Beer Week Continues/My Favorite Places – Tampa Bay Brewing Company

Tampa Bay Beer Week, I am in you.  The week is in full swing, and the events so far have been amazing.

Tonight there will be several events of note, including Hops in the Cauldron at the Ale & the Witch.  This is a Dunedin Brewery night at the Witch, with a one-of-a-kind firkin: Pipers Pale dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin, cascade, summit, centennial, and whole leaf Amarillo hops.  Also on tap from Dunedin will be Black Cherry IPA, HopNom, Sauvin IPA, Dropkick Murphy Erin Red, and Celtic Gold. As always, live music at 8:30.

Also tonight, at Peg’s Cantina in Gulfport, they are hosting Pink Pints & Pairings, a beer and food pairing for ladies (gentlemen are not excluded). They will be tasting 4 or 5 different beer styles and then pairing them with small plates (starter, salad, entrée, dessert). It’s open to people who are new to the craft beer scene as well as those who have been drinking craft beer for years. Good discussion, beer and food education, and a chance to try new things. There is limited seating, so reservations are required.  The cost is $25 per person.

When I first moved to Tampa Bay from California, finding good beer at all was a challenge.  A few years after I got here, though, I was introduced to what has become a cornerstone of the beer culture in the Bay Area.  So what better place to wrap up my series of Favorites, than at the place where Tampa Bay Beer Week kicked things off: the Tampa Bay Brewing Company.  Located now in the Centro Ybor complex in Ybor City, this brewpub has been a driving force and a beacon of great beer long before most people in Tampa Bay were even aware craft beer was out there.  The Doble family has worked tirelessly to turn out great beer, educate a beer-neophyte citizenry, and continue to fight the powers-that-be to make craft beer available for the thirsty beers lovers of Tampa Bay.

After ten years at their original location on 15th Street in Ybor City, Tampa Bay Brewing Company moved to their current location in the Centro Ybor complex in 2006.  The move allowed for more production, more seating, as well as an outside bar and patio for patrons to enjoy the Florida sunshine while drinking some of the state’s finest beers.  In addition to a great lineup of brews, the Brewing Company has also earned a reputation for excellent food.  From their pub fare like cheese and ale dip and stout-battered pickle spears (both of which are ridiculously good), to their dinner entrées like barleywine meatloaf with wild mushroom demi or the incredible weizen Thai-style curry spicy mussels,m everything on their menu is delicious.  And more often than not, they use their own beer in the recipes.

So it should come as no surprise that tonight’s event will be a special one: Tampa Bay Brewing Company & Cigar City Brewing Beer Dinner.  A six-course, multi-national event pairing the beers of Tampa’s two most prominent breweries with an inspired menu.  I seriously cannot wait for this.  The menu looks amazing, and I am excited to try the beer and food combinations.  The last I heard, there were only a handful of tickets left, but even those might be gone by now.  If you can get one, this will be an event to remember.

Cheers!

~ by Sean Nordquist on March 6, 2012.