It is always five o’clock somewhere, but no hour within the day-night cycle is safe from brewer’s devoted efforts. This is particularly true in Greater Tampa Bay, where meaderies, breweries and distilleries are crewed by hardworking locals with a thirst for fermented fluids. These fine folks strive to create and serve so that others might imbibe their craft and experience a world beyond what one might call “basic beer.”
Forget the grocery store six-pack and discover a world of true artistry. There is always a new flavor, a new liquor experiment or oak-aged something-or-other to uplift the palette. Lucky locals have their work cut out for them — choosing where to sample spirits includes a long list of possibilities, but the good news is: They are all worth sampling.
Brewing Only the Best
Tampa Bay Brewing Company
Tampa Bay Brewing Company’s straightforward name belies its deliciously zany offerings — drinks like Reef Donkey and Old Elephant Foot, named after a fish and a trash can, respectively. Neither of those can outdo the delectable audacity of the pumpkin-flavored ale Gourds Gone Wild, TBB’s award-winning brown ale with traces of vanilla and nutmeg.
This joint’s live music plays to the rotation of 24 taps, which are commonly enjoyed on their outdoor patio.
Green Bench Brewing Company
Construction of St. Petersburg’s first microbrewery began in 2013, after a long struggle to navigate zoning laws and equity partnerships by its three owners. Now a community staple, Green Bench Brewing Company offers more than 15 distinctive beers on tap, including the Sunshine Sity IPA, dry stout Coffee Pot Bayou and the titular Green Bench IPA.
Green Bench’s taproom tours and classy beer garden are all part of the brewery’s self-described authentic vision and deep-run passion.
3 Daughters Brewing
3 Daughters Brewing operates out of St. Petersburg, having cracked open in 2013 with 40 fizzy tap options. 3DB is one of the largest brewery operations in Florida, and as much as they love beer, patrons can also expect wine, hard cider and hard seltzer to top off the substantial offerings.
The tasting room rotates quickly through different flavors, making it a strong choice for newcomers looking to try a wide range of brews. Where are the TVs? Nowhere to be found. 3DB emphasizes good old-fashioned human socializing with trivia nights and gameboards.
Cigar City Brewing
Opened in 2009, Cigar City Brewing exists across three locations, offers 24 taps and boasts a number of awards from the Best American Beer Competition and U.S. Beer Tasting Championships. Its creative concoctions include the Florida Man Double IPA, the Fancy Papers Hazy IPA and the refreshingly tart Margarita Gose, a German-style sour ale with orange, lime and salt.
CCB has openly declared its quite agreeable mission to give “first-rate ingredients to first-rate people in a space where they are free to pursue their passion.” If drinking fine craft beer is not an act of passion, then what is?
7venth Sun Brewing
A decade-old standby, 7venth Sun lays claim to the title of second-ever brewery in Dunedin. Owned and operated by women, this is a 27-tap hotspot with one brew in particular gaining something of a cult following. Graffiti Orange is a creamsicle wheat aged with orange slices and whole fresh vanilla beans. If the old saliva glands have yet to kick in, 7venth Sun’s The Klaw is a sweet, roasty stout and porter with some heavy-hitting chocolate elements.
Soggy Bottom Brewing Company
The only soggy bottom known to induce a bit of mouthwatering is this brewery, which offers 20 beers on tap. Soggy Bottom Brewing Company’s toasted coconut porter lavishes the taste buds with nutty undertones and a rich, deep flavor.
SBB’s Outlaw Amber Ale is another mainstay with a blend of caramel and amber malts, plus a subtle whiff of toffee. Downtown Dunedin is lucky enough to host SBB, where patrons can even enjoy live music and screening events.
Mad Beach Craft Brewing Company
Somehow managing to seamlessly blend family-friendly and “X-treme” vibes, Mad Beach Craft Brewing Company is staffed by both brewers and an in-house chef. The result is a series of offerings that demand entry into the stomach, including the Smoky doohickey, a malty barleywine aged with smoked oak chips, and the You’re Not a Jerk Chicken Dinner, featuring seared jerk chicken breast with mango chutney.
MBCB generously donates to charities representing marine conservation and education initiatives. They are not a jerk, indeed.
