Having driven by the new Big Storm Brewing location in Pinellas County numerous times while the building was going up, I couldn't wait to see what was inside the great looking building that grew out of the ground.

A large bar sits in the middle of the good-sized tasting room that looks out into the brewery. Twenty taps feature berliner's to stouts and everything in between. Plenty of tables and TVs make it a comfortable place to hang out with a group of friends or by yourself.

Having been in more than my share of breweries, I can honestly say that this one is at the top of the list for incorporating automation.

As Andrew, the head brewer, walked us through the brewery, he explained to us how each of the different components of the 30 bbl system is controlled by a central computer. He can literally progam the entire process into the computer, step by step, and monitor it from a tablet.  Everything from the milling of the grains to the opening and closing of valves is fully automated resulting in a consistent product.

Big Storm's operation is split between two locations, both opened in the second half of 2016. Their core beers are brewed in Pinellas while the one-offs and some of the more creative ones are brewed on a 10 barrel system over at their new Pasco County location.