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Florida Beer Podcast - Ulele, Part 1

·37 min·3 clips
A run-down red brick building that sat unused for decades became Ulele, a Florida-forward restaurant and brewery with a pre-Columbian menu.
The Florida Beer Podcast episode focuses on Ulele, a restaurant and brewery in Tampa. Host Dave Butler begins by describing the location as a former Waterworks plant that sat abandoned for years before being transformed. He introduces guests Tim Schachton, Ulele's brewmaster, and Jeff Houck, vice president of marketing for the 1905 family of restaurants. Jeff explains that the Columbia restaurant, part of that family, originated as a saloon for the Florida Brewery in Ybor City, linking beer to the company's 121-year history. He notes the Florida Brewery was the world's first artificially refrigerated brewery. The discussion turns to why the Gonsmart family decided to create Ulele, with Jeff detailing how former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn approached Richard Gonsmart to redevelop the Tampa Heights area. Richard was inspired by a native-inspired restaurant in Montreal and wanted to focus on indigenous Florida cuisine. Tim describes the building's initial state as condemned, with open fire pits and polluted soil requiring extensive cleanup. He talks about the two-and-a-half-year planning process to integrate brewing with the restaurant's menu. Jeff shares the story of Princess Ulele, a Tocobaga Indian princess who saved a Spanish explorer, which inspired the restaurant's name and pre-Columbian menu. Tim discusses his approach to brewing, emphasizing historical precedent and local ingredients, such as the Dam Buster Weissenbach made with Florida-grown wheat. He explains how Ulele's beers are designed to pair with seafood and suit Tampa's warm climate. Jeff highlights that Ulele is the only brewery on the Tampa RiverWalk, attracting active visitors. The episode concludes with a preview of part two and promotional details for the podcast.

As heard by us

A neglected Tampa Waterworks plant becomes a patient story of beer, food, restoration, and civic ambition.

Part 1 traces the slow conversion of a neglected Waterworks plant on Tampa's Hillsborough River into a restaurant and brewery, treating the building's battered state as more than backdrop.

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Why you'd press play

Want the story of turning a virtually condemned Tampa Waterworks plant into a restaurant and brewery on the Hillsborough River?

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