Setting Sail

Much like those early explorers who left everything behind in search of the New World, I had no idea what lay ahead when I walked away from a comfortable corporate job in early 2025. Setting sail into the uncharted waters of the beverage industry with a thirst for great beer, big dreams, and a really cool logo!

It started one night at the height of the COVID craziness in mid-2021. I was on the phone with a friend, contemplating the meaning of life (I’m sure), when I jokingly said, “Screw it all, I’m just gonna start a beer company and call it Gulf Coast Brewing Company.” As soon as I realized no business by that name had ever existed, as far as I could find, I knew I had to bring it to life!

Being heavily influenced (for good or bad is still up for debate) our entire lives by none other than Mr. Jimmy Buffett, my friend and I were obviously big fans of pirate lore. The day after our conversation, he sent me this simple yet kinda awesome logo, and this pirate beer company was born.

From there, I went to work figuring out how to bring this idea to life, and the first big hurdle was to figure out how to produce beer when I had neither the expertise nor the equipment to produce a product that anyone would want to drink. I quickly realized the shortest path to market would be contract brewing.

For the first beer to test the market, I knew it had to be something that would represent the Florida Gulf Coast not only in name, but with a flavor profile that exemplifies the Gulf Coast lifestyle. So the choice was clear—it had to pay homage to our most infamous pirate, Jose Gaspar, and have a flavor profile like the sun, sand, sea, and citrus in a bottle; and from there, Gaspar’s Revenge was born.

The initial launch was a big success, but as they say, the best-laid plans of mice and men quickly go awry. I soon found out not actually owning production was going to be an issue in keeping product on tap. My biggest fears were realized when I couldn’t get new orders to keep the taps that were so challenging to get in the first place. As I was pondering the next move (I genuinely had no idea how I would open an actual brewery), the winds of fate brought another wayward sailor into my path, and it completely changed everything!

Travis Oldenburg, an ex-North Carolinian just like myself, who had moved to Florida and started a pirate-themed apparel company, reached out to me about doing a possible collaboration on a beer for his company, Black Flag Adventure Company. But after a few talks, we realized we had way more in common about our long-term goals than a single beer. Those talks quickly turned into, “How can we take this pirate beer brand and open an actual brewery?” Our biggest hurdle was neither of us knew how to actually brew a quality beer at scale that people would want to consume. And as fate would have it, the good Lord above sent the third and final piece of the puzzle to us in the form of an amazing brewer who was ready for change. Somehow, we convinced Jay Bergantim to come on board as our Head Brewer and Director of Brewing Operations.

Our first attempt was to purchase an existing brewery and just take over operations, but once again, circumstances outside of our control derailed the mission and put us back to square one. So this time, we decided it would be best to start from scratch and build a brewery from the ground up.

We were lucky enough to find a closed-down cigar bar on the main route into Siesta Key off Clark Road and almost instantly knew we had found our home. But much to our surprise, this building held some amazing secrets (more on that in a future blog) that were unlocked in our initial remodel, and now we’re in the middle of building out an amazing open-air brewery that will perfectly represent the Gulf Coast lifestyle better than we could have ever imagined. So stick with us as we create a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of this crazy world—a place where you can relax, enjoy great beer, good friends, and maybe make a memory or two that will help carry you through this journey we call life.

Cheers,

Jay Trotter

CEO & Co-Founder