The Brew Crew: Nicole Cendrowski, Brian Cendrowski, Mike Thompson (our sherpa), Yeast

It’s the day you’ve all been waiting for. After eight years of giving my beer away for free, you’re finally going to have the opportunity to pay money for it! On February 27, my first commercially available beer will debut at The Brewer’s Tasting Room (BTR) in St. Petersburg.

Brewing is glamorous work!

This past Sunday I brewed the Vendetta Blood Orange Wit. It’s a Belgian wit with blood orange zest and juice, coriander and chamomile added after fermentation. Vendetta pays homage to my Sicilian roots with blood oranges and chamomile, which are commonly grown on the island and throughout the Mediterranean.

Brew day went exceptionally well. BTR has a 1-bbl brewing system that features three steam-heated kettles, pumps, an electronic control board, the whole deal. It’s an easy-to-understand miniature version of the systems that the big boys use and is great for pilot batches and learning how to brew away from home.

I’m honored to be one of the first handful of brewers in BTR’s new program that will allow homebrewers and pros from other breweries to brew pilot batches on its system, then have the beer for sale on the tap wall at the tasting room.

While guest brewers won’t receive any revenue from the sale of the beer, it’s a great opportunity to learn on a small commercial system and get free exposure in the market. It’s the only way to get truly honest feedback about your beer: Will people pay money for it?

I would like to invite you to the release party on the 27th. And bring a friend or 12! Stay tuned for more details, and in the mean time, save the date!

Visit the event page on Facebook.

Vendetta Release Party
The Brewer’s Tasting Room
11270 4th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33716 (map)
February 27, 2014
7 pm

The Vendetta awaits you!