Green Bench Brewing crosses the bay with its first Tampa tasting room

I'll be honest — when I heard that Green Bench Brewing was finally crossing the bay, I did a double take. This is one of those St. Pete institutions that locals have kept close to home for over a decade, which makes the news feel genuinely significant. If you haven't been paying attention: one of the most decorated craft breweries in the entire country is opening its first Tampa tasting room this month, and it's landing right in the heart of downtown.

What's happening and where

Green Bench Brewing Company's owners are expanding the concept outside of St. Pete for the first time, with a new tasting room scheduled to open this month at 200 N. Tampa Street.

The space was previously operated by The Pint and Brew. According to the St. Pete Catalyst, co-founder Khristopher Johnson said things have moved quickly, with signage already up and his team making changes at the site.

This becomes the third spot for the company.

The original location has been anchoring St. Pete's EDGE District since 2013,

and in early 2019 the company opened the Webb's City Cellar tasting room, which also serves as a barrel aging facility, adjacent to the original.

Why Green Bench isn't just any brewery

If you're newer to the Tampa Bay area, here's a quick primer on why this matters.

Green Bench is St. Petersburg's first production microbrewery with an on-site tasting room and beer garden.

Green Bench operates a production brewery with an annual 372,000 gallon capacity, and in December 2024, VinePair named it one of the "30 best breweries in the country right now, according to beer pros."

That's not a local award — that's a national one, ranked alongside breweries from Portland, Denver, and Vermont. It's a big deal.

Co-founder Johnson was candid about the motivation for the move. Per the St. Pete Catalyst,

"Our basic goal, first and foremost, is always to try to provide beer direct to consumer," Johnson said. "We can provide some of our products outside of the core range to the Tampa market that otherwise do not get there very often if at all."

Translation: if you've been driving to St. Pete just to pick up a growler, those days are about to get a little easier.

The story behind the name

One thing I love about Green Bench is that the brand is genuinely rooted in St. Pete's history, not just slapped with a local-sounding name.

Green benches were a commonality in St. Petersburg during the early and mid 20th century — symbols of leisure and hospitality. However, the benches have a dark past.

In the 1960s, hundreds of African American individuals held demonstrations at the green benches and lunch counters. "Anywhere we go, the goal is to continue to proudly represent St. Petersburg and our history and community," Johnson said. "We want to make sure that's always at the forefront of what we're doing."

That's the kind of brand story that travels well across a bridge.

What this means for both sides of the bay

I've watched the craft beer scene bridge the gap between St. Pete and Tampa over the past few years, and this feels like one of the more meaningful moves yet. Green Bench isn't a chain or a franchise — it's a locally-owned, nationally recognized operation choosing to plant its flag in downtown Tampa. That says something about where downtown Tampa is heading as an after-work, walkable, food-and-drink destination.

For buyers considering downtown Tampa or Channelside, this kind of amenity addition is exactly the type of texture that turns a neighborhood from "coming up" to "arrived." Walkable craft beer from a top-30 national brewery at your doorstep is a real quality-of-life upgrade — and the kind of thing that tends to show up in demand a few years down the road.

Keep an eye on Green Bench's social channels for the official opening date. If past St. Pete launches are any guide, expect a line.