Boynton Beach is quickly gaining a reputation as a place to find a good beer. Tonight, city commissioners are expected to modify rules making it easier for breweries to expand.
Mike Halker won't reveal the secrets to his beer, but every batch needs a grain like barley or hops.
Halker owns and operates Due South Brewing Company in Boynton Beach. The operation is expanding and he'll need more grain than he can store in 50lb bags on the floor.
So he asked the city for permission to install a silo outside his brewery on High Ridge Road. More storage will allow him to buy in bulk and save money.
“Anytime we can save money, that allows us to do more research to improve our product, it allows us hire more employees,” Halker said.
City Commissioner Justin Katz said he supports the idea. He said when a business in town is profitable, the city is profitable.
He hopes other commissioners agree to pass a zoning change tonight allowing silos in the city which wouldn’t be more than 10 feet taller than the building their associated with.
But there's a bigger goal: to attract more craft breweries to Boynton, along with the people who visit them and the money they bring.
People like Emily McIntyre who lives in Palm Beach Gardens. She said the growing brewery scene in Boynton brings her and her friends here several times a month.
“We bring a whole bunch of visitors who come down,” she said. “We’re like let's do a brewery tour and start down here at Due South and do the ones in Boynton working our way back to Gardens.”
Boynton Beach is home to three breweries, with a fourth on the way. Could the city become a hub for local brewed beer? Halker said it would be good for business; for him and the city.