Island Brew Day

It’s not every day you get invited to brew beer on the beach. So naturally when I received a text from Todd Piper of Siesta Sports Rentals asking if I wanted to tag along with his crew for the day and brew beer, I jumped at the opportunity.

“It’s going to be a fun beach day,” Todd promised. And I believed him.

“Island Brew Day” began as just a daydream of crafty brewer Tom Harris. His vision: to combine a few of his favorite things—boating, friends, the beach, and beer. Mine too. We launched from CB’s just over the South Bridge to Siesta Key, in a 27-foot pontoon boat. The last few clouds were just burning off as we left the dock. It was a perfect Sarasota day.

Brew Life Brewing of 5767 Beneva Road rolled deep with their crew, including co-owners Mike Evanoff and Mick Cohn. We made our way to the island picking up the cast of characters as we went. Each person was a good friend to someone in attendance; this crew has never met a stranger anyway.

Todd’s wife and photog extraordinaire, Kathryn Brass-Piper, was there documenting: snapping candid shots as we set up shop on our little part of Midnight Pass beach. A few straggling kayaks beached themselves and Island Brew Day commenced.

“Traditional brewing typically takes place somewhere where almost everything is controlled,” said Mick. “There are a lot of variables to consider at the beach.” This was true and we were up for the challenge. First we picked out the perfect spot, and somewhere between the Gulf and the mangroves we put together a makeshift brewery.

Brewer Tom heated water with a propane-powered burner and began formulating The Midnight Pass Saltwater Stout. Malt extract was dissolved into the water before being brought to a boil. From there hops were added and the mixture continued to bubble for about an hour. At this stage the unfermented beer is called wort. Before our next step, adding yeast to the wort, it must cool. Just at the water’s edge, on the mangrove side of Midnight Pass Beach, we made a cooling station for our brew by digging a hole in the sand. We passed the time by drinking BK’s cooler of cold local beers, swimming in the Gulf, and telling stories. This is brew life.

Once back on dry land at the brewery, Tom would add the yeast and put our recipe into the proper vessel for the fermentation process to begin. Although fermentation typically begins in a day or two after adding the yeast, this beer would not be ready for almost 12 weeks.

By the time our Island Brew Day beer was ready to make its debut, Mick and the Brew Life team had already decided what they would do with the proceeds: “We just want to adopt a shark from Mote … we want to name it Princess Kissyface. [But] If they don’t let us adopt a shark, they can keep the money anyway,” Mick says with a smile. Brew Life is donating all profits from The Midnight Pass Saltwater Stout to Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium.

About the beer? It was delicious and complex. Coffee and caramel flavors hit you up front and the brew finished with a slight salinity hinting at its island origin.

Note: Kayak and paddleboards were provided by Siesta Sports Rentals.