Cycle Brewing, St. Petersburg’s first craft brewery, announced this weekend that their taproom will be closing “this month.” In a video posted to the brewery’s social media, Cycle founder and owner Doug Dozark brings the worst news since the cancellation of Barrel-Aged Day, this time the news that the tasting room at 534 Central Avenue will be closing by the end of May 2025.
Cycle Marketing Manager, Tara Dozark, then asks Doug on the video, “So, if people want to come and say goodbye to the taproom, they need to do it this month?” And Doug responds, “Correct.”
Doug then follows that answer: “The closing announcement may come with notice, and it may not. There may be notice, and there may not be very much notice. A week at the earliest. End of the month at the latest. This batch of Crank is the latch batch of Crank. Cream and Sugar, we might have enough that I’ll send that to distribution; otherwise, we’re going to be cleaning house.”
Learn more about Cycle Brewing when founder, brewer, and owner Doug Dozark was a guest on the BeerWise Podcast.
After Doug’s announcement, news broke later in the day courtesy of an article from St. Pete Rising that Green Turtle Brewery and Public House will open in Cycle Brewing’s space at 534 Central Avenue later this month.
The article states that Green Turtle Brewery and Public House “will serve classic styles of beer such as IPAs, lagers, and porters, with a special focus on cask ales, which are traditional British beers brewed using natural fermentation and served via hand pump.
‘It’s the freshest beer you can have because it undergoes secondary fermentation in the cask,’ said Todd Bearden, who is opening Green Turtle Brewery with his wife, Colleen. ‘It’s not filtered, not pasteurized, and has natural carbonation. It’s alive and breathing.'”
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
The good news from the video is that Doug opens the door to more activity from Cycle Brewing in the future. Cycle still owns the warehouse they use to brew beer, and other breweries have successfully managed members-only bottle clubs or small tasting room business models. With any luck, Cycle Brewing will shift and be reborn from the distribution and tasting room business model they have had for the last 10+ years.
About Cycle Brewing
Downtown St. Pete’s craft beer brewery and tasting room. Sip on these fine brews inside the bar or on our sidewalk. Don’t forget to fill a growler or Crowler (canned growler) of Cycle beer to take home.