Pictured Above: 3 Daughters Brewing has many performers that are local with plenty of room for socially distancing. (USF/Lauren Kemmish)
By Lauren Kemmish
3 Daughters Brewing in Midtown St. Petersburg is more than just a place to get a bite to eat and a beer to drink with friends, it is an establishment that cares about leaving a positive impact on the community.
Mike and Leigh Harting, owners of 3 Daughters Brewing, were ready to open a brewery but could not settle on a name until they were joking with some friends about how many beers they will have to brew to put their three daughters through college, and then 3 Daughters Brewing was born in 2014.
Unlike the name, there is not much significance when it comes to the location of 3 Daughters Brewing.
“It all came down to the industrial city zoning,” Mike Harting said. Since the brewery is also a manufacturer, we did not have as many options when it came to picking a location.”
The brewery is working on opening more tasting locations in Bradenton or Tampa in the coming future. Although the Hartings did not have much of a choice in picking a location, they have made a big impact in the Midtown community.
Due to the location being in an industrial zone, the outside of the brewery looks like a big warehouse which does not make it seem inviting. But inside, there’s a huge concert stage with tables all around and a tasting room. This brewery is so spacious with a lot of room for social distancing which is why the brewery is still allowed to have local bands perform.
The brewery offers so much more than craft beer. It is dedicated to giving back to the community through charity work, volunteering, hosting events and making hand sanitizer.
COVID-19 hurt most businesses around the world, some survived and some didn’t. 3 Daughters Brewing faced many challenges, including having to lay off their entire staff not once, but twice. Thankfully, all staff members were able to make a return to the brewery once places started opening up again.
While being closed due to COVID-19, the brewery was able to make a few positive impacts, such as expanding on the brewery and making hand sanitizer for first responders, healthcare workers, essential workers and the community. During the pandemic, the brewery was able to produce over 4,000 gallons of hand sanitizer and donate it all to those who needed it the most.
“We have permanent safety and cleaning protocols in place now, along with staff members who are dedicated to sanitizing frequently touched surfaces. We make sure we follow all local guidelines and laws to ensure our staff and guests are safe,” general manager, Christian Harris, said.
3 Daughters Brewing loves hosting events, they have a variety to offer to the community and have local artists perform, small businesses supporting each other. The events are great for tourists to get a feel for the Midtown community and attracts visitors from surrounding areas. The Crawfish Boil is a big event that began five years ago for employees and some regulars, but it grew in popularity so now tickets can be purchased and anyone with a ticket may enjoy crawfish, good music and catch up with the community.
“To help limit gatherings at the bars, we opened satellite bars to alleviate some congestion. We added more staff to help speed up transactions and cleaning, but the brewery does rely on our guests to do the responsible thing by wearing masks and practice social distancing,” Harris said.
Hosting events gives the community an opportunity to come together. Another way that 3 Daughters supports its community is by donating. Certain criteria do need to be met in order to get approved for a fundraising event such as, must be a 501(c)3 charity and the request must be at least a month before the wanted date for the event.
(USF/Lauren Kemmish)
Alongside being highly involved with the community, 3 Daughters Brewing is also environmentally cautious. The brewery looks for several things when choosing vendors, “measure and minimize the footprint of their operations and products by looking at transportation, packaging, waste energy, toxicity, water, and GHG emission, creates a high involvement corporate culture which values and rewards everyone’s contributions, have a management system which demonstrates environmental commitment by setting goals and regularly reporting, work with other to improve the sustainability of their industry”.
There is never a dull moment in the Midtown area or for 3 Daughters Brewing with so many events taking place.
“Some upcoming events for people to look forward to are Doggy Noses and Yoga Poses, Paints Pints Plants, Mother’s Day Market, Father’s Day BBQ and Silent Disco, just to name a few,”Harris said.
All events are listed on the website with detailed information.
3 Daughters Brewing has been spotlighted in multiple news sources ever since they opened because the business really has made a positive impact on the community. The brewery has 394 reviews on Yelp with a 5.5-star rating. Based on reviews, the community loves a place to go to catch up with each other, get drinks and food, play games such as darts and shuffleboard, listen to local bands perform, sit inside or outside and the list goes on. The brewery has done so well over the years their beers can be found all throughout Florida
3 Daughters Brewing is overall a well-rounded establishment. From it being a family owned and operated business, caring about the safety of staff and guests with COVID-19, taking cleaning measures seriously, being environmentally friendly, giving back to the community and contributing to distributing hand sanitizer to hospitals who were in desperate need is the icing on the cake.
For those who are interested in learning the art of brewing craft beers, 3 Daughters Brewing has partnered with USF, St. Petersburg campus for a 23-week program. It is offered twice a year and allows for students to get the certificate while completing their other college courses. This online course allows for those who want to be successful in the craft beer industry to do so from anywhere in the world.