Voodoo Brewing now open in St. Pete
After years of anticipation and numerous setbacks, St. Petersburg’s newest brewery has finally opened its doors to the public.
Voodoo Brewing Co., located at 220 4th Street North, is now serving up a variety of craft beers, seltzers and cocktails, along with a full food menu. The 7,300-square-foot establishment, which formerly housed Orange Blossom Catering, has been transformed into the newest addition to the city’s ever-growing craft beer scene. The property is owned by Michael Andoniades, who also owns the nearby Hollander Hotel.
Bob Skepnek, owner of Voodoo Brewing St. Pete, described the process leading up to the opening as “quite a roller coaster.” He noted that he had been telling people they were “about six weeks away” from opening for the past 10 months, highlighting the numerous ups and downs faced along the way. “I feel fortunate that we were able to overcome those, and here we are with the doors open,” he said.
Voodoo Brewing is based in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and has over a dozen taprooms throughout the country. St. Pete is the brewery’s third outpost in Florida, with other locations in Jacksonville and Fort Myers.
The St. Pete location features a mix of industrial and traditional design elements, with a second floor seating and dining area that’s open to the first floor and includes arcade and pinball games. The dark, punk rock atmosphere is juxtaposed with large garage doors that open up the first floor onto the sidewalk.
Voodoo Brewing St. Pete owner Bob Skepnek wanted to make the space inviting with beer hall-style tables throughout the main dining area.
Voodoo Brewing has 26 taps, with about half featuring Voodoo beers and the other half guest taps, including local favorites like 3 Daughters Brewing’s Beach Blonde Ale and globally-known beers like Delirium Tremens Belgian Ale.
“Another thing I think that differentiates us in the craft brew scene in St. Pete is that we have a full kitchen,” Skepnek added. “A lot of our menu is pub fare, but we execute it at a very high level. And then there’s a few things on the menu that you might not totally expect.”
Skepnek said some of the most popular beers so far have been the “Oh Mama” Golden American Lager, “Good Vibes” West Coast IPA (pictured) and “Voodoo Love Child,” a Belgian Tripel.
Voodoo’s menu includes wings, pizza, sandwiches, salads, “Beer Mussels,” a seared ahi tuna starter and a “Chicago Bear” sandwich (a nod to Skepnek’s home city) with slow-roasted beef from the brewpub’s on-site smoker.
In addition to offering a variety of craft beers and hard seltzers on draft, Voodoo Brewing has a menu of about a dozen craft cocktails and mocktails. Skepnek says the drink menu may grow over time, but for now, they’re focused on exceeding customer’s expectations with their food and service.
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