," he said. "If we're on tap in Atlanta or Jacksonville and people hear about us who have never been to Pensacola, that may be the proudest moment that we can have."
20 November, 2017
