From the minds behind King State Beer, The Brutalist is St. Pete’s newest brewery and is serving up some of the most creative beers in the city. The brewery plans to focus on hop-forward and non-traditional styles in its “Temple of Beer Taproom,” emphasizing the use of single malts and hops in various brews.

Located at 1776 11th Avenue North, The Brutalist has moved into the facility that was formerly home to Flying Boat Brewery before it decided to sell the building and focus on other locations. This Thursday’s LagerFest, hosted in Temple of Beer Taproom, is not only the inaugural event for the new brewery, but it serves as opening day, as well. Once the festival is finished, The Brutalist will welcome its first guests into the brewery and begin operating normal hours.

For now, The Brutalist expects to be open Wednesday-Sunday during a soft open phase, and will soon get to full operating hours. Buildout is nearly complete as they have renovated areas of the tasting room and are in the process of expanding brewing capacity, as well.

The Brutalist is owned and operated by the group behind Tampa’s King State Beer, a spot beloved across the Bay for smooth pilsners and lagers, as well as a stellar café with breakfast and lunch. At The Brutalist, however, the crew led by head brewer Aric Parker and local favorite Vinny Giusto is taking a different approach.

Expect creative, hop-forward brews at Temple of Beer

The brewery will host food trucks, but won’t run a kitchen of its own, instead focusing entirely on brewing high-quality beer. Temple of Beer has a full 25 taps flowing with beer, with about a dozen of them set aside exclusively for Brutalist creations. Several King State beers, such as their popular Green Dart, will also be on tap, as well as five taps for Flying Boat Brewery, which is continuing to brew its beer in the facility.

The inspiration for the types of beer The Brutalist will create is hidden in the brewery’s name. The approach is akin to brutalist architecture, a style characterized by minimalist constructions that showcase the bare building materials and structural elements over decorative design.

For The Brutalist Brewing, the elements in question aren’t girders or wooden beams, but hops and malts. Rather than mix a concoction full of a half dozen malts and hops, The Brutalist will make the effort to showcase single hop varietals and regionally-sourced malts.

This style of brewing can be difficult, largely because there is less margin for error when working with fewer ingredients. The results when done well, however, are the hoppy and refreshing cousins of smooth and rich bourbons.

One of the first Brutalist beers to be available on tap (and in 4-packs to-go) is a fine example of what this brewing style can accomplish. Called Reverse Order, the double dry-hopped pale ale is a hazy and lightly-fruity delight made with Idaho 7 hops and Southeastern malt. One pint of Reverse order is enough to prove that Parker and his talented team know what they’re doing.

The Brutalist supports, works with local beer community

In addition to that minimalist approach, The Brutalist is also a highly collaborative operation. On top of reserving five taps for Flying Boat, The Brutalist has already been brewing beers in tandem with their friends in Tampa Bay’s booming beer industry. In preparation for opening day, and as part of Tampa Bay Beer Week, The Brutalist paired up with Tampa favorite Woven Water Brewing to create “The Conjugate Void,” a hazy double IPA brewed with a CryoPop hop blend.

In addition to beer, The Brutalist will operate with a wine program of at least half a dozen nicer bottles, and will also have King State cold brew coffee on tap. They are likely to add cider to the lineup later on, as well.

Learn more about the brewery and taproom at templeofbeer.com and follow along on Instagram for more updates from The Brutalist.

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