There’s a lesson to be learned from the mangrove trees that populate Florida’s gulf coast. Unlike most other flora, mangroves sit atop aerial, above ground roots that allow the tree to breathe amidst silty, swampy environments. These roots expand laterally, strengthening the trees against storms and providing a unique ecological habitat for both flora and fauna to flourish. Although Clay Robinson, co-founder of the award-winning Sun King Brewery, is new to Sarasota, he’s already taking the lesson in stride. On July 22nd, the Indianapolis-based brewery put down roots in Sarasota, opening their 5,000-square-foot brewery and tap room to the public. The location is the company’s first in Florida and provides a chance for Sun King to reclaim a lost market. “We started distributing beer in Florida about five years ago,” says Robinson. “Our slow season in the Midwest occurs as the weather gets colder, but we found that people related to our beer in Florida and sales picked up during the winter. However, when the pandemic hit, all of our sales outside of Indiana completely dried up.” While beers found in grocery stores—nationwide brands and local beers —fared well, customers and distributors alike lost their taste for craft beers brewed outside of the region.

Photography by Wyatt Kostygan.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.

The only way for Sun King to resuscitate a proven market was to expand laterally and start a local brewery in Florida. Although Robinson and his team landed on a prime location—previously operated by JDub’s Brewing Company on 12th and Mango, a pre-existing facility close to downtown—the path forward wasn’t simple. “When COVID hit they pretty much just shut down operations, turned the key, and walked out. So when we took over in January of 2022, everything had been just sitting. We basically had to rebuild it from the inside out,” says Robinson. “It’s kind of like if you park a car for two years and then come back and fire it up, it might start, but once it’s running you’ll start to notice some issues.” Robinson and his team leaned on businesses around the community to bring their vision to life. “There’s a cabinet shop directly across the street that has been really great as we've been building up and actually has helped us resurface some of our tables. We purchased our countertops in the tap room from a granite and marble shop that’s two doors down,” says Robinson.

Photography by Wyatt Kostygan.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.

Robinson and his team are also working to build philanthropic relationships throughout Sarasota as well. “We're in the process of putting together a pint night in our tap rooms, where a dollar from every pint sold will go to a local charitable organization, starting with the Humane Society which is only a few blocks away. For Robinson, Sun King’s Sarasota location is more than just a chance to retrieve a lost market. It’s an opportunity for Robinson, who’s moving to Sarasota with his wife and two children, to put down roots of his own. “I’m moving to Florida because I want to be a part of this. I want to shepherd its growth and integrate into the community and learn more about the people we’re going to be around,” says Robinson. “My daughter will start school in Sarasota in January. It’s a chance to start afresh.”