Walking into Ancient City Brewing will put the truest of St. Augustinians immediately at ease. Locals delight in the familiar charm of picnic tables, dart boards, and crisp, cold beer. Since opening in May of 2015, the yellow and orange logo of Ancient City Brewing has become widely recognized around town and regionally. If you look up from the brewhouse floor you’ll see owner (or as he prefers, “el Presidente”) Greg Tuttle looking out from his treehouse office.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in economics, Greg began working at Merrill Lynch…and it lasted 32 days. It’s a tale as old as time; leaving school, joining the workforce, and realizing that what you thought would be your career path for life either isn’t for you or isn’t sustainable. He tried a multitude of professions and, with so many others, experienced the economic crash of 2008. Fortunately for all of us, Greg had an idea.
“When the crash came, I tried to come up with things that don’t crash. Luckily, I found beer.” With a family history in the beer distribution business, Greg knew just where to start. He called his uncle, who guided him through the first steps to get the ball rolling. From there, Greg found brewing expert Mark Walters, sales manager Shane Haslower, and tap room manager Phoebe Taylor. This was just the crew to become a supportive and steadfast work family.
The air Greg breathes is rare, having created a brand in his hometown from absolute scratch and expanding into multiple counties in less than four years. He is the first to say that he would have nothing without his family and his team. Right in line with them are the people of St. Augustine. As we wait to see what comes next for Ancient City Brewing, you can be sure El Presidente will have his first fans and his fellow 904 lovers at the center of it all.
Visit Ancient City Brewing online at www.ancientcitybrewing.com. Written by Bridey Masson. Photography by Richard Dole.
