Connect with us

Thrive

3 Daughters Brewing taps into Clearwater Beach market

Mark Parker

Published

on

The original 3 Daughters Brewing location in St. Petersburg. File photo.

Fans of 3 Daughters Brewing can soon sip their pints of Beach Blonde Ale while enjoying a sea breeze and panoramic views of one of America’s top-rated beaches.

With the pandemic (hopefully) waning, St. Petersburg’s popular 3 Daughters Brewing is expanding into new markets throughout the Tampa Bay region. The company – one of the largest independent breweries in the state – announced Thursday the opening of a new location in Clearwater Beach just in time for Spring Break.

Adjacent to the beach roundabout, the new tasting room is on the third floor of the building that also houses a Ron Jon Surf Shop and the Clearwater Beach Hooters. Located at 381 Mandalay Avenue, the tasting room boasts a 220-degree view of Pier 60, Clearwater Harbor and those picturesque Gulf of Mexico sunsets. Brian Horne, vice president of marketing and sales, said the brewer looks forward to sharing what makes the St. Pete location special with a new crowd.

“We love the idea of it being kind of a unique spot that no one else has – you’ve got the views, you’ve got the beach,” said Horne. “And we’re going to add what we do well down in St. Pete, which is live music, amazing beer, ciders and seltzers, and good food.

“This seemed like a good combination.”

While not a formal partnership between 3 Daughters and the Clearwater-based Hooters, Horne said the company is seizing the opportunity to reimagine its real estate utilization. Just before the new year, the Hooters Management Corporation announced a name change to the HMC Hospitality group to reflect the company’s growth.

Horne said that companies are evolving post-Covid, his included, and ownership of both entities enjoy a strong relationship.

“I think it was kind of a stark discussion of, ‘Hey, this might be a good opportunity to utilize the space a little bit differently on both sides,’” he said.

The Clearwater Beach facility will offer traditional 3 Daughters favorites alongside specialty brews only available at the new location. Although on a much smaller scale than the St. Pete location that distributes their products throughout the state, Horne said the tasting room features an on-site brewing system that offers fresh libations.

The company also brought in a new, small-batch brewer whose sole focus is creating “cool, crafty beverages” only sold in Clearwater Beach. Horne said the company would replicate that process through further expansion.

Horne said he looks forward to introducing 3 Daughters to a new demographic.

“Clearwater Beach is a little more transient than St. Pete,” explained Horne. “Although we do get a tremendous amount of visitors from out of state, that number will probably be a little bit higher in Clearwater Beach.”

The Clearwater Beach location, which opens the last week of February, is hardly the only project 3 Daughters is developing.

Before the pandemic disrupted operations around the globe, 3 Daughters formulated an ambitious expansion plan. That included seven or eight new locations around Florida, starting with Clearwater to the north of their base of operations and Bradenton to the south. Then Covid put everything on hold.

Despite the pandemic – or possibly due to customers turning to their favorite brews during trying times – 3 Daughters experienced record-breaking growth in 2021. Horne said the company increased sales by 33% last year. The brewer altered its core beer lineup, putting more of an emphasis on its cider and seltzers.

Beach Blonde Ale remains the bestseller, and Horne said Florida Orange IPA is a popular addition.

In light of that success, the expansion is back in full swing. The independent brewer recently opened a branded bar inside the FIT2RUN superstore in Bradenton, which features a special brew unique to that location – Beach Blonde Light.

The long-awaited location inside the St. Pete-Clearwater International airport is also opening soon. Originally scheduled for unveiling in November, Horne said Covid and supply chain issues caused delays. He now expects that to open sometime in the next month.

Horne said 3 Daughters expanded its sales team and now employs about 15 salespeople throughout Florida. He credited strong local relationships and an influx of visitors as contributing to the growth.

“We just have some really good partners around the state,” said Horne. “As Florida has been open more people are coming to the state, and they’re coming out to celebrate that they can probably be in the open a little bit more.

“It’s busy. We get out of Covid and try to open three locations in two months.”

 

 

 

 

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

By posting a comment, I have read, understand and agree to the Posting Guidelines.

The St. Pete Catalyst

The Catalyst honors its name by aggregating & curating the sparks that propel the St Pete engine.  It is a modern news platform, powered by community sourced content and augmented with directed coverage.  Bring your news, your perspective and your spark to the St Pete Catalyst and take your seat at the table.

Email us: spark@stpetecatalyst.com

Subscribe for Free

Share with friend

Enter the details of the person you want to share this article with.