Photo courtesy of Cervecería La Tropical
Cuba's oldest brewery is now Miami's newest with the completion of Wynwood's Cervecería La Tropical. The custom-designed complex is the realization of a passion project spearheaded by the company's CEO, Manny Portuondo, whose family purchased the land on which the original Cuban brewery once stood. The result is a sprawling 28,000-square-foot space that houses a production brewery, taproom and restaurant, as well as a live-music stage and outdoor botanic gardens that honor the brewery's past. Brewmaster Matt Weintraub will deliver more than 20 rotating beers, anchored by the 4.5 percent ABV La Original, a Vienna-style amber lager whose recipe dates back to 1888, and Nativo Key, a 4.5 percent ABV session IPA with tropical notes of mango, passion fruit, and pineapple. Drawing from a Latin-Caribbean palette, chef Cindy Hutson has crafted an equally Miami menu, ranging from tapas, flatbreads, and sandwiches to her own spin on a frita burger, topped with chorizo, ground pork, shoestring potatoes, and tomato marmalade on brioche. You'll be grateful for such hearty fare when sampling the brewery's Tropilina, a high-octane tropical double IPA with hints of citrus, pineapple, guava, and grapefruit.