Bousa Brewing to Begin Distributing Beers; Little River Taproom to Open in February

Bousa Brewing Company co-owners Juan Pablo Vergara and Enrique Garcia have opened their brewery at 7235 NE Fourth Ave. in Miami's Little River District. They hope to open the adjacent tasting room in February 2017 but will begin distributing beers first through Miami's Eagle Brands.

Beginning this month, Vergara says, the distribution company will offer Bousa's first flagship beer, an IPA, to bars and restaurants in Miami-Dade. Bousa beer is expected to show up on draft lines starting December 8, followed with the rollout of beer cans in 2017. The beer is a delicate balance of malty and hoppy-citrusy notes. Vergara says it's a friendly introductory beer that will attract diners to try Bousa for the first time.

The brewery space is 12,000 square feet, although Vergara hopes to double this number within five years. It contains a 20-barrel system that can put out 4,000 barrels per year, expandable to up to 60,000 barrels. The taproom is planned for the first half of 2017. "We've been working towards this for the last year."

Bousa is not the first brewery for Vergara, a native Colombian. He was the owner of Beergara in Bogotá before selling it to a distiller. He met his business partner, Garcia, in Miami.

When they started doing the math on breweries in the state and elsewhere compared to Miami, they discovered the area was ripe for craft beer.

"That's when we found out that Miami was the perfect place to open a brewery," Vergara says.

They first declined an interview with New Times but have since opened up.

"We didn't want to make noise," Vergara explains. "We wanted quiet for a while."

The brewery will release further information about its taproom opening in the coming weeks or months on Bousa's social media accounts.