‘People thought we were crazy’: After 5 years, Miami brewery opens in historic building

Building anything is not easy, especially in Miami, where the weather threatens and the permits tend to languish.

But building a brewery on the third floor of a historic building is a special sort of ambitious. Some might even call it crazy.

But as it turns out, Jose Mallea and Nick Bonfiglio, the founders of Biscayne Bay Brewing, did it anyway, and their new brewery and taproom is now open in the former U.S. Post Office building in downtown Miami.

The project was challenging. Added complications — like reassessing and changing the equipment they needed because it had to fit through small elevator doors — slowed the process.

“Building a brewery is tough in normal circumstances,” Mallea says now. “But this gorgeous, precious, gem of a building fits so well with our brand, which celebrates Miami and the history and culture of Miami.”

The brewery, which has been in the works for five years, opens at a time when Miami’s downtown is undergoing a renovation. Bars like Lost Boy Dry Goods and Mama Tried paved the way and were joined by spots like Niu Wine, the retail shop and wine bar that was just named one of the best bars in the country by Esquire magazine. The long-awaited food hall Julia & Henry’s finally opened to great fanfare, as did its funky 1970s-style basement listening room, Jolene. Coming to that building’s rooftop is Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura, a version of his one-star Michelin restaurant in Dubai, possibly by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the Flagler street project is well underway, with part of the road designated as pedestrian-only on weekends, and Michelin-starred chef Michael Beltran opened Brasserie Laurel last December on the ground floor of the new Miami Worldcenter.

Bonfiglio says all this means their gamble is going to pay off.

“Five years ago, people thought we were crazy,” he admits. “But being from here, being Miamians, we believed in the downtown revival that was starting to take place. When we signed the lease, the idea that there would be foot traffic and people wanting to come downtown was not a reality, and when COVID hit, it was really not a reality. But downtown has the most hype right now for new, approachable concepts.”

Like many indie breweries, Biscayne Bay Brewing began its life in a warehouse. It opened a brewery in Doral in 2014, with a taproom opening two years later. It closed in 2020, a victim of the COVID pandemic.

The new space, however, is bright and airy in the late afternoon, thanks to the third floor windows overlooking the city streets. The space includes a bar, booths and tables, games like pool and foosball and 12 TVs. There will also be live entertainment.

The taproom serves 12 beers on tap, including the brand’s well-known Tropical Bay IPA, Miami Pale Ale, Regatta Double IPA, Colada Porter and The Marlins Lager, the official craft beer of the Miami Marlins (Biscayne Bay Brewing is the official independent brewery of the Miami Heat, so expect to see a lot of Jimmy Butler on those 12 TVs come fall).

The food menu includes elevated bar bites like charcuterie boards, Mediterranean dips, flatbreads, sandwiches, Bao buns and a Colorado Wagyu burger. Mallea says the plan is to highlight beer pairings with the menu, a task made easier because the brewery is a little more nimble than it has been in the past, thanks to the very restrictions that come from refurbishing an old building. Those smaller elevator doors forced Mallea and Bonfiglio to reduce the size of their storage tanks, which means they’ll make smaller amounts of each beer at one time.

“One of the challenging things of working at the big facility was brewing big batches of beer, because you have to make sure it sells,” Mallea says. “Here, we’ll brew small batches. That gives us a lot of opportunity to experiment.”

At first, the brewery plans to highlight summer-friendly beers and shandys with tropical fruit and eventually move toward creating lighter IPAs. Mallea knows they’ll get swift feedback on any new, seasonal or guest beers that find their way onto the menu.

“You’ll know real quick if your beer is good or not,” Mallea says, laughing. “People will tell you. We’ve had big hits, but we’ve had some misses. People will just tell you, ‘I don’t know if that was spot-on.’ ”

As some of the pioneers in Miami’s craft beer movement, Mallea and Bonfiglio are excited about the possibilities. But they’re also glad to be part of what they see as a Miami Renaissance.

“We’re local people making a commitment,” Bonfiglio says. “We’re not from somewhere else. We live in this community. It matters to us what happens downtown. I watched the foundation being poured for Zaha Hadid’s building, and the foundation for the new Worldcenter, too. What’s going on in this community is incredible. Being part of what it will become makes me feel proud.”

Mallea agrees.

“This is such a dynamic city. It’s the new American city, what the country will look like over the next 20 years,” he says. “There’s a rich history to this place we call home. That’s what we wanted to harness.”

Biscayne Bay Brewing

Where: 100 NE First Ave., third floor, Miami

Hours: 5 p.m.-midnight Wednesday-Saturday, 5-11 p.m. Sunday. Happy hour 5-7 p.m. daily

More information: www.biscaynebaybrewing.com

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