The beer culture found on the West Coast of the United States has become a staple in the way of life for many living on the coast of California and mountains of Colorado.
Breweries in these areas have evolved past the common bar scene serving instead as a laid-back community hub and neighborhood hangout — a place where people can come together, share a drink and get to know each other.
This type of feel-good gathering space was the exact vision that co-founders Dominick Peri and Ken Gross shared during their first conversations about Prosperity Brewers back in 2014.
Peri was working in the wine sales business when he and Gross first had the idea in the early 2010’s. “Ken and I were neighbors out in Parkland and our daughters went to school together,” Peri explains. “We were buddies and he started getting into craft beer.” After taking a job in San Diego, a county home to over 150 craft breweries, Peri began bringing back different brews to share with Gross — a tradition that led to the idea of opening a brewery of their own in South Florida.
After settling on Boca as the perfect location, they landed in the ROC Urban Community spaces — a group of modern-industrial warehouses located in the heart of East Boca. On the outside wall facing Spanish River Boulevard is a bright pink, massive flamingo mural that sets the fun, tropical tone. Peri cites Ben Heller, a local artist renting the space behind Prosperity, as “really instrumental in helping us convince the landlord that we should have some outdoor art as well as getting me involved in the local art scene and trying to incorporate local artist’s pieces into the bigger décor of the brewery.” Both inside and out, artists have left their mark. Free-spirited creativity is infused into every inch of the space with everything from the hand-drawn, chalkboard beer signs and brightly painted steel drums to an indoor mural and reclaimed wood tables adding to the eclectic ambiance.
Besides the art, what’s really important here is the intentional focus on making everyone feel welcome. “Part of our marketing and brand strategy before we opened was ‘Come as you are,’” Peri says. “It doesn’t matter if you’re having dinner at one of the local restaurants in Boca and you stop by for a beer before or after, it doesn’t matter if you’re on your way home from the beach and you’re in sandy flip flops or just riding your bike around the neighborhood – just come as you are.” When you visit, you’ll notice that it’s rare to see somebody walk into Prosperity that’s not instantly greeted and already on a first name basis with the owners and staff.
As you enter the brewery, you’ll first pass through the outdoor patio filled with massive, communal tables. More often than not Tank, the brewery dog, can be found lounging outside enjoying the sunshine. A pet friendly venue, you’ll find dogs relaxing as their owners enjoy some of the 12 brews on tap and sample food from one of the rotating options of food trucks.
“We have five beers that we keep in our permanent rotation,” Peri explains, “and the other seven handles, because we have twelve tap handles, rotate.” Three of the year-round brews include the Instra-Kolsch-tal, “an easy-drinking, perfect year-round Florida beer,” according to Peri; the Clutch Plate IPA, having gotten its name from the clutch plate the fermenters sent along with the tank from Washington to weigh down the crate during shipping; and a beloved tangerine sour.
The tap line changes on a daily basis to offer beer lovers new options each time they come. “The Intra-Kolsch-tal and the Clutch Plate are always the two biggest sellers,” Peri says. However, some other fan favorites include the Publand, an English-style amber ale and Green Screen, a New England-style IPA.
Last year, Kapow! approached Peri and Gross asking them to make a special brew that they could call their own. “Since they serve Asian cuisine and they cook with a lot of yuzu, which is a Japanese lemon, they asked us if we could do something with [that flavor],” Peri says. “We literally took a chemistry set with a graduated cylinder and an eyedropper and we mixed [yuzu] into the glass to see if it worked.” From this was born No Funkin’ Yuzu, an exclusive beer served at both the Boca Raton and West Palm Beach Kapow! locations.
“The cool thing about it is that for a small brewery like us to show our eagerness to work with clients and for restaurants to tap us on the shoulder and have the confidence that our little brewery can make a quality product in a custom fashion is a bigger testament to our quality and capability,” Peri says.
Future offerings may include a bacon-flavored beer, something Peri hasn’t done yet. Thankfully Justin Rick, the in-house brewer, has extensive experience in professional brewing, having worked with renowned breweries like Stone Brewing in San Diego and Brooklyn Brewery in New York. A Denver native, Rick graduated with a Master’s in Fermentation Science and has been enjoying the freedom Prosperity allows for him to try out new recipes and get creative with his brews.
Whether it’s for Trivia Night on Tuesdays, Ladies’ Night on Thursdays or live music on Fridays, people flock to Prosperity for a guaranteed good time. “We’ve developed into a spot where people look forward to showing up to see who’s there and make a new friend,” Peri says. “It’s got a real good neighborhood feel to it, people bring their dogs and their kids in strollers on weekends. The fact that we don’t sell spirits or hard liquor offers a different vibe – people go to socialize, to sample the beers and to see what’s new on tap.”
Prosperity Brewers is located off of Spanish River Blvd., just west of Dixie Hwy. at 4160 NW 1st Ave, #21 in Boca Raton. For more information, a list of events and the beer menu visit prosperitybrewers.com.