Cigar City Brewing

I am a big fan of Jai Alai and Fancy Papers so decided to stop by to try some of their other selections. I was a bit disappointed with the beers on tap at the brewery.

 

Finally made it here after many years of wondering if I’d ever be in Tampa. A work trip made it happen. Went two days in a row, actually. Both weekend days and both times I was surprised how steady yet not packed it was. Don’t know if that’s good or bad. Solid industrial brewery feel as you pull into the parking lot. Inside is roomy and has a ton of seating. A small merch section and a few to-go coolers. Draft list is extensive and provides a good variety of styles. Food is outstanding. Service is meh….they’re just working there, they don’t seem to care much about the beers. I wish I made it here before the Oskar Blues acquisition. Seems like that may have tarnished the original appeal.

 

 

 

 

10/7/21 In Tampa on our way to stay at Sanibel island. Bar tender was helpful and acerbic. Great selection of beers. Had the rice bowl, which was fabulous.

 

 

Really enjoyed speaking with Ryan and the two selected beers I had. Awesome tap list. Music was a little too jarring (rap) for the relaxed mood I was in. Will visit again.

Outstanding beer, nuff said.

First time there and it was very good especially since it was pretty busy. Bar was attentive, helpful and my beer and food came in a very reasonable time. Beer choices were spectacular and the comraderie with others really was fun. I walked out with some cams and bottles that I could only get there. Yay.

Was a little disappointed that Hunahpu wasn't available outside of the event (which we didn't have tickets for), and I had already tried the Marshal Zhukov, but I enjoyed almost every beer that I sampled.

I didn't realize how well-rounded CCB is until visiting the taproom - they nail a wide breadth of styles that I never associated their brewery with. I always perceived them as excelling in brown ales/porters/stouts on the one hand, and hoppy pales/IPAs/DIPAs on the other, but it's clear that their range is much broader than that.

Tried the following beers over the course of two visits:

CCB Chinook Dry-Hopped Invasion Pale Ale (cask)
CCB Blackberry Pineapple Session Sour Ale (sample)
CCB This Won't Be Popular In The Tasting Room English Dark Mild (draft)
CCB Hotter Than Helles Munich Lager (sample)
CCB & Coronado Azimuth Session IPA (draft)
CCB Florida Cracker Belgian-Style White Ale (sample)
CCB Maduro Brown Ale (draft)
CCB Tony Jannus American Pale Ale (sample)
CCB Hoppier Than Helles Hoppy Session Lager (draft)
CCB Florida Man Double IPA (sample)
CCB & DuClaw Impey Barbicane’s Moongun Session Amber Ale (draft)
CCB You Never Know Imperial IPA (sample)
CCB Jai Alai India Pale Ale (draft)

Service was quick and competent and the "Who's Your Dumpling?" food truck provided some much-needed nourishment (we went for the Korean-style "mandu" dumplings). Overall, Cigar City is one of the best breweries in North America and I'm glad we made the pilgrimage here. Recommended.

Admired this place for awhile so had to stop in during a quick day trip to the Tampa area. Everything they make seems to be solid at worst.

As I understand they finished renovations on the main taproom about a week ago so things were still a bit fluid. Selection was above average with a lot of the heavy hitters and some specialty barrel aged beers that people would be excited to see.

Took the tour which was lasted about an hour and was a good deal for the money. Not much to set it apart from your typical brewery tour though.

Overall I respect the beers these guys are putting out and was happy to have seen where it comes from.

 

Excellent pub brewery knowledgeable staff!

The BEST!! You'll look like silly city carpet baggers if you dont stop hear Yankee blue jeans

You feel like you’re in the swamp when you’re in this place, and I mean that in a positive sense.
Diverse selection of brews and I was able to negotiate with one of the managers on a price for a bottle of BA Zhukov ‘16. Boom!
You can feel the humidity, the dankness, the moisture in the air and you want more of it. So you stay all day, get loaded and enjoy the swamp!

 

 

I think CC falls in the category of somewhat out of people's minds. But it should not be. Beers were outstanding. Tried sours, imperial stouts, and a few other stouts. Selection was amazing. Favorite was the cinnamon raisin cookie brown ale. If I had a designated driver it would have gotten ugly. A must visit brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stopped in here one evening while in state briefly for work. No parking in main lot, so I pulled across the street in the well-labeled overflow lot. Ordered a delicious dinner from the food truck outside and sat down with a beer at a picnic table on the patio. It is kind of confusing how there are 2 bars so close to each other with different selections. Also one can accommodate small pours but the other can’t. I wish that all beers had been available in 8oz pours so I could have tried more as I had to drive later that evening. As it was I stuck to 5oz tasters and low abv.

Vibe was compromised also by the fact that all outdoor seating is also the smoking section so warts of smoke kept interrupting my enjoyment.

Overall selection was great, though I again I wish I could have sampled more variety in small pours. To go selection was also pretty good so I rounded out my night by grabbing 4 options from the cooler to enjoy later.

Beer quality was excellent. Good beers, brewed to style, with fun twists that didn’t detract from the overall package. The lemon peel and lemon drop hops lager was quite enjoyable.

Service was good, but I wish they had the flexibility to pour smaller glasses. I offered to pay the same price as a 12 oz. beer for an 8oz. pour and they apologized and poured the full thing. Of course I need to take responsibility cause I did drink the whole thing!

Worth the side trip from Orlando.

 

A pretty big location, with a solid vibe and a wise decision to separate their location with a Growler / 12oz pour bar and a back bar with varying pours and a larger / small batch variety. Beer quality was good, great selection. Service was very good, and would definitely revisit.

TB’s best...

Loved visiting this small but popular Lacal Craft Brewery. The Madura happens to be my fav.

Great selection of beer on tap at 3 different bars in the vast brewery warehouse. Chill music on the i-pod shuffle and local food trucks to keep your mind stable after a few 10% beers. The best treat were their Cask Ales on tap :)