DINING

Bartow enters craft beer scene with new microbrewery, taproom in historic downtown building

Eric Pera
eric.pera@theledger.com
Bill Levin and Johnnie Levin wear the Front Page Brewing Co. shirt at the future home of the Front Page Brewing Co. to be housed in the old Polk County Democrat building in Bartow.

[PIERRE DUCHARME/THE LEDGER]

BARTOW — Throughout much of the past century, the building at 190 S. Florida Ave. in downtown Bartow has served as horse stable, automobile garage, furniture store and, most recently, home to the defunct Polk County Democrat newspaper.

Its next incarnation is home to Front Page Brewing Co., a microbrewery and taproom — a first for Bartow.

Owners Bill and Johnnie Levin are keen to preserve the journalistic history of the building, built in 1920 at South Florida Avenue and Summerlin Street. With later additions, there is now more than 7,000 square feet of interior space to house a brewery. Nearly half of that will be devoted to a taproom with up to 20 taps.

Front Page Brewing will serve as Bartow’s entre into the growing craft beer scene in Central Florida, joining such local enterprises as Swan Brewing and The Brew Hub in Lakeland; Grove Roots Brewing Company in Winter Haven and The Florida Brewery in Auburndale.

“The craft beer industry is still growing rapidly,” said Johnnie Levin, 49, who recently completed the brewing arts program at the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus. “There’s a lot of saturation (of microbreweries) in parts of the country, but Polk County is not one of them.”

The Levins said they’ve done their homework, visiting some of the nation’s more successful craft beer operations, especially in the Pacific Northwest, and making connections with the region’s hops farms.

Johnnie Levin interned at Grove Roots Brewing to complete her certification through the USFSP program. She and her husband also have tapped the expertise of Dan Thumberg, a co-owner of Swan Brewing.

Bartow’s small size could dissuade some brewers from setting up shop, Thumberg said, but the city is ripe for such an enterprise.

“Every town should have its own brewery,” he said. “It’s the way it used to be pre-Prohibition.”

The Levins are new to the industry. Bill Levin, 46, is a native of Bolivia who earned an MBA from Florida International University and flips houses for a living. His wife grew up in North Carolina and is a former corporate trainer for Fortune 500 companies.

The couple has resided in Bartow for the past 10 years and was thrilled to acquire the 100-year-old building to house their new enterprise, which will include a 10-barrel brewing system with space to grow. Two outdoor patios are planned along with an outdoor play area for yard games and space for two food trucks.

The entire property covers nearly a half-acre.

Work is underway on clearing the building of debris and furnishings. A priority is to maintain the structure’s historic integrity, which means some of the more modern design enhancements will be removed, including a partition at the entrance.

The Levins have not set a timeline for a grand opening but hours of operation are tentatively 4-10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 2-11 p.m. Friday; noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. The brewery will be closed Monday and Tuesday.

Bill Levin said city leaders are hopeful that the brewery will serve to ignite further development in a part of downtown that has seen lackluster growth in recent years.

“(Bartow) closes down at night, so we want to keep people (downtown) after work,” he said.

Said Johnnie Levin: “We want to be part of the downtown community.”

 Eric Pera can be reached at eric.pera@theledger.com or 863-802-7528.