E-Malt.com News article: USA, FL: Sound Brewing Co. opens in Hobe Sound

Sound Brewing Co., which is Hobe Sound's first brewery, has opened, Treasure Coast Newspapers reported on March 5.

It opened on Bridge Road on Feb. 7 as the third brewery in Martin County after Ocean Republic Brewing Co. opened in 2019 and Frazier Creek Brewing & Distilling opened in 2023, both in Stuart.

Founder Reinhard “Reiny” Knieriemen was the head brewer at Twisted Trunk Brewing Co. in Palm Beach Gardens for nine years before he decided to open his own place.

Sound Brewing is a microbrewery in a 3,000-square-foot building that's split 50-50 between the brewhouse and taproom. It's planning to offer a a small bar menu available to be delivered from next door at Taylor Beach House Cafe.

Here are some of its signature beers:

• Bleached Blonde Ale: Light body, refreshing beer brewed with German Pilsner malts (IBU: 40, ABV: 4.8%)
• Golden Hour Saison: Straw-colored traditional Belgian farmhouse saison (IBU: 15, ABV: 4.8%)
• Gomez Gold: Golden IPA brewed with Galaxy and Sultana hops, giving it tropical citrus tones; named after Hobe Sound road (IBU: 45, ABV: 6%)
• Sunset Session Amber Ale: Brewed with Marris Otter and Vienna malts, giving it both malty and roasty notes; hopped with a large amount of Cascade and Czech Saaz hops (IBU: 40, ABV: 4.8%)
• Dawn Patrol Amber Ale: Signature amber ale brewed with Oceana Coffee (IBU: 40, ABV: 4.8%)
• Hazy High Tide: New England Hazy IPA brewed with American pale malts, oats and wheat; double-dry hopped with NZ Nectaron and Amarillo, giving it bursting tropical flavors and aromas of orange, passionfruit, pineapple and stone fruit (IBU: 48, ABV: 8%)

Originally from upstate New York, Knieriemen was a Boynton Beach high school teacher for 10 years at Santaluces Community High School. He wanted to learn how to brew beer, so he volunteered at the now-closed Brewzzi City Place in West Palm Beach during his time off.

He eventually left teaching and became Brewzzi’s head brewer under Fran Andrewlevich, cofounder of Twisted Trunk. He followed Andrewlevich to become a head brewer at Twisted Trunk when it opened in 2015.

He and his wife, Ashley, are friends with Chris and Elizabeth Taylor, who previously owned Taylor Farmhouse in Jupiter Farms and currently own Taylor Beach House Cafe in Hobe Sound, formerly the Flash Beach Grille.

In 2021, Knieriemen planned to open a brewery at Taylor Farmhouse, bought brewing equipment and created Sound Brewing Co., but it didn’t work out in the end with zoning, parking and the size of the property.

Instead, Knieriemen turned to the vacant lot next to Taylor Beach House Cafe, which sat empty for decades because of a Florida Power & Light transformer in the middle of the property. The process to move it took longer than expected; he had hoped to open over a year ago.

Knieriemen said he wouldn’t have been able to do it without the Hobe Sound Neighborhood Advisory Committee and the Martin County Community Redevelopment Agency working with his father-in-law, Wayne “Chip” Withers, who is part-owner of Sound Brewing Co.

Withers is a former Coral Gables city commissioner and owns Withers Transportation Systems, a Miami-based logistics and transportation company. He also owns both pieces of property with the cafe and the new brewery.

The brewery has only a few parking spaces, not a parking lot, so customers will have to use on-street parking. Plus, the Winn-Dixie parking lot is a just few minutes’ walk away.

Knieriemen hopes to encourage foot traffic in the area. Since the new brewery will be just over a mile away from the beach, he also hopes people riding their bicycles will stop by.


06 March, 2025