Icons of Ybor: Sky Puppy Brewing

Q: What year did you start your business, & why Did you choose Ybor?

Danielle: We started planning our business in early 2020 and opened our doors to the public on Matthew’s Birthday September 13, 2024. Both Matthew & I have a deep love for our tiny city. There is a sense of culture, community, and connection that drew me to this place in 2008 and despite moving to California for a few years, we quickly returned back to these streets we call home. Brick lined streets, night clubs, cigars, great beer, and a town that truly welcomes all – from small farmers markets to parades, it is and will always remain the most special place on earth for me.

Q: What makes Ybor, Ybor — why is it unique?

Danielle: I believe Ybor is a place that welcomes everybody – from goths to rappers, from famous athletes, to artists, to attorneys; from students to homeless. Every race, every gender, every orientation and it’s been this way since the beginning. You can see the parts of Ybor that remain untouched since the 1800’s. Ethnic clubs, Cuban sandwiches, cigar factories, & brick roads, decorated with chickens and roosters. On certain days of the week you can smell beer being brewed, or bread being baked. Seven days a week, salsa blasts out the Latin clubs along Seventh Ave, itself named one of America’s Ten Great Streets in 2008. We have beautiful parks, Centennial, which brings 8th ave to life every Saturday morning. Jose Marti park where you can say you legit are standing on Cuban Soil. Movies have been filmed here, books have been written about our lore. Like any good city, Ybor has a shady past, from evidence of tunnels running underneath huge swaths of the neighborhood to cockfighting, gambling, and the mafia. Ybor city welcomes all – it’s just what we do.

Q: What’s your fondest memory of Ybor?

Danielle: I have two – the first being the moment I realized that I was going to make this city a permanent home. I was walking home, slightly intoxicated and decided to kick my shoes off and barefoot walk down the bricked street of Angel Olivia between 8th and Palm. The second, was when Matthew proposed to me at the last call of the last evening of service at New World Brewery Ybor.

Matthew: Living and working here since 2007 I have seen and done a ton. Ybor is ever evolving and there’s always a myriad of things to do and see. Narrowing this down was simple for me though. It occurred less than 20 feet from where I now make the beer for Sky Puppy Brewing. The memory was of my now wife saying yes to me as I found myself on one knee with a ring in one hand, as words beautifully and eloquently fumbled out of my mouth. We were surrounded by a 100 beer drinking Ybor diehards who were all in tears not because of me, or the proposal, because the act went entirely unnoticed. It was at last call on the last night of service at New World Brewing in 2017. New World was our favorite place on earth and the people and culture of New World were what made it so great. We are here now adjacent hoping to revive some of what we so miss here in Ybor City.

Q: How did you become interested in brewing? Ybor has a robust craft beer scene. Headlines indicate that the craft beer sector is in decline? How will Sky Puppy stay relevant?

Matthew: 20 years ago you could count the number of small breweries in the state on two hands, lack of diversity in the beer market here cultivated an outstanding home brewing culture. We couldn’t buy what we wanted to drink so making it ourselves was the only option. The market is in decline, undoubtedly, we positioned ourselves to be hyper local, intentional, and boutique, hopefully our attention to detail, passion, and love for this industry will be enough to remain doing what we care so much about for many years to come.

Q: Your space is different and has a vibe unlike most places in Tampa. It feels European to me. That’s the magic of thoughtful aesthetic – I believe spaces like yours allow each visitor to create their own narrative. What are your thoughts on your space and how people interact with it?

Danielle: I designed the space with the narrative of the Old world meeting the new world. I wanted a space where someone could feel comfortable having a beer but also slightly inspired. My personal goal is to have a space full of people from all walks of life, from artists to beer nerds and all of those in between. Our guests so far are doing just that, and my biggest dream is that we collectively continue to grow our tiny little sliver of 8th ave into a safe space that welcomes everyone.

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