Brewer's Pizza's beer about to be distributed

[Tacachale]

Brewer's Pizza has finalized its transition from brewpub to distribution brewery. The brewery function will be known as "Pinglehead Brewing Co."

After Bold City, Intuition, Green Room, and Mile Marker, this will be the First Coast's fifth brewery. Aardwolf opening up later this year will make six - not a bad haul over 4 years.

The beers made at Brewer's Pizza in Orange Park will soon be served elsewhere. The brewery has signed a distributing agreement with Champion Brands, and owner Mike Wilson said he hopes to have to kegs rolling out by the middle of next month.

To do that, Wilson had to change the state license from a brew pub, which can't distribute its beer, to a brewery, which can. Officially, it has now become Pinglehead Brewing Co.

The restaurant is still named Brewer's Pizza and will essentially be Pinglehead's tap room.

Actually, Wilson confessed, another reason for creating a separate name is that he couldn't see Mellow Mushroom, for example, selling a beer that was called Brewer's Pizza.

The change from brew pub to brewery also means that Brewer's can sell growlers of its own beer. As a brew pub, it could only sell  growlers of other breweries' beer.

Try to figure that out.

Anyway, Wilson said they'll start distribution with Pinglehead Red, a big, hoppy beer that outsells everything at Brewer's.

"We want to start out slow, so that we can keep all the taps supported," Wilson said. "Besides, it kind of fills a dead spot in the local market."

He said the next beer could  be Black hOPs, a black IPA, or perhaps a  porter.

Brewer's currently has eight of its own beers on tap.

From Roger Bull at Jacksonville.com

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/428360/roger-bull/2012-04-18/brewers-pizzas-beer-about-be-distributed