Brighter Days Brewing Company
Historic Tarpon Springs plays host to Brighter Days Brewing Company, located just off Pinellas Trail. Per the brewery’s name, its 900-square-foot patio is daily grazed by the Florida sun is the perfect setting in which to imbibe Summertime Magic, a sour ale fermented with guava and passionfruit.
This relative newcomer to the brewery party has already made quite a name for itself with its killer tap selection, live music and private event space.
Double Branch Brewing & Bites
The most devious brewery in GTB, Double Branch is a former rogue with a history of 1920s shenanigans. During the prohibition era, Double Branch maintained a secret series of copper stills manned by moonshiners.
Few federal mandates can keep a good brewery down, and it seems the Wesley Chapel local favorite was no exception. Having had no trouble keeping the whole operation on the downlow, Double Branch Brewing and Bites beat prohibition. Today, DB continues to keep spirits high and locals happy with a full roster of beers on tap and tasty grub.
Dade City Brew House
Nestled in the historic Block building, Dade City Brew House is the area’s first, and only, of its kind. Generous tap room hours pair well with the freedom to bring outside food and bask in the classic brick-and-mortar aesthetic.
Their Alphabet Mafia, a criminally tasty Berliner Weisse with raspberry and lemon, is rivaled only by their bourbon-aged barrel stout, Against My Better Judgment. Drinking the latter is, of course, not against anyone’s.
Tidal Brewing
Are you old enough to ride the wave? Spring Hill’s Tidal Brewing craft beers are watery only in name, with such offerings as the Turbid Water Hazy IPA having a 7% ABV.
The place is owned and operated by two science teachers who reportedly love beer as much as they love everything aquatic. Earning high ratings and five-stars across the board, this small brewery is really making a splash.
Pure, Distilled Joy
82°West Distilling
The compass of a true pirate’s heart always points to rum, but that is also the case for many a landlubber. Located in the Seminole Heights neighborhood, 82°West has a special relationship with rum.
Their Mutiny Pepper Spiced Rum is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, a rum infused with smoked peppers and spices. The distillery’s unusual name refers to the line of longitude on which Tampa sits, a factoid that might have captured the notice of a seafaring marauder during the golden age of piracy.
St. Petersburg Distillery
St. Petersburg Distillery specializes in that old-time aesthetic with its four major brands, Old St. Pete, Banyan Reserve, Oak & Palm and Tippler’s. From Righteous Rum to Sunshine Whiskey, St. Petersburg’s craft packaging looks like something straight out of an Old West apothecary’s miracle wagon. The look works, and the liquor is top-notch.
Established by the Lafrate family in 2014, this locally sourced distillery prides itself on implementing nearby ingredients like sweet corn and molasses from Okeechobee.
Florida CANE Distillery
Florida CANE Distillery runs on both the creative and alcoholic juices of an industrious team of craft spirit visionaries. As the official home of Florida’s first vodka tasting room, FCD is a historical landmark in the area, offering a huge range of flavorful liquors like Plant City strawberry vodka and El Encanto pineapple rum.
For the hands-on liquor lovers out there, FCD pitches its own craft cocktail kit known as Woozi Water, including a collection of apples, lemons, star anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves and orange bitters-infused cane sugar cubes.
Meaderies and Eateries
Garagiste Meadery
Garagiste, n. “A small-scale entrepreneurial [mead]maker who does not adhere to the traditions of [mead]making.” Mead is a nearly mythical drink, seemingly suitable for Beowulf, Thor and other godlike heroes. It is fitting that this legendary beverage is served by such a legendary establishment. Garagiste Meadery began with a crowdfunding campaign, and it was the largest publicly funded Meadery in history by a wide margin, according to Garagiste Meadery.
Their savory meads come with colorful titles like Susy’s Cherry Pie and Black widow, which is as delicious as the infamous spider is deadly.
Cigar City Cider and Mead
Intriguing meads and ciders with standout names flow across this meadery’s tap list. Drinks like the Enlightened One, an orange blossom mead with ginger and lime, and Ghost of the Dragon, a dragon fruit and ghost pepper cider, go above and beyond.
Brewing mead and cider since 2014, CCCM relies on Florida-grown ingredients for that special local feeling. To get in on all of their numerous offerings, patrons will have to pay (more than one) visit to the tasting room.
By Drew Mortier.
