- The Bison Brew Team
- October 31, 2020
Tampa is one of the most fun and unique beer scenes in America. A hotbed and incubator for the latest styles and trends, beer lovers of Tampa are spoiled with the diverse selection of breweries. World class IPA, decadent pastry stouts, and unconventional sours, Tampa has it all.
We take a look at the top breweries in the Tampa Bay Area that you need to explore on your next foray into the Sunshine State.
Cigar City BrewingFlorida’s most famous and prolific craft brewery – Cigar City – is an American institution. They’ve been crafting exquisitely brewed ales and lagers since 2009. Known worldwide for their immaculate quality, Cigar City nails every style they brew.
Jai Alai IPA is routinely considered one of the world’s best IPAs. We certainly included it in our list. The pungent, dank, and orangey hoppiness is balanced by a unique malt complexity. Despite its 7.5% ABV, Jai Alai is immensely refreshing under the hot Florida sun.
On the darker side of things, Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout was one of the original pastry stouts. Brewed with cinnamon, vanilla, cacao nibs, and chile peppers, Cigar City were early adopters to big, sticky, flavored stouts. They’ve served as an inspiration for the droves of Florida stout brewers who followed.
3924 W Spruce St, Tampa, FL 33607Cycle Brewing
There aren’t many breweries in the world like Cycle. A seemingly modest and regular tasting room opens into their relatively typical brewery. Austere rows of oak barrels, typical of many modern breweries, are on display. But at Cycle, the beer inside those barrels is essentially liquid gold. Cycle’s barrel aged imperial stouts are prized among beer lovers. They’re insanely flavorful, round, complex, and unique.
Aside from sticky, sweet stouts, Cycle offers up a slew of interesting beers from their St. Petersburg brewery and tasting room. Cool down with their Crank IPA, hopped solely with tropical Citra hops. Once settled in, treat yourself to one of those famous stouts. Rare DOS is one of the best. A straightforward enough Imperial Stout aged in whiskey barrels, it’s complex, warming, and comforting.
534 Central Ave, St. Petersburg, FL 33701Green Bench Brewing Company
It seems Green Bench has brewed almost every style of beer. And more often than not, their beers are stellar, no matter the genre. Anything from foeder aged sour beer, crisp lagers, and hazy IPA, the St. Petersburg hot spot is precise and consistent. With a beautiful taproom to enjoy their range of well crafted brews, Green Bench is a must visit when in the Tampa Area.
Bench Life, a 4.6% ABV American light lager, is a crisp, refreshing take on an often derided style. Crystal clear pale yellow, the body is light and thirst quenching from the use of flaked corn. Subtle herbaceous hops remind you that you’re drinking craft beer, while not taking away from the pristine drinkability.
1133 Baum Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 337057venth Sun Brewery
With two locations – a production brewery in Tampa and their cozy original facility in Dunedin – 7venth Sun is a modern craft staple in the Tampa Bay Area. Refreshing beers is their modus operandi, but that doesn’t mean they skimp on flavor. Their IPAs and hoppy beers are all packed with dank and juicy hops. Sours – from fast and fruity Berliner Weisse, to oak-aged complex wild ales – are expertly brewed as well.
For one of the most refreshing summer beers (or any season when you’re in Florida), give Graffiti Orange a try. It’s a wheat beer brewed with lactose, orange peel, and vanilla beans. This Creamsicle inspired ale is nostalgic, cooling, and terrific.
6809 N Nebraska Ave, Tampa, FL 33604
1012 E Broadway Ave Dunedin, FL 34698Angry Chair Brewing
World famous for their range of extreme, indulgent barrel aged sweet stouts, Angry Chair is no one-trick-pony. They’re entire range, from hazy IPAs, to Berliner Weisse, to crispy lagers, is well-brewed and delicious. Continuously growing their brand and innovating since 2012, Angry Chair is a Tampa treasure.
