New breweries coming to Port St. Joe, Moultrie | Around the Brew Bend

The Tallahassee-area craft beer scene — an area we define as anything within 100 miles of Tally — continues to grow and expand. And coming soon to North Florida and South Georgia are two MORE breweries that should be on your radar:

Forgotten Coast Brewing in Port St. Joe/Mexico Beach and Bandwagon Brewing in Moultrie, Ga.

Let's stay in Florida first.

Forgotten Coast Brewing

This past week, Forgotten Coast Brewing Company announced their intentions to open in Port St. Joe on Mexico Beach. The announcement didn't come out of nowhere — we'd heard this was happening a few months ago, we just didn't know when — but the news was welcome to those on the Forgotten Coast that have already embraced current craft brewery brands Oyster City in Apalachicola and Eastpoint Beer Company in Eastpoint.

There aren't a lot of details on this new brewery, which sits just on the cusp of our coverage area (PSJ is roughly 100 miles from Tallahassee), but is an intriguing new operation coming to North Florida, nonetheless. Per their Facebook page, the brewery will be located directly on the water at 4101 Highway 98 in Mexico Beach, although because the project appears to be part new construction/part renovation on a current building, the ETA is influx.

But it most definitely is already under construction — that much we know. We also know the head brewer's name is Steve Wells and that former Oyster City General Manager Clayton Mathis is serving as a consultant in helping them get launched.

Owners of Gibson Inn and Owl Cafe

The brewery is being funded/founded by White Sands Hospitality, a rather large restaurant/hotel/resort/vacation rental conglomerate that has been making big moves along the Forgotten Coast for the last decade.

In Apalachicola alone, they own The Gibson Inn, The Apalach Inn, The Taranto House, The Bowery Inn, The Owl Cafe, The Owl Tap Room, The Franklin Cafe + Parlor Bar and the former Boss Oyster location right on the water, which was destroyed by Hurricane Michael 5 years ago. It's still TBD what their plans are for the former iconic Boss Oyster location, but we have no doubt it'll be something amazing right on the waterfront as you drive into Apalach.

And in Cape San Blas, they own Longbill's Seafood Restaurant and The Smokehouse on CSB. And, now, Forgotten Coast Brewing Company.

Beer already flowing with Tallahassee connection

Here's another interesting tidbit about FCBC: They're already producing beer, which can also already be found on draft ONLY at three locations along the Forgotten Coast - The Gibson, The Owl and Longbill's. As for where they produced those first batches of beer? Well, the connection comes right back to Tallahassee.

Here's an exchange Forgotten Coast Brewing had with a commenter on Facebook:

Commenter: "Which beers are currently available? Where are you brewing the beer?"Forgotten Coast Brewing Company: "Marsh Sunset Golden Ale, First Draft IPA, Hwy 98 LoCal and Lighthouse Lager! We've partnered with Deep Brewing, out of Tallahassee, for these pilot batches."

So there ya have it! Tallahassee's own Deep Brewing is helping them out in the interim, which is always great to see when breweries collab. Nevertheless, Forgotten Coast Brewing is coming soon, so stay tuned to this column for an update at some point and be sure to follow them on social media in the meantime for more regular progress reports.

Getting on the Georgia Bandwagon

Now, let's head to South Georgia, where Bandwagon Brewing announced their arrival months ago, but details are starting to become more flushed out every day. And they might just be open to the public by Thanksgiving if all goes according to plan!

Colquitt County, Ga. - which is home to the town of Moultrie and sits just 65 miles from Tallahassee - is about to get their first-ever craft brewery, and it's being founded and funded by a local entrepreneur from Moultrie named Harrison Isaacs.

Harrison started a group called Intrie Capital, which bills itself as a "a comprehensive investment agency specializing in real estate development, property investment, and business consulting. We purposefully re-imagine vacant land and existing structures to the highest and best use of the property. Our goal is always to achieve thoughtful function in a space while also preserving heritage and tradition where possible. We aim to truly invest in communities — not just develop them."

Harrison and co-founder Bill Kimmerly are doing just that in Colquitt County, where they have already broken ground and begun the build out of Bandwagon at 33 W. Central Ave. in Downtown Moultrie. Kimmerly, who will serve as head brewer for Bandwagon, brings an interesting background to the table, too: He's a doctoral Cellular and Molecular Biology graduate from UC Berkeley. And that basically just means Bandwagon's brewmaster is, like, really, really smart.

The town's local newspaper, The Moultrie Observer, broke the news about Bandwagon back in April and wrote this about the venture:

"The brewery is designed to accommodate future expansion, providing a sustainable foundation for the company’s long-term growth plans, the press release said. Bandwagon Brewing Company plans to partner with local farmers to source ingredients for its products and work with other businesses to promote positive changes brewing in Moultrie.

“We are not just building a brewery; we are building a community,” Kimmerly told the publication. “I’ve been involved in the craft beverage field for about 20 years, and I previously owned and operated a brewery and winery in Washington state. I am excited to bring my brewing vision to Georgia.”

Bandwagon already brewing

Like Forgotten Coast Brewing, Bandwagon is already producing beer. They poured in the 5th Annual TLH Beer Festival in late August and then again at the TLH Beer Society's 6th Anniversary Party just two weeks ago.

They are going to specialize in some unusual styles of beers too, including Belgian ales and cask beers.

Bill told us this week that the goal is to be open — at least partially — for Moultrie's annual Thanksgiving "Canopy Of Lights" shindig in downtown on Nov. 23. He added that at the latest, they should be fully open by the first week in December.

Amicus opens at waterworks building

That'll do it for this week! We threw a lot of brew news at you, so take it all in and start adding trips to these new local breweries to your list!

And don't forget, right here in Tallahassee, Amicus Brewing Ventures is opening this week Thursday, with a Grand Opening ribbon cutting ceremony planned for Friday!

Cheers to even MORE beer than ever before in the Tallahassee-area!

Danny Aller is the co-founder, along with Matthew Crumbaker, of the TLH Beer Society. Reach the Beer Society on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or email: tlhbeersociety@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: New breweries coming to Port St. Joe, Moultrie | Brew Bend