OUR MISSION AND PHILOSOPHY

Doing it all for the people; Emerald Republic is for those who live, think and dream outside the standard and the norm. 


Trials & Tribulations

The Story of the Republic

2008

Emerald Republic was devised in 2008 when owner/founder Phil Zayas began his passion for homebrewing.

2017

Phil probably could have gone from homebrewer straight into business, but he wanted to hone his craft. In 2017 Phil graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a Professional and Master Brewers Certificate. He then began the journey to find a perfect home for the Republic.

2018

Phil saw the blossoming craft beer scene and wanted to extend it to the west side of Downtown Pensacola. In 2018, the Republic found its home in an old auto-mechanic shop that was built in the 1960s. Inspired by its industrial past, Emerald Republic took shape with its minimalistic colors, exposed trusses, and open space- while still having a warm, inviting ambiance.

December
2019

Emerald Republic opened its doors with six beers on tap for the first time. During the first few months of being open, Emerald Republic provided a neighborhood hangout with a heavy metal twist, with metal Mondays and an eclectic set of music being played. Unfortunately, after only being in operation for three months, Emerald Republic temporarily shut down due to the global COVID pandemic.

September
2020

After restrictions had been lifted, the doors to the Republic opened once again. Emerald Republic flourished until Hurricane Sally hit Pensacola and damaged the facility. Unfortunately, Emerald republic faced the third closure, and hopefully, it’s last.

April
2021

On the morning of April 10, 2021, a microburst hit Emerald Republic Brewing Company, damaging 90% of the facility.

December
2021

After eight long months of hard work and construction, Emerald Republic finally had its Grand Re-Re-Re Opening. And we are here to stay.

Founder // Brewer

Phil

Phil has a long history in the beer industry. From graduating at UC Davis in the Brewing Science and Technology Program, he was later working in sales for New Belgium, to now as the owner of Emerald Republic. Phil devised the concept for ERBC in 2008 and has been crafting the details since.

Phil wears many hats around the Republic. Brewer, electrician, painter, engineer, teacher, you name it. When Phil isn’t doing the many things he does at ERBC, he enjoys listening to metal (all kinds), riding his Harley, oh and taking care of those plants and stray cats of his.

Meet Our Crew

The Team

Taproom Manager // Talent Buyer
Josh
Josh is a taproom manager and talent buyer with ERBC. He came to Emerald Republic with extensive experience in the hospitality and music industry, and a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality management from UWF. Josh loves listening to metal music, going for a run, adding to his tattoo collection, and hanging out with his three legged pitty named Crash. Josh is a big fan of west coast hoppy IPA’s, his favorite beer at ERBC is Lupulus Retrograde.
Sales Representative
Grier

Grier is a Cincinnati native who came to Pensacola to attend UWF. After graduation Grier learned that she could make a career of drinking beer and became a distributor sales rep before landing a job with ERBC. In her free time you can find Grier picking up weights, or spending time with her dog. The CDC now recommends you buy Grier a sour beer on a nice sunny day.

Bartender
Alicia

Alicia grew up in the Northeast but now calls Florida home. She is currently working on her Master’s towards becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). She spends a lot of time in the gym and competes nationally in Olympic weightlifting. Alicia is also passionate about traveling and occasionally hermitessing to obsessively read or play Animal Crossing for hours. She loves New England IPA’s, dislikes paper straws that crumble after the first sip, and her spirit animal is a moth.

Brand Ambassador
Carolynn
Carolynn is a Pensacola native, currently in school for radiology, and helping people through her work and healthcare experience is one of her passions. In her spare time, you can find Carolynn at the beach or spending time with her three dogs and fiancée.
Bartender
Jordan
Meet Jordan, our assistant brewer. Jordan has been with us for the past few months learning the ropes around the brewery. She came to us with experience working at several other local breweries, so this ain’t her first rodeo. When she isn’t slinging around kegs in the brewhouse or hauling hops around the brewery, she can be found hanging out with her kiddo, her doggo, roller derbying, and cruising around the beach in her Jeep. Jordan is an integral part of our production crew and we love having her with us.
Bartender
Mike
Mike has been stalking ERBC since last December when we brought him in for special events around the brewery to help out. When we had an opening pop up, Mike jumped on it and became one of our regular bartenders here. Mike is originally from Arizona but was brought to Pensacola for family. When he’s not slinging beers at ERBC, you can catch him keeping the peace at Vinyl as a security guard. Mike likes going to the shooting range, painting Warhammer minis, and watching sports ball. He is also known to enjoy craft beer in any capacity and does not discriminate between styles of beer. If you’ve ever met Mike, you know his pup Kimber is not far away so keep the treats ready.
Bartender/Ambassador
Oceana
Born in Ohio, Oceana has been a resident of Pensacola for the majority of her life. When she isnt slinging beers like a badass bartender at Emerald Republic, she is hustling and slinging homes around Pensacola as a local badass real estate agent. On her off time she enjoys chilling at the home on her patio with her pup, Lady, and her small army of cats. She enjoys reading, gardening and traveling and is a massive fan of lager beer.
One of us. One of us.

Want to become a part of our team?

…You 21?