One year has elapsed since the opening of Miami's first production craft brewery, and to celebrate , Wynwood Brewing Company is shutting down the block and throwing a party in front of the brewery this Saturday.
From noon to 10 p.m. August 16, the party will include food trucks, DJs, art, and (of course) beer. The section of NW 24th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues will be closed during those ten hours. However, the taproom will be open from noon to midnight. Tickets will be available for $5 per pour.
See also: Wynwood Brewing Company Announces Expansion, More Brews
The one-year anniversary party will also mark WBC's first bottle release -- El Infante, a 9.5 percent alcohol-by-volume wheat wine aged in French oak petite Syrah barrels for seven months. The artwork for the bottle was exclusively done for WBC by renowned local street artist Claudio Picasso (CP1). The cost is $20 per bottle, with a limit of two bottles per person. Vine Club members will be allowed to purchase the bottle beginning at noon. Nonmembers can purchase it beginning at 2 p.m.
Twenty-seven additional Wynwood brews will be available to sample as well, including three cask beers -- Wynwood IPA, with pumpkin and graham cracker; La Rubia, with passionfruit and papaya; and Irish Breakfast, an imperial stout with coffee, vanilla, and whiskey.
Several guest taps will be available, including taps from Funky Buddha Brewery, Due South Brewing, Proof Brewing Company, Cigar City Brewing, and MIA Brewing.
An art tent will display works by Ivan Roque, Jorge Rodriguez, Danny Ferrer, and Jay Bellicchi, and Jolt Radio will produce an all-day DJ schedule.
Four food trucks will be parked all day on NW 24th Street: Jersey Dawg, Poblano's Mexican Fusion, 2 Jive Turkeys, and Liquid Ice Cream, which makes desserts infused with WBC beer.
No growler fills, flights, or brewery tours will be offered during the Saturday celebration. Beer tickets will be sold on the premises for consumption.
Plenty of parking will be available throughout the neighborhood along the street; however, the RC Cola plant will also offer parking with security for a small fee. The entrance will be on the 23rd Street side.
Many changes have occurred since the opening of Wynwood Brewing Company, not only with the brewery but also with the industry within the city. The brewery expanded in April, tripling its production.
Owner Luis G. Brignoni reflects on the past year: "It feels pretty unreal. It's going by real fast. Feels like a blink of an eye."
And since the WBC opening, several other Miami breweries have either opened or are on the verge of opening, including MIA Brewing, J. Wakefield Brewing, Biscayne Bay Brewing Company, and Concrete Beach Brewery.
"Miami needed this, and it's getting to the point where we are getting more breweries," Brignoni says. "The city can easily sustain ten more. It's great for the industry; it's great for us."
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