MIA Brewing Company, Miami-Dade County's newest brewery, is officially open for production in Doral.
Owner Eddie Leon received the temporary certificate of occupancy from the City of Doral last week, allowing him to legally use the building as a brewery. The permit lets the brewery produce beer using the existing equipment.
See also: MIA Brewing Company Begins Construction, Hopes to Open By January 2014
The permit excludes a taproom, which is being completed and should be ready in the coming months. Originally, Leon anticipated a January opening, but the brewery hit a few delays with permitting and construction.
"We were partially delayed because we had to revise the plans to include the beer garden and minor modifications in the interior," Leon says.
The first beer to be launched is a hefeweizen, whose initial batches should be ready at the end of August. Most Wanted Beverages, distributor of MIA Brewing, will deliver the beer to at least 30 accounts throughout the city, including Kush, Lokal, Clandestino Pub, the Butcher Shop, and Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza.
The next beers to follow will be an IPA and then a Kolsch. A stout will be available sometime in October and might be available for Grovetoberfest, Leon says.
Leon helped found Most Wanted, a stake of which he owns under an eight-year limited partnership, which is allowed under Florida law.
The estimated capacity will start at about 1,500 barrels for the first year (based on sales) but could easily produce 5,000-plus barrels with existing equipment, according to Leon. The only limitation on production is the number of fermentation tanks. A 80-barrel tank will be installed next month.
The release of MIA brew will be gradual, Leon says. "We don't want to flood the market with our beer; we want to distribute to an exclusive list of accounts."
The brewery also includes a three-barrel pilot system and seven fermentation tanks, meant for making test beers and keeping the variety as high as possible in the taproom. Eventually, the taproom will include 52 functioning tap handles but will start with only five to seven once construction is completed.
MIA Brewing Company is the third operational production brewery in the county. "We hope to create a really amazing new venue in Miami," Leon says.
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