LARGO \u2014 Like most cities its size, Largo has numerous breweries, bars, pubs and taverns, each with distinct branding and marketing approaches.<\/p>\n
Some occupy prominent locations on main roads or busy strip plazas. Others use theme nights, colorful d\u00e9cor or advertising to attract customers.<\/p>\n
Commerce Brewing follows a different path. The brewery\u2019s tasting room at 521 S. Commerce Drive sits tucked away on a side street in a commercial area across from Largo High School \u2014 not exactly prime real estate in the city\u2019s expanding downtown district.<\/p>\n
But the owners of this contract brewery, which has supplied beer, wine and distilled spirits to bars and taphouses across Florida and beyond for five years, wanted to expand their reach locally, according to head brewer Jamie Chapman. The result is a 2-year-old taproom that has built a loyal following with its laid-back atmosphere and swashbuckling decor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve always brewed for other people,\u201d Chapman said in November, referring to the former Barley Mow brewing operation the current owners acquired in 2019. They brewed their first Commerce batch in March 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are primarily a contract facility, and that was the goal at the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
After years of producing beer, wine, cider and spirts for clients including Cigar City Brewing, 7th Sun Brewery, Coppertail Brewing Co., and the Harbor Bar in Safety Harbor, the group of investors \u2014 which Chapman said includes Cigar City\u2019s Joey Redner \u2014 decided to open a showcase space. The tasting room opened to the public in March 2024.<\/p>\n
Chapman, who spent four years at Tampa Bay Brewing Co. and has extensive experience in local craft brewing, said the tasting room operates on a straightforward business model.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do up to 30-barrel batches for any client, and we typically ask them if we can hold back a couple of half barrels or barrels for the taproom,\u201d Chapman said, adding, he has yet to have a client refuse. \u201cAnd that\u2019s how we fund our taphouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
That shared business model means Commerce \u201chas new beers on tap all the time,\u201d including several under its own labels. The taproom also features a \u201cPay It Forward\u201d chalkboard where patrons can buy beers for other customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not always going to be the same,\u201d Chapman said. \u201cBut it\u2019s going to be consistent because we put on draft what we make.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brewing for other companies means Commerce \u201cdoesn\u2019t get a lot of street cred,\u201d Chapman said. Being located on a small side street off Missouri Avenue means customers rarely stumble upon it.<\/p>\n
But Chapman said the combination of the laid-back atmosphere, eclectic pirate-themed decor, central location and rotating beer selection has made the tasting room a hit with locals and visitors, including Largo Mayor Woody Brown.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re busy every stinking day,\u201d he said of the facility, which is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. \u201cThe mayor and his wife stopped in on a Friday night after an event, and they said they really enjoyed the place.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s because we\u2019ve got awesome bartenders who have stuck with us, and you can come in and try craft beers from all over the Southeast.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commerce has already earned a strong reputation for its brewing capabilities \u2014 it\u2019s the first facility in the state licensed to produce beer, wine and distilled spirits, according to Chapman.<\/p>\n
But he said they want the tasting room to become a local destination by hosting business happy hours and open mic nights, book club meetings and parties at no charge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to see the Commerce Tasting Room be the place for people to come and hang out, whether it\u2019s for a business happy hour or a birthday party,\u201d Chapman said, noting they have hosted several events.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful space,\u201d he added. \u201cThere\u2019s a pirate vibe in the back of the house, because we do pirate-y things in here. We\u2019re open Wednesday through Sunday, and you can have the place to yourselves for free for the space. And we hope to have food trucks and open mic nights soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked how to describe Commerce Brewing\u2019s place in Largo\u2019s business scene, Chapman said, \u201cWe just want people to know that we\u2019re here. So, come in and check us out and see what you think.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LARGO \u2014 Like most cities its size, Largo has numerous breweries, bars, pubs and taverns, each with distinct…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":109098,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[51687,55816,4085,596,202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":{"0":"post-109097","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-petersburg","8":"tag-breweries","9":"tag-commerce-brewing","10":"tag-largo","11":"tag-pinellas-county","12":"tag-st-pete","13":"tag-st-pete-headlines","14":"tag-st-pete-news","15":"tag-st-petersburg","16":"tag-st-petersburg-headlines","17":"tag-st-petersburg-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}