Billy's Beer Blog

What's on Tap in Tampa Bay

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Posted by Bill Zavorskas 2 COMMENTS

Anne and I stopped by Orlando Brewing on Friday. The only certified organic brewery in Florida, Orlando Brewing is located in an industrial area close to downtown, and is a funky, laid back brewpub that features 20+ beers on tap, including several guest varieties, as well as live music on weekends. John Cheek is the [...]

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Anne and I were in Orlando for the day, when we decided to hit a couple of spots. One of them was a place ranked as the World’s #3 Brewpub by Rate Beer. Redlight Redlight, owned by Brent Hernandez and Richard Sherfey, not only met my expectations, it exceeded them. With 25 beers on tap [...]

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I enjoy a good helles bock, especially one brewed in the classic Bavarian tradition. So I opened a bottle the other day of a beer given to me by my friend J.B., that hails from a brewery that’s been crafting beers since 1229. Hofstettner Heller Bock Saphir (Brauerei Hofstetten – Krammer; St. Martin, Austria; Maibock; [...]

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Niels Henrik David Bohr (1885-1962) was a Nobel Prize winning Danish physicist who made significant contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics. Additionally, he was one of the physicists that worked on the Manhattan Project. In his honor, Danish brewery Mikkeller has collaborated with Cigar City on a beer that’s truly the bomb. Cigar [...]

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Stopped by Mr. Beery’s over the weekend and was glad to see a collaboration ale between The Bruery and Cigar City was on tap. As the story goes, both breweries came up with the recipe over pints at the Falling Rock Tap House in Denver during the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. The Bruery Marrón [...]

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From the brewery that brought us Unearthly and Gemini, comes yet another superb DIPA. Southern Tier Hoppe (Southern Tier Brewing Co.; Lakewood, NY; Imperial India Pale Ale; ABV: 8.0) is a hop head’s dream. This honey colored ale hits you right off the bat with hefty notes of Amarillo and Columbus hops, giving it a [...]

Featured Posts

Enjoy an Oktoberfest this Spring

A Marzen For All Seasons

Marzens tend to be traditional Fall beers, but I had the chance to try a different take on this beer style at Crum’s Bar and Grill recently. Cigar City Marzen Spring Lager (Cigar City Brewing; Tampa, FL; Marzen; ABV: 5.5) is also known as Cigar City Oktoberfest Marzen when it’s released during the autumn months. [...]

Crum

Crum’s Bar and Grill Rocks

You can add Crum’s Bar and Grill to a growing list of exceptional brewpubs in the Tampa Bay area. Located in downtown St. Petersburg, and owned by Chris Crum and Lanette Miller, Crum’s Bar and Grill offers craft beer, food, and live music in a hip casual setting. Speaking of which, there’s 52 selections of [...]

You'll go batty over El Murcielago

Bats In The Brewery

The last time I was at the Cigar City Brewing Tasting Room in Tampa, I learned something new. Did you know that bats pollinate blue agave plants, which provide the ingredient found in tequila? So it’s fitting that I tried a double cream ale, named for the bat, that’s aged in tequila barrels. Cigar City [...]

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