Photos: Look inside Ybor City's new Sky Puppy Brewing

There’s a lot of history built into the walls at Sky Puppy Brewing. It sits on the site of Casa Bomberos, where Tampa Fire Station No. 2 was until 1924, and it’s technically the city’s oldest fire house still standing.

More recent history is on the walls, too. There’s an old graffiti tag for “GOD” which didn’t get scrubbed off in the buildout for the much-anticipated brewery. And of course, there’s the ghost of New World Brewery, an almost-mythical watering hole and venue that called the 1300 block of E 8th Avenue home for 22 years before relocating to Sulphur Springs.

And that’s where the love comes in.

New World is where Danielle Vergnaud and Matthew McKinnon had their first date in 2011. Six years later, they got engaged outside of New World on the venue’s last night in Ybor City. They’ve since married (it’s Danielle Vergnaud-McKinnon, now) and have recently been spending lots of time together, pouring almost every ounce of themselves into a brewhouse and tasting room that’s been nearly three years in the making.

Vergnaud-McKinnon told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that Sky Puppy Brewing will finally open in Ybor City late this month or early-September. The charming space at 1313 E 8th Ave. (the same address as the old New World) is adorned with dramatic sculptures of bats by Florida artist Copper Tritscheller (there are 13 of them as tap handles). A giant Tritscheller bat on loan stands near the front door, just beneath a small cloud of bat sculptures on the wall.

While the tasting room can accommodate a total of about 45 people between its sleek benches, custom booths, and standing area, a small bartop near the taps has room for just five people—an ode to another lost Ybor City staple, the tiny Fuma Bella bar that was across the street from New World.

The high ceilings and exposed century-old brick have also been methodically composed and intentionally meant to preserve the rich history of the block. The gateway into the brewhouse itself boasts a wall that is made of the original brick from the firehouse’s original facade. To maximize space, Sky Puppy keeps grain and other supplies on a second story landing and storage area.

After a wall collapse in the initial stages of buildout, the couple salvaged material and have integrated much of it into a space that is sophisticated in a way that only Vergnaud-McKinnon—a decades-long professional in retail—could pull off.

“We strategized early on when we walked the space on moments of memory and tribute,” Vergnaud-McKinnon said. “We lodged the brew house as far left as possible and the fermentation tanks as far right as possible so you could see where New World operated their taproom and turned their kegs for 20 years.”

That brewhouse is where the couple has spared no expense in installing a seven-barrel SS Brew Tech system where Matthew—a highly-decorated, 20-year brewer who’s collected medals not just for his home brew, but for beer he developed with teams at The Rubicon in California and in Tampa at Coppertail—and Vergnaud-McKinnon will work to make their mark in their neighborhood and outside of it, too.
McKinnon’s excitement for opening Sky Puppy comes less from the charm of the space, and more so from the product that he plans to roll out. His philosophy for brewing relies largely on his focus on constant growth, improvement, and collaboration.

“We are very non-static and believe that there is always room for growth,” Vergnaud-McKinnon added. ”We’re going to attack styles and beers the same way. More specifically, we’re going to brew great lagers, stouts, hazy IPAs, West Coast and San Diego IPAs and a sour.”

He’s currently fermenting sweet stout, Mexican lager, a Czech pilsner, and IPA, DIPA, Florida sour and Belgian wit. Vergnaud-McKinnon said she’s still not sure which styles will ferment and be available on opening day. That short list, however, is just a glimpse of the breadth that Matthew is capable of producing.

Matthew’s award winning resume in his home brewing career has also created a drive to enter Sky Puppy’s beers into local and international competition. His extensive knowledge is something he wishes to share with guests in the space. He added that collaboration with other local brewers including Cigar City Brewing, Magnanimous and others will be on display in the space by means of collaborative brews, and products will be available in the take away area which sits across from the bar.

The couple also plans to roll out a limited selection of the aforementioned styles upon opening, most of which will be house-made ales. A rotating collection of artwork will also be on display with select pieces being made available for purchase.
As opening the business draws near, the excitement between the couple is coming to a headpoint, as they are eager to share what they have been working tirelessly on for over a year.

“I think I’m just excited for what’s happening in the West End of Ybor,” Vergnaud-McKinnon added. “It’s always been a place to come and have fun, but it’s been a difficult place to thrive and we’re glad to see that changing”

Get real-time updates on the opening of the Ybor City Brewery via @skypuppybrewing on Instagram and via skypuppybrewing.com.
UPDATED: 08/01/24 11:20 a.m. Updated to make clear Matthew's collaborative path and approach to making beer.