South Tampa Homebrewers Club is Growing Rapidly

Only a year old, South Tampa homebrewers group Special Hoperations is gaining a reputation for its quality beer creations – and bringing home the medals to prove it.

Members earned four medals at the recent First Coast Cup competition in Jacksonville. Sponsored by Jacksonville home brew club CASK, the competition brought 575 entries from across Florida and the Southeast.

"I am so proud that Special Hoperations members are beginning to embrace homebrew competitions," said Danny Reid, the club’s president.  “CASK's First Coast Cup was the third competition that Special Hoperations has entered as a club.  So far, each competition has seen greater participation, and for this competition we actually had 37 entries from members. Better yet, Special Hoperations walked away with four medals, which increases our total to eight medals for the year.”

The medals were: Light Hybrid Beer, silver, brewed by Hugh Reilly; English Pale Ale, gold, brewed by Gordon Marshall; Porter, bronze, brewed by Judy Holman; and Strong Ale, silver, brewed by Danny Reid. The club also tied for fourth overall for Florida clubs.

Reid, a former Special Operations officer on active duty at MacDill Air Force Base, started the club about a year ago. An avid homebrewer, Reid traveled to meetings of longtime homebrew club Tampa Bay B.E.E.R.S. in North Tampa, but the drive started to wear on him. The new club rapidly attracted interest from South Tampa homebrewers; membership currently stands at more than 50.

The group meets twice a month at the deli on South MacDill Avenue. On the second Tuesday of the month, Reid and the other officers catch up the group on business, and members share their creations and socialize. The other meeting, on the fourth Sunday on the month, has more of an educational focus, Reid said, because the restaurant is closed to the public and members can concentrate more on sharing recipes, techniques and tricks.

“It’s just us,” Reid said.

Members range from beginners to longtime homebrewers. Mike Mcelveen said at a recent Tuesday night meeting that he had just started brewing in April and that the knowledge gained from other members has been a real help.

“It’s a great group of people,” he said.

South Tampa resident Eric Hovland said he likes the convenience of the location, “considering it’s a five-minute walk from my house.”

Special Hoperations also schedules special events. To celebrate National Homebrew Day on May 7, the group held a “Big Brew” event aboard the , the World War II era Merchant Marine ship and museum anchored in the Port of Tampa. Members brought their brewing gear and set up on the aft deck. Visitors to the ship mingled with members, who were glad to answer any questions.

The membership fee for Special Hoperations is $20 a year or $25 for a couple, and members enjoy discounts at some local bars, breweries and homebrew supply shops.