Who won the Pensacola Brewery March Madness bracket? Find out:
Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect that Gary Sr. began selling home brew supplies from his garage, not home brew beer.
And that’s a wrap.
Throughout March, News Journal readers voted for their favorite local breweries nearly 10,000 times in a weekly March Madness-style bracket to find out which would end up on top.
The first week’s results were just the calm before the storm as the quarterfinals pit Perfect Plain against Odd Colony, Pensacola Bay Brewery against Emerald Republic, Gary’s against McGuire’s and Alga against Coastal County Brewing.
The bracket became even more contentious after Odd Colony and Pensacola Bay Brewery moved on to face each other in the semifinals, along with Gary’s going up against Alga.
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Pensacola Bay Brewery moved on to the final, beating out Odd Colony Brewing with 62.05% of the vote. Gary’s Brewery Biergarten also moved on against Alga Beer Company with 68.33% of the vote.
Polls for the championship closed on March 31, and we are excited to announce the winner: Gary’s Brewery and Biergarten with 61.76% of the vote.
Climbing to victory
The first week of the tournament had Gary’s going up against A Little Madness Brewing Co., a Pensacola brewery similarly known for its open mic nights, karaoke, comedy nights and more. Gary’s moved to the next round with 68.4% of the vote.
Gary’s then went up against Florida’s oldest craft brewery, McGuire’s Irish Pub, but moved on with a dominant 65.6% of the vote. The west side brewery beat Alga Beer Co. with 68.3% of the vote in the semifinals.
Gary’s Brewery reacts to winning
Gary’s Brewery and Biergarten received just under 3,100 votes throughout the tournament, nearly 30% of the total votes cast among the 16 listed breweries.
Despite the brewery’s commanding run through the bracket, Gary’s Brew Pub Manager Gary Yetter Jr. remained humble.
“There’s a lot of great breweries in town. We weren’t sure how it was going to shake out. We’re surprised, excited and happy about it,” Yetter said.
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According to Yetter, some of those breweries and other local businesses served as the spark for what eventually led to Gary’s home brew supply store expanding into a brewery and biergarten.
“I started seeing more and more of these cool and appealing businesses pop up, often being run by young people, so I thought that was great. And along with that came more breweries and other establishments where people could go and have fun. And they weren’t so cookie cutter. There was more quirkiness, more uniqueness coming.”
Opening Gary’s Brewery and Biergarten
Gary Yetter Sr. began the brewery in the same spot many other successful businesses start: a garage.
He began experimenting with home brewing in the early ‘90s. Back then the Yetter family lived in Washington. Their neighbor, only referred to as “Hank,” was into brewing.
“I think he was in his late 70s, early 80s,” said Yetter Jr. “He was a home brewer before it was popular. So we would go over there and visit with him and he would give us a little bit of this homemade beer, and my dad just got hooked on it.”
He soon after began competing in home brew competitions in the Northwest. And he was doing well.
“His product just kept getting better and better,” Yetter Jr. said. “It was his dream. He expressed to us … He wanted to open up a brew pub. That was his thing. That’s what he wanted to do with his life.”
However, it wouldn't be until Yetter Sr. moved to Pensacola around 2007 that he would begin to pursue that dream.
When he moved to Pensacola, he got involved in the local Brewers Association where he became president. Shortly after he started selling home brew supplies in his garage.
Yetter Sr. saw his business begin to outgrow the space, so he began to look at brick-and-mortar options. Soon he discovered the Gulf Beach Nursery. The owner could no longer handle the work due to health problems, so the elder Yetter purchased the businesses and the inventory.
The Gulf Beach Nursery was converted to the current home brew supply store, but the elder Yetter continued to run the nursery business.
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When Yetter Jr. and his brother Brian Yetter, now head brewer at Gary’s, would come into town, they would brainstorm ideas about the business before they eventually landed on an idea that incorporated the two businesses.
“I thought, why would you guys want to do retail plant sales? We could turn this thing into a botanical garden where people could drink. Basically provide a space where people could drink good beer and other beverages but without having the feel of a bar.”
That idea would come to fruition around 2019 when Gary’s officially opened its brewery and biergarten — a dream decades in the making.
What’s on tap at Gary’s?
Gary’s Brewery and Biergarten currently has about 18 beers and ciders on tap, plus wine and seltzers. The taps are a mix of Gary’s own brews and range to beers from around the world.
When it comes to what’s brewed on the premise, Yetter Jr. said they like to keep things varied.
“We try to create something that represents each style of beer.”
They aren’t afraid of showcasing some lesser-known beers, either.
“My favorite beer that we make is called a schwarzbier. It’s a German-style beer; ‘schwarz’ means black and ‘bier’ means beer in German, so it’s just a black beer,” Yetter Jr. said.
A schwarzbier is a dark lager made in Germany with hints of chocolate or coffee flavors.
Yetter Jr. says some of the most popular beers on tap are the Ambrosia Amber (American amber ale), which has a wide appeal among everyone regardless of preference, and Gary’s Cerveza, a light and refreshing Mexican lager.
Come for the beer, stay for the goats
Making good beer is one thing, but getting people into the door to try it out is another, but that’s just another area Gary’s shines.
Crystal Yetter-Fouts, events coordinator and daughter of Yetter Sr., makes sure patrons always have a reason to come out.
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Weekly events like Gary-oke, themed trivia nights, open mics and more happen during the week, while the weekend brings in things like goat yoga, the Pensacola Arts Market, Cousin’s Maine Lobster, Halfway to Oktoberfest and more.
Yetter Jr. says some of the most popular events include Oktoberfest, St. Patrick’s Day, its food pairing events and trivia night.
Follow Gary’s on social media to stay up to date on the latest happenings.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Brewery March Madness 2023 winner: Find out who won:
