ENTERTAINMENT
source. The plant was vacated in 1995. One of the six diesel
generators that provided power now serves as the centerpiece
46
of American Icon at its main bar. The other five are still
in use after being sold to developing nations, the brewery’s
website says.
Most brewers have to choose whether to locate in an industrial
or suburban district to get enough space for parking,
which loses the advantages of having a walkable downtown
spot. On two acres, the old power plant site allows American
Icon to have both.
The building was named to the U.S. National Register of
Historic Places in 1999. Developer and owner of American
Icon Brewery, Michael R. Rechter, bought the site in June 2016.
After a $6 million renovation, including installation of the
brewing equipment, American Icon opened in October 2017.
American Icon has seating for 312 people, making it the
largest brew pub on the Treasure Coast. Still, it maintains the
friendliness and warmth expected of craft brew pubs. It employs
the most of any Treasure Coast brewery at 80 employees.
“We’re trying to keep that authentic feel you come to a craft
brewery for. We have a full-service kitchen, but it is all about
the beer. That’s what we live by,” says General Manager Joe
Giquinto.
American Icon distributes some of its beers between Titusville
and Stuart. It is looking to expand its distribution footprint
south to Fort Lauderdale, where it already has a tasting room
near downtown. Its most popular beer is American Icon IPA.
ISLAMORADA BEER COMPANY, 3200 St. Lucie Blvd.,
Fort Pierce. Opened August 2016. Taps: 18 with rotating
flavors, all made by Islamorada. No kitchen on site. Phone:
305.508.9093. Website: https://www.islamoradabeerco.com
Islamorada Beer Company began in the Florida Keys,
opening its brewery and pub in Islamorada in October 2014.
The brewery was too small for the company’s distribution
plans, so its four owners scouted for a larger location. The
four college buddies at Florida Atlantic University in Boca
Raton decided on its Fort Pierce location because of its proximity
to the confluence of I-95 and Florida’s Turnpike.
Initially, there were only beer-brewing plans for Fort Pierce,
but the space they found in an industrial area was large
enough to afford a tap room, says Islamorada Events Manager
Dana Collada.
Using a 30-barrel system, the Fort Pierce location makes the
beer that is distributed around most of Florida. Islamorada’s
reach is all of Florida except some of the western counties
in the Panhandle, she says. Expected production for 2019 is
12,000 barrels, up from 8,000 barrels last year. It is the largest
producer among the 10 area breweries.
“We don’t export out of Florida, in part because of the differences
in laws between the states,” Collada says. “Plus, our
beers are on the lighter side and the farther north you go, the
people want their heavier beers.
“Drinking in the sun is one of our mottos, so we try to keep
it light. We market to boaters and people having fun outside,”
she says.
Its beers include Channel Marker IPA and Sandbar Sunday,
an American wheat ale that was its first brew and remains
its best-selling. Islamorada’s largest market is Miami-Fort
Lauderdale. But Collada says the sales rep on the Treasure
Coast has made it the company’s most successful area as far as
placement in restaurants, distributed through Southern Eagle.>>
BERNIE WOODALL
One of the six diesel generators that made electricity for Vero Beach is the centerpiece of the main bar at American Icon Brewery.
/www.islamoradabeerco.com