LaBelle Brewing Company will now make the beers from Scotty’s Bierwerks. The Cape Coral taproom closed in late November when lease talks fell apart. This partnership saves the award-winning recipes and keeps them flowing at roughly 100 locations across Southwest Florida.
The taproom was Cape Coral’s only brewery, and its loss stung the community. Scott Melick founded the place and ran the brewing operations — he handed his recipes to the LaBelle facility so the signature beers could survive, including the Hazy IPA and Irish Red Ale.
“Scotty’s has always been about community, friendship, and great beer,” said Dan Peregrin of LaBelle Brewing in a Facebook post, according to News-Press. “While we work to secure a new Cape Coral location to serve as Scotty’s next neighborhood gathering place, LaBelle Brewing will keep Scotty’s craft alive in accordance with Scotty’s specifications and quality standards.”
Melick opened the brewery off Pondella Road back in March 2017. His beers started racking up medals from competitions like the North American Brewers Association, Best Florida Beer Brewer’s competition, and the Denver International Beer competition.
The Irish Red Ale won first, with the blonde ale, Hefeweizen, double IPA, and oatmeal stout also winning awards. A creamsicle fruit ale took home the most recent medal.
Suncoast Beverage will continue getting the beers out to bars, restaurants, and venues around the region.Â