Chelsea and Kelly Taylor of Destin Brewery love dogs, running, Mind Body Brew stretch class and craft beer! Founded in 2014 in the heart of “Old Destin,” Destin Brewery has become the craft beer home and gathering place for two- and four-legged friends, families, locals and visitors. The brew house started with a three-part brew system, including three four-barrel fermenters, a chiller, a hand-built walk-in cooler and wall-mounted tasting taps. The taproom opened in June 2016 and the Taylors love sharing our pilot batches with visitors.

The Taylors’ Brew Dog, Daisy, is a Save Underdogs Rescue shepherd mix rescue that turns four in June. The Taylors adopted Daisy when she was a three-month-old puppy “with cankles and a rat tail.” Fortunately, she has blossomed into a beautiful, well-mannered and intelligent pup who has been charming brewery visitors ever since. Save Underdogs Rescue is a 501(c)3 dedicated to saving homeless, abandoned or neglected dogs in the community and finding them caring and responsible family homes. Since 2004, the non-profit has re-homed over 5,000 rescue dogs.

Brew Dog Daisy inspired the Wiggly Wednesday happy hour at Destin Brewery’s tap room, which expanded to the courtyard during the pandemic with the addition of tents. Human locals and visitors can bring their well-behaved pups for homemade spent grain treats for donations that benefit Save Underdogs and get $1 off all pints.

Lorraine Dales, a beer connoisseur originally from Manchester, England and co-owner of Destin Jam and Spice Works, is the creator of the delicious – and nutritious – dog treats. Destin Brewery supplies local cattle farmers with approximately 3,500 pounds of spent grain, which are a by-product of the fermentation process, each week. Dales realized that the spent grain, which is high in protein, would also be an excellent source of nutrition for dogs and humans. (She makes human treats, too!)

Beginning in mid-April 2021, Dales began baking approximately 150 individual treats on a bi-monthly basis. The brewery keeps a running tab on the donations they collect from canine purveyors of the spent grain treats each month. Dales sources eco-friendly and tummy-friendly dog treat ingredients, which include the spent grain, peanut butter, free-range eggs and unbleached flour. The Taylors and Dales estimate that they will have collected around $300 in donations for Save Underdogs by the end of May 2021 – in just under two months of beginning this program.

Just before Dales and Taylor implemented the treat program to benefit Save Underdogs in honor of Brew Dog Daisy, the idea of a new craft beer collaboration with dog-friendly BŌTE was born. Vintage Distributors, which delivers Destin Brewery’s craft brews to BŌTE locations, approached the Taylors, saying “most paddle boarders love beer. Why not make a BŌTE beer?” Founder of BŌTE, Corey Cooper, loved the idea and the collaboration to develop an IPA began.

The Taylors went through only two iterations of pilot batches to develop what they originally code-named “Boat” Beer for taproom taste testers. Because IPAs usually have a higher alcohol content, the Taylors decided to develop a session IPA with lower alcohol content with the hopes that the paddle boarders actually remained standing up on their paddle boards. The project began in mid-January and concluded at the beginning of April with product launches of the BŌTE Beer (4.2% ABV) at the Destin Brewery and each of the BŌTE locations on the Emerald Coast.

Whether you are a local or visiting the Emerald Coast, be sure to stop by the Destin Brewery taproom with your pup, sample cold craft brews and enjoy tasty Gulf Coast gourmet dips from JC’s Gourmet this summer. Brew Dog Daisy will be there to greet your pup with a delicious spent grain treat in exchange for a donation to Save Underdogs!

What are some of the Destin Brewery Mug Club members’ favorite beers?

• Chelsea Taylor, whose nickname is the “Bridge Crusher,” loves the Bridge Rubble Double IPA (8.2% ABV).
• Kelly Taylor prefers the Destin East Pass IPA (6.2% ABV) and the new BOTE Beer IPA (4.2% ABV).
• Lorraine’s favorite brew is the Destin East Pass IPA (6.2% ABV).