Beer distribution buzz

You know you've made it in the craft brewery business when you sign a distribution agreement.

But Millennial Brewing in Fort Myers scored an even better deal when Suncoast Beverage Sales agreed to distribute its beers to neighborhood bars and local restaurants before it brewed its first barrel.

Millennial co-founders and passionate beer guys Logan Roberts, 29, and Kyle Cebull, 33, are putting the final touches on the brewery and taproom at 1811 Royal Palm Ave. in downtown Fort Myers. Fort Myers-based Suncoast Beverage, meanwhile, has more than 2,000 accounts over a 2,500-square-mile territory from an 86,500-square-foot distribution center.

“We are super excited about that,” says Cebull, who is also the chief marketing officer for technology consulting firm Entech. “It means we'll be able to get our beer out in the community before our taproom opens. We expect to start getting the equipment in the next few weeks.”

The brewery will have 10 fermenters that will allow Millennial to brew up to 1,500 barrels of beer annually. That's enough to fill 46,500 gallons.

The city gave the entrepreneurs a $15,000 grant to install fire sprinklers in the building, which previously served as a warehouse for an onion distributor. “We've gotten nothing but love and support from the city,” Cebull says.