After 10 years, Wynwood’s first craft brewery and taproom is closing in Miami
One of the fathers of Miami’s craft beer scene is closing this week.
Wynwood Brewing Company, the brewery and taproom that opened in 2013 and blazed a trail for Miami’s craft beer scene, is leaving its location at 565 NW 24th St.
The brewery announced its closing on Instagram, thanking customers and writing that it planned to merge with its sister brewpub Veza Sur Brewing Company, located just a few blocks away at 55 NW 25th St.
Created by Luis Brignoni and his father Luis “Pops” Brignoni Sr., the brewery was the first to open in Wynwood, winning one of the highest awards in the beer world just a year later: a gold medal at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival. Its signature beers include Father Francisco, a Belgian-style golden ale and Pops Porter, named for Luis Sr., as well as the popular blonde ale La Rubia, which can be found in stores, restaurants and bars all over South Florida.
Fans can find the popular beers on tap at Veza Sur.
The brewery wrote that the move would allow the team to “focus on expanding La Rubia while still being able to brew our signature beers like Father Francisco and Pops Porter, and still offering a pub and patio location to enjoy them in our neighborhood.”
In 2018, the brewery was purchased by the Portland, Oregon-based Craft Brew Alliance. The Brignonis told staff that the agreement called for the brewery to continue to run independently.
“Some people may question this decision, but for Pops and me it was an easy one — stay the same or embrace today’s fast-changing world of beer and help lead the future,” Luis Brignoni Jr. wrote in a press release at the time.
A year later, Anheuser-Busch bought the Craft Brew Alliance shares to take over ownership. The brewing company, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, also owns Veza Sur.
Wynwood Brewing Company isn’t the only Wynwood brewery to shut down over the past several years. Concrete Beach, owned by Alchemy & Science, an independent subsidiary of Boston Beer Company, closed in 2020. It was replaced by Boston Beer Company’s Dogfish Head, which ended up closing in 2022 due to a rent increase.
Still in operation in the neighborhood are the independent brewery J Wakefield Brewing and Cerveceria La Tropical.
The last day of operation for Wynwood Brewing Company is Sunday, Feb. 4.
