EASTPOINT, Fla. (WTXL) - Eastpoint Beer Company in Franklin County was just three weeks from pouring the first brew for Big Bend beer lovers when Hurricane Michael hit.
Eastpoint Beer Company had its first batch of beer sitting in the fermenter, just days away from being ready when the storm hit.
Not just knocking out the power, but washing equipment out of the building and replacing it with several feet of water.
"It's pretty devastating. To get to where we were at with the project, we used all our own resources and our time. It was a full-time job for nine months," said Josh Parker, Owner of Eastpoint Beer Company.
Parker said he lost thousands of dollars in brewing equipment and supplies, including two serving tanks that floated away, one of which he found a few blocks away after the storm.
Parker stated the storm surge was so strong, it carried massive pieces of concrete rubble into the brewery and items that were inside were washed out and are currently stuck underneath rubble.
Parker explained how incredible the sight was at the brewery when he came the day after Hurricane Michael.
He said if it wasn't for the community helping clean up the mess, he wouldn't have made so much progress in these three weeks.
"We had people from the neighborhood here come and bring their tractors, help us scoop immense amount of oyster shells back to where they came from," said Parker. "And get in here with shovels and help dig up all the silt from the bay that came in."
Parker said on top of the Eastpoint community coming together, the Tallahassee Beer Society held a fundraiser and his friend started a GoFundMe.
The page has raised almost $2,000 toward the goal of $7,500.
Parker said he's optimistic the place will be full of life and freshly brewed beer in the next two months.
