Last week, St. Pete welcomed the latest addition to the Jannus Block in downtown St. Pete. Where’s Jubes, an Aussie brewpub, is now open at 277 Central Avenue on the corner of 3rd Street and Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete. The space was formerly home to Lucky Dill Deli.

The new spot offers in-house brewed beer, Aussie-inspired cocktails, and a menu of steak and meat pies.

“It’s a modern, industrial buildout but with the warmth of Boston’s Cheers,” says Josh Cameron, Owner of Craft Hospitality. "Our culture is customer-first. Warm hospitality and a feeling of familiarity for our guests are what we’re aiming for.”

The name of the establishment is a nod to Cameron's childhood nickname, "Jubes". It is also a play on Where’s Waldo according to Cameron. His demanding schedule of managing multiple restaurants and a family make him somewhat elusive leading many to ask: where’s Jubes?

To help transform the hundred-year-old building into Cameron’s vision of an Australian brewpub, Cameron hired PJ Callaghan, a fourth-generation commercial and industrial construction company.

The 1,600 square foot pub features a large center bar, industrial steel, four brew tanks, and extensive outdoor lounge seating.

As for the beer, Cameron has spent the last year working with Brian Watson, an award-winning Australian brewer. The duo has created the beer recipes for Where’s Jubes from scratch by importing and perfecting the malts, hops, and barleys using SmartBrew technology.

Where’s Jubes will eventually have eight to twelve varietals, brewing 80 to 100 kegs a week. Paying homage to Australia, Cameron branded his beers with tributes to his birthplace.

For example, the Pleasure Point Light Pale Ale is named after a small suburb, in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The 3.5% ABV beer is pale with a slight haze and is brewed with Cascade and Amarillo hops.

The Cocklebiddy Porter is named after a small roadhouse community located on the Eyre Highway in Western Australia. The beer is a dark, deep ruby with caramel, toffee, and chocolate notes.

Where’s Jubes also has a menu of six cocktails. The Zip Zip is an espresso martini with an Australian twist made with cocoa nib-infused Wheatley Vodka, Mr. Black Coffee-infused Aussie vodka, espresso, and sugar cane syrup.

Order a Budgie Smuggler and you’ll receive a cocktail with Mayfly Gin, strawberry liqueur, muddled strawberries, lemon juice, and basil syrup.

The supply chain put a little dent in the grand opening plan, as the beer hops are on a ship at the Port of Los Angeles, so Where’s Jubes is opening in three phases. Phase One is opening with local craft beer and craft cocktails, Phase Two is a formal grand opening introducing the Aussie-inspired beers brewed by Cameron, and Phase Three will introduce food service.

Cameron moved to St. Pete from Dubbo, New South Wales in 2013. Ever since arriving in the States, the Australian-born restauranteur has wanted to open a brewpub in St. Pete honoring his homeland.

When Cameron noticed the Lucky Dill Deli on the corner of 3rd Street and Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg, he was transported back to New South Wales where many pubs are historic two-story buildings chock-full of character.

He purchased the deli in 2018 with the dream of opening his very own Australian brewpub.

Where’s Jubes is Cameron’s fifth restaurant in Tampa Bay. His company, Crafty Hospitality, also owns and operates The Oyster Bar and Crafty Squirrel in downtown St. Pete in addition to A Mano Italian Ristorante and Our Bar.

Where’s Jubes is now open at 277 Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete. Hours are 3 pm to 3 am Monday through Friday and 12 pm to 3 am Saturday and Sunday. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on all the food and drink specials.