For the ultimate whale, if you can get your hands on the Barrel Aged Imperial German Chocolate Cupcake Stout, consider yourself lucky. This highly sought after pastry stout is packed with rich, chocolatey, cakey flavor. It’s rounded out in Bourbon barrels for an extremely smooth finish. On the lighter side, their Space Grass, a hazy IPA hopped with Simcoe, Azacca and El Dorado, is juicy, resinous, and soft.
6401 N Florida Ave, Tampa, FL 33604Coppertail Brewing Co.
Brewing in the Ybor neighborhood since 2014, Coppertail beers are meticulously brewed. Refined and well-crafted, the entire lineup, from IPAs, to stouts, to sours, is delicious.
Unholy is one of the best American-brewed Tripels. Distinctive Belgian yeast character meshes perfectly with a heavy hand of pungent American hops. They manage to push the classic style toward IPA level hoppiness without hindering the Belgian yeast complexity. The delicate nature of the Tripel style is preserved and the balance is refreshing and unique.
2601 E 2nd Ave, Tampa, FL 33605Rapp Brewing Company
Rapp is an eclectic little nanobrewery in Seminole. With over 20 taps, there’s always something new to try. Locals love the diverse lineup of American, European, and – yes – Floridian styles.
Small production and a penchant for experimentation, Rapp has brewed some wonders over their eight years of existence. They’ll often showcase obscure styles, like their deliciously smoky-sour Lichtenhainer. And when they keep it classic, like with their excellent Hefeweizen, Rapp nails it nearly every batch.
10930 Endeavour Way, Seminole, FL 33777Arkane Aleworks
Embracing the obscure, Arkane Aleworks are one of the most creative breweries in America. They consistently push the boundaries of what is considered beer. Over-the-top fruited sours and dessert stouts are their specialities. The methods to their hugely popular, contemporary offerings certainly remain arcane.
What the Fluff is a fantastic sour ale brewed with blackberries, raspberries, and marshmallows. This ultra sticky-sweet Berliner Weisse is tart and juicy, but with a layer of soft, vanilla sweetness from the marshmallows.
Their extra sumptuous stouts also feature unusual flavor combinations. Dessert Eagle is a rotating brand of Imperial Dessert stouts. That beer has seen additions of graham crackers, marshmallows, cacao nibs, and walnuts, among other tasty adjuncts. Delicious and intensely rich, Arkane Aleworks are masters at crafting luscious dessert-like beer.
2480 E Bay Dr #23, Largo, FL 33771Tampa Bay Brewing Company
Brewing legends Tampa Bay Brewing Company have been making ambitious and innovative beer since 1995. Their original Ybor City brewpub has a small 10 barrel brewhouse that supplies a rotating selection of fresh beer to their taproom. In 2014, TBBC opened a full-scale production facility in Westchase to meet the growing demand of their products statewide.
TBBC is known for their highly drinkable range of unique ales. For hoppy beer, Reef Donkey Pale Ale and Old Elephant Foot IPA are both balanced, modern, and fruity takes on West Coast classic styles. Their range of Floridaweisse – fruit packed Berliner Weisse style sour beer – is juicy and flavorful.
And no matter your stance on pumpkin beer, their epically Floridian named Gourds Gone Wild is a delicious, seasonal pumpkin brown ale. Spicy, rich, and vanilla-heavy, classic pumpkin pie flavors make for a comforting dessert in a glass.
1600 E 8th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605
13937 Monroes Business Park, Tampa, FL 33635BarrieHaus Beer Co.
Newcomers in the Tampa beer scene, BarrieHaus Beer Co. focus on traditional lager brewing in the Ybor City neighborhood. Opened in 2019, their small, community-oriented brewery offers a cozy taproom to enjoy their range of expertly brewed beer. Though brewing primarily top-notch lagers, they have a diverse selection that caters to all craft beer lovers.
For the purists, Family Tradition, a rich and malty Vienna lager, keeps it traditional with a toasty backbone and delicate spicy hop note. Complex enough to thoroughly geek out on, but still light and thirst quenching, it’s meant to be drunk by the stein. More on the modern side, Unconscionable – a West Coast style India Pale Lager – is bright, fresh, bitter, and incredibly refreshing.
1403 E 5th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605
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