Cheers, Piero
MIA Brewing to celebrate life of much-loved brewer.
Nayra Serrano’s love for her late friend, brewer Piero Rodriguez, can be distilled to a single memory. She recalls a spring afternoon when Rodriguez, wearing goggles stained with sweat, was peeling Trinidad scorpion peppers in the brewery for a spicy new beer. The co-founder of Doral’s MIA Beer Co. was also blasting songs by Iron Maiden and the Smiths.
“You knew exactly when Piero was brewing because of the music, because of his infectious energy,” recalls Serrano, the brewery’s event coordinator. “He’s sitting there boiling his butt off, dancing in his [Doc Martens], taking selfies.”
Friends and family of MIA Beer Co. will celebrate the life and influence of Rodriguez during “Trashy P! A Celebration for Piero,” a beer fundraiser and punk-rock gathering tonight at the Kreepy Tiki Bar and Lounge in Fort Lauderdale. Rodriguez, credited with shaping South Florida’s craftbeer scene, died June19 at age 34 in a car crash while driving home fromthe brewery.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit Rodriguez’s widow and
sons, 9-year-old Rebel and newborn Peligro. Performing will be Nunhex, the Gun Hoes, Bleeth, the Talking Dogs and other local punk bands whose music suited her friend’s taste and personality, Serrano says.
Rodriguez surrounded himself with punk rock long before therewas an MIA Beer Co., which he opened with brewery founder Eddie Leon in 2015. A home brewer in his spare time, Rodriguez DJ’ ed at hard-rocking clubs Gramps in Wynwood and Churchill’s Pub in Little Haiti, where he met Serrano. After the brewery opened, he touted his love of Latin garage rock, psychobilly and even obscure Argentinian punk during weekly DJ sets in MIA’s taproom.
“Therewas never a dull moment at MIA,” Serrano says. “Piero truly emphasized the importance of music there. Punk rock flowed through his beer.”
The party will feature MIA beers, including kegs of the last beers Rodriguez brewed in June: Trashy G, a ginger-punched India Pale Ale; and Peligro, a stout with cocoa nibs, vanilla beans and local coffee beans.
Visitors may also bid on raffle prizes donated by Rodriguez’s friends at other breweries, including Funky Buddha, J. Wakefield and Bangin’ Banjo.
“All of these punk rockers wanted to have a crazy show for [Piero], and pay our respects,” Serrano says. “Hewas a pioneer in the local craft-beer industry, and it’s important to pay homage to him.”
“Trashy P! A Celebration for Piero” will take place from 8 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday at Kreepy Tiki Bar and Lounge, 2608 S. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale. Admission is $10. Call 954-648-8435 or go toKreepyTikiLounge.com.