Cuba's oldest brewery is now Miami's newest: This week, Cervecería La Tropical will officially open its first brewery on U.S. soil in Wynwood.
Miami’s newest brewery will celebrate its grand opening on Friday, February 19. The custom-built, 28,000-square-foot space includes a taproom, a restaurant, and an outdoor botanical garden, as well as a live-music stage.
Founded by the Blanco-Herrera family in Havana in 1888, La Tropical became a source of national pride, recognized as one of Cuba's largest and most successful beer brands. The brewery was nationalized amid the Cuban revolution in 1960, and the government operated it continuously until sometime around 2010. Owing to a lack of capital and investment, the physical plant, located near a section of Havana known as Kohly, was closed, though the company's beers continued to be brewed in a new facility on the island. (Constructed in 1904, the old brewery's tropical gardens, Jardines La Tropical, are the only aspect of the original venue that remain open for both live music and events.)