Remember Raven’s Ridge Brewing, the microbrewery in Fairbanks, Alaska, featured in the May ’96 BYO? Further north than any other brewery in America, Raven’s Ridge brews beer even when the temperature outside dips to 40° below zero. Lagering is never a problem, but keeping the beer warm enough for a vigorous fermentation is.

Well, take a trip 4,300 miles southeast to Key West Overseas Brewing Co. in Key West, Fla. Here, on a small island less than 100 miles from the Tropic of Cancer, company president Bill Bohmfalk, brewer John Lambert, and their staff struggle to keep beer sales hotter than the beer itself.

The average high temperature in Fairbanks is 4° below zero in January. In Key West it is 71° F. That’s a difference of 75 degrees, which represents a mind-boggling effect on fermentation, where sometimes a degree or two can mean the difference between a successful or an unsuccessful brew.

Along with alcohol and carbon dioxide, heat is an important by-product of fermentation. Although insignificant in a five-gallon batch, the heat generated when you ferment hundreds of gallons at a time can be enough to ruin beer.

So Key West Overseas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico and housed in what might be the island’s only industrial building, is an unlikely site for a brewery. And that’s exactly why its founders sought the location.

“Micros hadn’t really taken off in the South, and (the owners) thought it would be the perfect opportunity to tap into an uncrowded market,” says Bohmfalk.

But the folks at Key West Overseas learned firsthand the importance of climate. Brewer Lambert says the basic problem when they opened in January 1995 was insufficient cooling capacity. The strike-out temperature (the temperature at which the wort goes into the fermenter) was 81° to 82° F, which was far too warm for a brewery trying to make lagers, or even ales. The chilling capacity was fine for their 50-barrel fermenter, but once they got a second and a third fermenter going, the chiller just couldn’t handle the load. This made it difficult if not impossible to bring the temperature down to stop fermentation. It also created problems with carbonating the beer, because they could not bring the temperature of the beer low enough in the bright tank to absorb the carbon dioxide.

At first, they weren’t sure what the problem was. A consultant from California was brought in. They asked him to be brutally honest about the beer and the process. His suggested solutions were not inexpensive. They needed to increase cooling capacity, on which they were able to save money by using a home-built system. With the help of a welder, Lambert rigged up three 500-gallon propane tanks for additional glycol solution. Other changes included getting rid of used kegs in favor of new ones that were designed to make cleaning and handling easier.

Brewing seems to be back on track now and Lambert says, “At the end of the day, I can sit back and say, ‘Damn it, this is good beer.’”

Improved quality also means that Bohmfalk is beginning to push distribution. “I didn’t try to expand sales until we got everything completely under control on the brewing side,” he says. Until the fall of 1996 their original brand, Key West Lager, was only available in kegs in the Keys and at one account in South Beach (Dade County).

During the first year the brewery produced 600 barrels. Recently the brewery introduced Key West Sunset Ale, increased its
exposure in the Miami area, and began bottling its beers. With its new bottling line it has increased production an additional 150 barrels a month and is expected to brew at capacity, 300 barrels a month, by next year.

Plans are also in motion to move to a larger building during 1997. The current location is a few miles from a populated tourist center, but Bohmfalk says a larger building will facilitate more equipment, tours, and tasting.

The lager is light and highly carbonated, clean and crisp. The new ale is full-bodied and nicely hopped.

Key West Overseas uses a combination of domestic and imported hops to make its beers. The water, which accounts for about 94 percent of beer by volume, is also imported. People wonder why anyone would build a brewery on a small island with a limited supply of fresh water. Bohmfalk says the water in Key West is piped from Florida City on the mainland, 100 miles away. It is expensive, as is everything on an island, but not outrageous. And with 4 million tourists visiting the island each year, Key West Overseas’ target audience is obvious.

Bohmfalk says he wasn’t part of the business from the very beginning but became involved in April 1995, soon after founders Joseph Lambert and Ken Sandham installed the brewing equipment. By June Bohmfalk had become company president.

Bohmfalk says he moved to Key West in 1990 and has worked as a stockbroker. He began following the progress of Abita Brewing of Louisiana in the 1980s and found that he really liked the fresh taste of microbrewed beer. Bohmfalk believes the microbrewery revolution is a tremendous economic opportunity, similar to what happened in the wine industry in the 1960s and ’70s. He thinks people will become aware of the new and fresh flavors that beer has to offer.

John Lambert became involved because his brother was a co-founder of the brewery. John Lambert was a very successful property manager in Sydney, Australia, where he homebrewed on the side. He initially invested in the brewery, one thing led to another, and he ended up as the brewer.

He says the most important principle he learned in the real estate business, location, location, location, became sanitation, sanitation, sanitation in the brewing business. As far as applying homebrewing experience to commercial brewing, Lambert says, “The process is the same, and the principles of sanitation and chemistry are the same, also. There are important differences, though. Besides the greater volume, the commercial equipment is more sophisticated, the skill level of the brewer is greater, and commercial brewing is more a science than an art.”

He thinks the biggest hindrance to homebrewers opening their own commercial breweries is the capital investment required. To date the investment in Key West Overseas Brewing is about $600,000.

Despite the constant worry of getting a new enterprise off the ground and the substantial reduction in income he has experienced as a brewer versus being in real estate, Lambert says this is the most enjoyable work he has had in his life. He finds creating a well-made beer to be very satisfying and has developed a great sense of pride in his work.

Another thing he likes very much is the free exchange of information among the brewers on the island (there are also two brewpubs in
downtown Key West). He also received a lot of help and advice on the new bottling operation from Nat Collins of Woodstock Brewing in upstate New York. Lambert says the sense of fraternity among brewers is very refreshing.

Lambert is brewing on a system made by Criveller of Lewiston, N.Y., which features a 25-barrel brewhouse, three 50-barrel fermenters, a bright beer tank, a cold liquor tank, and a hot liquor tank.

On your next vacation to the Florida Keys, look for Key West Lager and Key West Sunset Ale. They are available in most good restaurants, bars, and package stores in kegs and bottles.

Steve Johnson lives in Clemson, S.C., and is the author of three brewery guidebooks: On Tap: A Field Guide to North American Brewpubs and Craft Breweries, On Tap New England, and On Tap Northern California.