Green Bench will begin with Goodwin Sands, an English-style summer ale made with Tampa’s Late Start Brewing, and Mighty Fragile, a London porter. Both are made with traditional English ingredients and processes, including housemade invert sugar.
“The reason cask conditioning is important is because it completely changes the texture of the products,” Johnson said. “These beers are naturally carbonated instead of the forced carbonation. They’re also served at a warmer temperature, so we’re playing with temperature to manipulate texture as well.”
Beer is at the center of the program, but not the only medium. Upstairs at Webb’s will also offer sparkling wines, ports, ciders, and a small menu of wine-based mixed drinks.
The bubbles in a sparkling wine, the silky body of a port, and the spritzy or velvety character of a mixed drink all fit into the same larger conversation.
That sense of discovery has always been central to Webb’s City Cellar, which has built a following around Belgian beers, barrel-aged releases, spontaneous fermentation, and other styles that often require a little explanation before the first sip.
Upstairs at Webb’s will continue that tradition, with staff guiding guests through not only what they are drinking, but why it is being served that way.