As Florida Runs Out of Bottled Water, Breweries Offer Help

Hurricane Irma is both a powerful storm and a large storm. As of Wednesday evening, the monstrous hurricane measured 500 miles wide — that’s more than twice the size of the state of Florida at its widest point. When you think of Hurricane IrmaOpens in new window in that context, you understand why 20 million Floridians, and everyone else in hurricane-prone areas, are so darn nervous.

(MORE: Find Florida Breweries)

Bottled water is scarce at best, but in some parts of the state, it’s flat out gone. (Trust me: I was up until midnight scouring Amazon for bottled water for Florida family members who can’t find any). If you have family that’s in the same boat, they might be able to turn to a local brewery for help. About two dozen Florida breweries have announced they’ll fill water containers for free.

“We have plenty to help out the community,” Tequesta Brewing co-owner Fran Andrewlevich tells SouthFlorida.com. “We can fill up tanks with filtered water quickly. It’s our brewing water, the best water you can possibly get.”

SouthFlorida.com is keeping a running tab of breweriesOpens in new window in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties who are helping. Here are other Florida breweries we’ve seen offering water as of Thursday.

Fort Myers

• Bury Me Brewing Co.Opens in new window
• Fort Myers Brewing Co.Opens in new window
• Point Ybel Brewing Co.Opens in new window

Jacksonville

• Green Room BrewingOpens in new window
• Intuition Ale WorksOpens in new window (has sand for sandbags)
• Wicked Barley BrewingOpens in new window

Orlando

• Broken Cauldron Taproom and BreweryOpens in new window
• Ten 10 Brewing Co.Opens in new window

Tallahassee

• GrassLands Brewing CompanyOpens in new window
• Proof BrewingOpens in new window

Tampa/Saint Petersburg Area

• 81 Bay BrewingOpens in new window
• Angry Chair BrewingOpens in new window
• Bootleggers Brewing Co.Opens in new window
• Cigar City BrewingOpens in new window
• Coppertail BrewingOpens in new window
• Flying Boat Brewing Co.Opens in new window
• Mastry’s Brewing Co.Opens in new window
• Pinellas Ale WorksOpens in new window
• Rapp Brewing Co.Opens in new window
• Stilt House BreweryOpens in new window

(READ: Breweries Rally Around #ReliefBeers for Harvey Flood Victims)

Two weeks ago, ahead of Hurricane Harvey, we saw several Texas breweries make the same offer. It may seem like a small gesture at first, but for families who didn’t get to stores soon enough, it means a ton.

Note: This article has been updated to reflect more breweries who are helping with Florida water needs. If you are a brewery owner who would like to be added, email usOpens in new window.

Jess Baker

Jess Baker walked into a beer fest in 2010 and realized beer had come a long way from what her dad had been drinking since the 70s. She served as editor-in-chief of CraftBeer.com from spring 2016 to spring 2020, bringing you stories about the people who are the heartbeat behind U.S. craft brewing. She's a runner, a die-hard Springsteen fan, a mom who is always scouting family-friendly breweries, and always in search of a darn good porter.