Sea Drift Ales & Lagers joins local brew scene

Five years after opening Largo’s Barley Mow Brewing Company, founders Jay and Colleen Dingman have launched a new beer brand -- Sea Drift Ales & Lagers.

“We are looking at a fresh start on the distribution end of things,” Jay Dingman says.

While Barley Mow and the company’s restaurant, The Raven, which also features a brewery, will continue to exist, Sea Drift is “basically a complete rebrand,” he adds.

The intention of Sea Drift is to distribute to a bigger market, he says. Though Barley Mow beers have been well-received, “the darker theme didn’t always translate well in the market.”

Sea Drift embodies the “Florida nautical lifestyle,” Dingman says. “They’re more water focused, beachy, and kind of light.” Initially it will offer three beers: Sea Drift Pills, All Hands IPA and Dark Harbor Mocha Stout.

“It’s much lower alcohol content, more approachable stuff than we’ve done in the past,” he says.

Dingman says they consider Sea Drift “kind of a do-over.” 

Barley Mow beers sold well throughout the county, but “the further away from home, the harder it is to sell beer.” He hopes Sea Drift will have a greater draw throughout Pinellas County, and eventually, beyond.

Since before Sea Drift Ales & Lagers launched, the companies have ceased brewing Barley Mow beers for distribution. But Barley Mow can still be purchased on draft at The Raven and the brewery in Largo. Because a developer bought that property last year, however, the brewery will be moving from its current location in April 2018, Dingman says. That’s when Barley Mow’s lease ends with no possibility for renewal.

Though, he’s uncertain where Barley Mow might go, the lease ending is a blessing in disguise. “We outgrew that property on West Bay three years ago,” he says. “A lot of people are worried that we might close. But that’s not the case. We’re definitely going to go somewhere else. Where we’re going? We don’t know.”

In the meantime, the focus is on Sea Drift. Dingman says the company will open a tasting room for its newest beers at its Largo production facility by the fourth quarter of this year.

“This is a new chapter for us,” he says. “It’s definitely been an adventure the last couple of years.”