Former Star of The Bachelor Opens Taproom in South Beach

Lorenzo Borghese is an Italian-American businessman, member of the Borghese family (yes, that family), a cosmetics entrepreneur, and an animal rights advocate.

He was also the star of the ninth season of ABC's The Bachelor.

Now, through his life's ups and downs, his unlikely career path has led him to this exact moment — after founding South Beach Brewing Company in 2017, the beer company has a brand new taproom in South Beach that is celebrating its grand opening on Wednesday, January 10. The new taproom is located at 210 11th St. in Miami Beach.

The 2,000-square-foot taproom welcomes locals and tourists alike with an energetic atmosphere, bold primary colors, and an expansive outdoor beer garden. The taproom and beer garden will provide the perfect setting to grab beers and lunch with friends in a quintessentially Florida, laid-back atmosphere.

However, as for Borghese, his path to the beer industry and this taproom might be entirely unlike anyone else New Times has ever featured before.
"I haven't watched The Bachelor in years — I didn't even watch my season, honestly," says the former reality star about his stint as the protagonist of the hit reality dating show back in 2006. On his season, he ultimately picked Jennifer Wilson, but they broke up shortly after.

Borghese was the "reigning" Bachelor of his season of the TV show, and when we say reigning, we mean this in a literal sense — he boasts a lineage tied to historical and royal figures, such as Pope Paul V, and is recognized for his family's contributions to art, religion, and cosmetics.

Oh, and we almost forgot to mention that Borghese's paternal grandmother was Princess Marcella Borghese, who founded the Borghese cosmetics line in 1958.

Despite this impressive family lineage and his time in the spotlight, Borghese sought out entrepreneurship instead.

"When I was filming The Bachelor in the late 2000s, I couldn't even get on Facebook at the time, so I missed out on social media completely," he says with a laugh.

Well, we think missing out on being a social media influencer with a social media handle like "princeborghese" was just what life had intended for him. (His actual Instagram username is @lborghese, by the way.)

Since his numerous stunts on reality television shows like Big Brother UK, he believes his life has worked out for the best.
The creation of South Beach Brewing Company was serendipitous, originating from Borghese's appearance on the TV show Lucky Bastards in 2014, which propelled his passion for craft beer and inspired him to start the company.

Although he calls South Beach home now, he previously lived in New York for 17 years, which is where he had originally dreamed of launching the beer brand. However, his career led him back to the state where he had attended college in, Florida, and he never looked back.

Then, it clicked. He would set out to create unique, South Florida-style beers made with real fruit juice and added electrolytes.

"The beer scene brought me to South Beach," he explains. "Here, I was able to add electrolytes to my beer."

Although he isn't the biggest beer fan, he loves what he has now coined as "brunch beer," meaning a light and fruity beer you can have during brunch.
"I had the idea of doing a brunch beer, which makes more sense in Florida than in New York because of the high heat in Florida, and, of course, South Beach is known for its brunch parties."

In true South Florida fashion, his brunch beers are made with 100 percent natural orange juice sourced from Florida, electrolytes for an added boost of hydration, and a gluten-free blonde ale.

"It took me three years to make that formula correct," he says. "A team at the University of Florida helped me come up with the perfect formula."

The company's first award-winning IPA was its "Blood Orange Sunset IPA," made with bright notes of orange, mango, and other citrus fruits paired with carefully chosen hops.

"It's not too hoppy, and it's not too filling," he explains. "It's also high in alcohol content, which I like, too. You get a lot of bang for your buck."

Although South Beach Brewing Company isn't the first beer with electrolytes, they are the first brunch beer to coin themselves as such.

"I had the electrolyte concept since 2015," he boasts, although almost in regret. Just like his time on The Bachelor, he says he was "ahead of his time."

We like to think he's exactly where he needs to be.
As for the new taproom, its opening wasn't an easy feat.

Since 2016, the entrepreneur has faced numerous roadblocks in order to build the taproom of his dreams, including facing hurdles with the city due to building and restaurant restrictions, his landlord, and then the heartbreaking death of artist David "Lebo" Le Batard in 2023, who designed the brand's logo, each beer's artwork design, and a custom mural for the taproom. At one point, Borghese almost felt like giving up. 

However, to our benefit and the benefit of the City of Miami Beach, he did not.

This is why the official ribbon-cutting ceremony will be filled with local politicians, media, and, of course, some light and fruity brunch beers.

After six years, Borghese has finally accomplished his dream of owning a South Beach taproom. (Although, if his original dream was to star on The Bachelor, then he succeeded with that one, too.)

South Beach Brewing Company. 210 11th St., Miami Beach; southbeachbrew.com.