Naples Beach Brewery tours
Location: 4110 Enterprise Ave., Suite 217
Tour hours: Fridays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., except on the second Saturday of the month when the brewery is at Saturday Nights Alive at Mercato.
Contact: 239-304-8795 or naplesbeachbrewery.com
Local restaurants and bars are slowly rolling out Naples' first locally brewed beer, the next stage in a nearly 5-year-old plan to make Naples Beach Brewery a reality.
The East Naples brewery was licensed about six weeks ago. Owner Will Lawson is now giving twice-weekly brewery tours and working on getting his beers on tap at even more venues. Lawson and a team of volunteers also will be serving the beers at the Jupiter Craft Brewers Festival on Jan. 26.
"It took me almost five or six years to get this place open — thinking about it, critiquing my business plan, searching the Internet for equipment I wanted," Lawson said. "It's fun for me just to see it because I imagined it for so long."
All 60 of the brewery's kegs have been spoken for and are waiting to be tapped at a handful of area restaurants, which Lawson said were eager to serve the local brew. For now, the beers are available at South Street, the Old Naples Pub and The Dock at Crayton Cove.
Lawson also has been offering brewery tours since Black Friday, allowing beer enthusiasts to stop by for a quick lesson on how the beer's made, followed by a sampling of all six of his brews. For $15, tour-goers get 2-ounce samples of each beer, plus two 12-ounce pours of their favorites.
"It's fun for people to come to the brewery, learn about the brewing process, learn the story about how I got going and taste six different beers on site," Lawson said. "It's basically an open house. It's real chill, real low key."
The tours have been averaging about 15 people, with as many as 30 and as few as four. Since the brewery can't operate like a bar, Lawson said he hopes to get creative and hold special tours for events like Super Bowl Sunday or private tours for groups.
The highlight so far has been having both permanent and seasonal residents stop by and remark on how great it is to finally have a local craft brewery, Lawson said.
"They're not just here to drink the beers; they're here because they want to support local business," he said. "Once they get here, they see how small and grass roots we are, and people want to get behind something like that."
Naples Beach Brewery tours
■ Location: 4110 Enterprise Ave., Suite 217
■ Tour hours: Fridays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., except on the second Saturday of the month when the brewery is at Saturday Nights Alive at Mercato.
■ Contact: 239-304-8795 or naplesbeachbrewery.com
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Comments » 18
pequa06 writes:
Nice. But what would be better is telling us where this is located. Journalism 101
AYFKM writes:
Maybe if they included the address more people may be able to find it for a tour. Just a thought.
LottoWinner writes:
What about the foam?
QueBonita writes:
You should visit Norway sometime...most men brew their own beer because the taxes are so high on beer, and grain is so cheap! Just about everyone has a mini-brewery under their kitchen sink.Legally.
donsense writes:
Will they be selling growlers?
pequa06 writes:
sidebar added later
volochine writes:
Naples Beach? I wish you well.
You need some great salespeople who are familiar with the beer distribution arena.
Where does Lawson's capital come from?
artblock writes:
I was ejected from the brewery tour for constantly asking the brewmaster "Is THIS barley legal?"
FreshFace writes:
It's disturbing that this is called a NEWSpaper.
itmattershere writes:
The BIG BEER Companies are not going to be happy. But SCREW them. Good job boy!
beetlejuice writes:
can't read without beer goggles on
wtf?!! *Beeeeeeer
IT'S WHAT'S FOR DINNER!
blefebvre writes:
Hic* yup we need more beer.
naplesliving6 writes:
Ridership is heaviest around dinner, not late at night. I know because I own JOE. I do get a laugh out of some of the comments I read - by people that hide behind their user name. By the way,there are more DUIs during the DAY, and JOE runs 5-1.
entaylor1 writes:
DEAR Who ever you are hiding behind your name..aka OVER THE CLIFF.. I suggest you pursue some happiness in your life instead of dropping your negative comments daily in an anonymous pool. Someone is out there everyday trying and working hard to do something good and your comments could directly affect the well being of this person, or their family and or career. If you have a valid concern, state your real name and talk directly to the owner to see what the real intention of the business is. Otherwise...refer back to your kindergarden training. If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all.
PS. Good luck and well wishes to Mr. Lawson on your new business!!
trueamerican writes:
Too bad who ever wrote this piece hasn't been here very long. There have been several other micro breweries here, and all have failed. So good luck, hope it works out.
fllaw1234 writes:
This is great for Naples. Congratulations to the owners. We have some great local restaurants and now our own brewery. Best of luck!
Localmotion writes:
I support JOE! You go JOE
stonnerjohnnyII writes:
What a scam! Go to the The Pub at Mercato. $3.50 for 20oz. pour of any beer on tap.
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