New retro-cool Kendall brewery hopes to build community over craft beer
When Rudy Delgado and his business partner Rick Abreu were finally able to open their own craft brewery, they knew there was one passionate, underserved Miami neighborhood where it would be welcome.
And that was Kendall, in particular near The Falls.
“We used to go to The Falls all the time, and it was underserved in terms of nightlife,” says Delgado, who grew up in Kendall and has lived there most of his life. “There was nothing to do past 11 p.m. I had to drive to Wynwood or the beach. Now, a lot of my friends who moved have come back to Kendall. We have families and kids now. We don’t want to drive to the beach. It’s too far and too expensive.”
Hence, the birth of Rocketeer Beer & Liquid Provisions, which opened in mid-September with what Delgado calls a “Jetsons retro” look and a mascot named Bob, who appears on the beer cans (and also all over the brand’s social media accounts).
As longtime friends, Delgado, a corporate IT professional, and Abreu, who was a Navy corpsman and then lead project manager for a construction firm, began to dabble in home brewing in 2012. By 2015, they were getting serious about their creations. In 2016, they were getting invitations to local events like Grovetoberfest and North Miami Brewfest (coming in first place three times at the latter).
They decided to test the waters and started looking for a space in 2019 and were close to signing a letter of intent at the start of 2020.
“We kept hearing about this craziness with COVID,” Delgado says. “So we held off, and I’m very glad we did. Instead, we spent the pandemic honing our skills.”
Five years later, and Rocketeer is here, hosting open mic nights, late-night DJ beats, Hurricanes watch parties, game nights and trivia nights and — of course — serving craft beer. But not just craft beer is available. Rocketeer also offers drinks like pumpkin spice sangria or froze or nonalcoholic sparkling wine or even a Galaxy sangria that sparkles.
“Part of the idea of Liquid Provisions is that we always offer something for everybody,” Delgado says. “We make really good beer! But say a husband and wife come in and one of them doesn’t drink beer. We’ll have something for them.”
Customers like to eat, too, so Delgado and Abreu have partnered with Astro Dining, run by chef Geoff Lee, which provides items like the Astro Smash Burger, the Cosmo Chicken Sandwich (jerk chicken with spicy barbecue) and the Space Dog (topped wit crushed chicharrón).
There are plans to expand the menu, too, and Rocketeer has also hosted other local vendors, such as Mana Poke, Chote Burger and Lucha Dough doughnuts. The brand also hopes to increase distribution to local restaurants: Right now, you can find Rocketeer beer at Finka Tap & Tale and Amelia’s 1931 in Kendall.
Opening a craft brewery at a time when other local breweries have vanished and Wynwood, once the epicenter of the Miami craft brewery movement, has shifted to more upscale pursuits, requires a good degree of optimism. But Delgado believes there’s a space in Kendall for a laidback gathering spot with affordable food and drink.
“What happened with Wynwood was the takeover by big conglomerates,” he said. “I think we’re moving away from the tourist-centric brewery toward being a neighborhood water hole that’s by your house. We’re trying to build a community here in Kendall.”
Rocketeer Beer & Liquid Provisions
Where: 12960 SW 89th Ave., Miami
Hours: 5 p.m.-midnight Monday and Thursday; 5-10 p.m. Wednesday; 4 p.m.-midnight Friday; noon-1 a.m. Saturday; noon-8 p.m. Sunday; closed Tuesday
More information: www.rocketeerbeer.com or follow @rocketeerbeer on Instagram
This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 4:33 AM.