If I Brewed the World | The Best Kept Secret in God’s Waiting Room
Before anything, I’d like to thank If I Brewed the World Event Coordinator, Drew Hicks. Without him, this article never gets written.
I think in the short time we’ve been doing this blog, one thing I can say for certain is that we have learned what we like in a brewery. If a brewery checks certain boxes, most likely we’re going to recommend it. Occasionally, we come across an establishment that just does it better than the rest. After what can only be described as a drive thru vacation to the Tampa/St. Pete area, we discovered a brewery whose design, uniqueness and most importantly, beer is in another stratosphere. If we could design a brewery in our basement this one would be it. When you call yourself “If I Brewed the World” you’re setting the bar high out of the gate. For me, the name also implies you get it. So, what makes IIBTW so special?
If I Brewed the World, which takes its name from a play on the famous Nas song, is nestled just off the main drag on Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete. Since our trip, I’ve kicked around in my head the question of how to describe the place. After chatting a bit with IIBTW event coordinator Drew Hicks (who I’ll talk about a bit more later)a few days after our visit, the best I can come up with is this: It’s the raddest lemonade stand you’ll ever visit and they just so happens to serve alcohol.
The Vibe
Visually and architecturally, it’s unapologetically sunshine state when you look at it from the street. The building’s exterior is a beautiful mishmash of hip-hop inspired imagery that leads you to believe, the inside carries a similar theme. After stepping inside and peeling back a few of the brewery’s many layers, we realized IIBTW is more than meets the eye. It’s more representative of the changing scene in St. Pete than it is an ode to hip-hop. It’s not a themed brewery at all as a matter of fact. St. Pete is no longer “God’s Waiting Room” as it is often referred too and the brewery is very much an homage to that. It wasn’t always that way and a big part of that is due largely to resident event guy Drew Hicks and it’s by far the most fascinating part of the brewery. It’s also the part we’d know nothing about if our visit hadn’t hit a pretty big snag. After a phone upgrade left us without a single photo from our trip, this article seemed dead in the water. I really wanted to write this article so I reached out to IIBTW to see if they could somehow help salvage it. It’s through this connection that I was able to learn about IIBTW’s short but interesting history as well as what they do to stay relevant in bustling St. Pete beer scene.
If I Brewed the World open in 2018, springing up almost by accident as Hicks recalled to me. “Basically the owners where home brewers, they won a bunch of awards and they were like “Hey let’s open something.” The brewery definitely has the home brewer vibe which we love. As soon as you walk in, you’re basically at the bar. It’s a bit of a shock initially but the bar staff is friendly and you quickly become engrossed in your surroundings. A giant gorilla mural with a crown will immediately grab your attention and is what got us saying “Okay maybe we need to hang here for a while.” (The photo is on our twitter page; yep, we lost that photo too). The small size and being located just off the main drag is also the driving force behind the brewery’s “whatever it takes mentality” what they do to stay afloat.
What began as a one day a week gig for Hicks quickly turned into a passion when he saw the brewery needed to more to pull in patrons. I’d almost argue after talking to him that his ideas and the staff’s resilience are the reason they are still in business. “I had always thrown parties in my past life, so I decided it was what the brewery needed” was what motivated him to change things up. He began hosting dance parties, which evolved into joke-based gameshow style events and then eventually full-on concerts to bring in revenue. My favorite story was when he brought in a smoke machine and out of the blue one of the owners coincidently showed up. “I was definitely worried after that one” he recalled. Ownership ended up digging though, much to his surprise and in a way the evolution of IIBTW was green lit by that evenings risk. Thanks to ownerships open mindedness and Hicks’ resourcefulness, this began a string of crazy events and themed nights that would become the foundation of IIBTW’s identity. Today a lot of them have become staples that make the brewery a can’t miss stop for both locals as well as out of town folks like Brewliet and me.
Reasons to Go
The biggest draws for the brewery are the Fabulous Four talent nights. The Four isn’t just an easy layup for the talent. Dubbed Imagine That! and named after the song that inspires the brewery (Hicks also goes by this moniker), these events serve almost as auditions for the monthly talent showcase. After the Imagine That! nights, Hicks grabs four acts deemed worthy, and they become part of the Fabulous Four. This group is comprised of musicians, bands and comics and are mostly local. We’d recommend following them on IG for more info.
