Mastry’s Brewery

 

Blind Pass Brown Ale from Mastry's Brewery (St. Pete Beach, FL)

Located in a former gas station, this low-key small brewery likely has a substantial following when the weather is warmer. But when it is in the low-50s and windy in Florida, and the pub is open air and the seating area is covered outdoor spot, it is probably not the first place most people are going to choose for an afternoon excursion. Nevertheless, the late afternoon clientele was congenial and happy to be enjoying good beer and food truck delicacies.

Behind the cash till a photograph of twelve family members, probably from the 1940s, figures prominently. The adolescent girl, very handsome and resplendent in a white dress and a bow in her hair, stares whimsically at the camera. In later life she would open a restaurant in New York City, which is featured in another photograph on the wall. She was the grandmother of the owners of the brewery the bartender told me. In fact, the Mastry family is a mainstay in the St. Pete Beach area since moving to the area over a century ago. Many businesses bear the family’s name as a result.

Several of the beers bear the names of local roads, for example the Blind Pass Brown Ale (5.4% ABV) that I enjoyed enough to make the one mile walk again the next day to enjoy again. St. Pete Beach is an odd to me. I certainly understand the attraction of living in a place where it is generally warmer than the mid-Atlantic or the Midwest; although during my short visit you would not know that it was necessarily warmer. Perhaps the vibe of the barrier island on which it sits is different during the summer, and maybe I am not the targeted traveler (which is likely the case). But aside from the beautiful beaches, there does not seem to be the other amenities and attractions that might keep people occupied and coming for repeated visits. Those who live on the island are likely satisfied, and I am certain that there are many in the community that would prefer it that way. That is why Mastry’s brewery seems to be more of an establishment for locals than the tourists on which the local economy depends.

Address: 7701 Blind Pass Road, St. Pete Beach, FL.