Craft brewery planned near Universal
Plans call for converting former guitar store in affluent tourist district
Hoping to strike a chord with craft beer lovers in Orlando’s tourism district, a business duo is planning to convert a former guitar store along International Drive and Interstate 4 into a micro-brewery and tasting room.
Seth Hunter and Sean Flynn are behind an application submitted to the City of Orlando that aims to transform George’s Music, located at 6817 Visitors Circle, into Bear Hug Brewery Company, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.
George’s Music, a musical instrument retailer, closed roughly a year ago. The building, situated a short drive from Universal theme parks and the affluent Dr. Phillips community, has stood since 1980, according to property records.
Duke Gambino, a project manager with the Texas-based architectural firm OPA Design Studio, has been hired to lead the redevelopment effort.
OPA Design has poured its expertise into dozens of brewery and distillery businesses nationwide. Locally, the company was involved in Deadwords Brewing in Orlando and Home State Brewing Co. in Winter Garden.
“Our broader experience across several craft categories has uniquely positioned our firm,” Gambino said in an emailed statement to GrowthSpotter. “We create experiences in places that people naturally want to gravitate and claim as their own.”
Hunter and Flynn, co-owners of Bear Hug Brewing, are looking to start their first brewery after meeting in New York City. Hunter worked at a brewery there, while Flynn worked for several bars across the Big Apple as a mixologist.
When Hunter lived with his family in Virginia, they started a tradition called “Brew-Saturdays” where they would visit a different brewery each weekend, according to an investment profile submitted to Mainvest that’s publicly available online.
That tradition continued when the family moved to Orlando’s theme park district, but Hunter says there were limited options
nearby.
“The brewery market needs a shakeup and with inspiration and magic flowing through this area, it seems ripe for the picking,” the company’ s investment profile reads.
While there are more than 30 breweries across the Greater Orlando market, Flynn and Hunter believe there aren’t enough in the heart of the tourism district.
“Around the Orlando Resort area there is a massive hole in the Craft Beer Market,” the company says on its Mainvest page. “The demand from both locals and tourists [is] high but the only options involve driving far from the main gates of the theme parks and living communities. A craft brewery smack dab in the heart of this burgeoning market would offer a unique experience for both locals and tourists alike.”
Bear Hug Brewery leans heavily into the bear theme with an interior design set to resemble a forest and a bar built to imitate a cave. The floor is decorated in bear pawprints while a ceiling festooned in faux leaves creates a canopy above the guests, according to conceptual renderings.
Each beer will tell a story and have a strong tie into the brewery. The brewery’s flagship beer will be a honey ale named “Honey Heist,” according to the investment profile.