On Fridays and Saturdays, the brewery will also usually host a small show driven by local punk or metal bands. Hip hop acts also perform shows from time to time and it’s really up in the air regarding who you’ll catch there on a given night. This also plays well to the area, as Hicks was quick to point out. “since the “St. Pete demographic is made up of basically people from every walk of life imaginable”. In his words, “Every 5 blocks the scene is different so the shows and the crowd rotate from week to week” and is in large part what we like around here.
Besides the entertainment the staff itself is another reason to go. They are super chill and the laid-back vibe during off hours definitely did it for both of us. We didn’t catch a name but the bartender we had was great. We only got to try the beer that ended up being our favorite (the Beery Crunch) because there was one can left and after after chatting a bit, he pulled us aside and said “Hey, this is our last one you guys gotta try it”. We did not resist. In addition, the fact that Hicks went out of his way to provide us with over 50 photos for this article that he took for a complete stranger, really speaks to what these folks are about.
One minor, but interesting note, there’s a secret bookshelf bathroom in the brewery that went viral on TikTok… So viral to the point that people were only going to see the bookshelf and not even for the beer. If you’re into those types of things, go check it out but it’s a huge miss by visitors if that’s the reason you’re going. Try the damn beer people, it’s amazing.
The Beer
First Beer – Beery Crunch (6% ABV)
This pale wheat messes with your head. It tastes like Nothing but the Berries, Captain Crunch or rather what’s in the bowl after you’re done. I know this doesn’t sound good to some but this is one of the better beers we’ve ever tasted. It’s also not just flavor dumped on beer to mask bad beer. It’s plain delicious and takes your taste buds on one wild ride. If you go here, you must get this. If you don’t, just stop reading this blog because we have failed you or rather, you’ve failed us.
Second Beer – Carmel Apple Sour (Can’t remember the ABV)
This is the beer that made us want to visit initially and it’s one of the smoothest sours we’ve tasted. This would have been the favorite (or at least tied for it) had it not been for the Beery Crunch. The apple was crisp wrapped in caramel flavor made for the perfect amount of balance. You won’t pucker, you’ll just want more. I love lighter beers the add punches of dessert flavoring and this one is no slouch in that department.
Third Beer – Espresso Yo’Self Coffee Stout (6% ABV)
This one kind of surprised me. Since we were in Florida, I didn’t really expect to see anything very heavy on the menu. I wasn’t in the mood for a stout but I figured why not give it a go. It was light but the coffee flavor and aroma wherever prevalent. Nothing like a midwestern stout but it worked well given it was 80 degrees and sunny.
Fourth Beer – P.O.G.O Sour IPA (5% ABV)
The fruit flavors on this baby were delicious and I definitely had more than one. When you sip this beer, every flavor takes turns raising it’s hand and saying “Here I am, enjoy”. Since we were in Florida, I expected delicious fruit flavors and this one certainly lived up to the billing. Tied for second now that I think about it with the caramel apple. Not too hoppy or dank but if it was, those flavors would have overshadowed the fruit. Don’t change a thing on this one, it’s perfect.
What I Wish We Got to Try but Couldn’t
Part of me wishes there were more beers on the menu and part of me doesn’t. Sometimes too much of a good thing can spoil you. I think this, along with IIBTW being a small brewery is why the menu is smaller. What it lacks in size, is overshadowed by the diversity of unique flavors. When we go back (and we will) we will be on the hunt for more of the cereal series. If we should happen upon the Spicy BBQ, I’ll be in line for that one for sure as well.
Concluding Thoughts | If I Brewed the World
If I Brewed the World is like an awesome b-side that should be the main track. This is not to say it’s second fiddle to any of the other eight breweries surrounding it in St. Pete; if anything, it could potentially be the best of the bunch. Being an out of towner, I’m not sure if I’m just clueless but I don’t believe it gets enough flowers based on the conversation I had with Hicks. If we lived in the area, we’d live here on the weekend. The next time we go, we will also be checking out one of their shows. I love the underground nature of this brewery and as I’ve mentioned multiple times, it’s one of my favorites we’ve visited. I’m also truly thankful they helped us salvage this article because people need to know about this brewery. Add this one to your list if you’re in town, it will not dissappoint. Cheers!
