Florida Trip - Tampa/Disney

Drive across the bridge and spend a day in Pinellas County..... In addition to CCB, def check out Rapp Brewing (Pinellas Park), Cycle Brewing (St. Petersburg), Barley Mow (Largo), 7venth Sun (Dunedin), Dunedin Brewing (Dunedin). For a great taphouse in Pinellas, check out Willard's Taphouse!

 

As far as disney, stay away from the parks from December 22 on. You're best to go at the beginning of your trip. Once Xmas break starts for kids, it gets crazy. Before that, it's dead. I'd recommend Epcot or Hollywood. Epcot if you prefer to have some drinks.

Since you're into the beer, hit the breweries, big and small. I'm not an expert on downtown or surrounding area... so, I cant help you there.

 

All of that ^^^!!!!

 

I would spend a day with you going to breweries in Clearwater area! I'll make my wife come too!

 

CCB, 7venth Sun, Rapp, and Cycle should take priority over the rest IMO.

 

Go to CCB and park your ass there. Wish I could do that more. As far as Disney is concerned, Epcot is by far the best park for beer and foodies. You can get different beer at all the world pavilions. Some is pretty good. I prefer getting a pilsner or Oktoberfest at Germany. You can get Sam Adams at the US pavilion. Plus you can get authentic food from the various countries too. No spectacular craft beer anywhere in Disney, though. There's only one place you can even get it in the Magic Kingdom, and that's only if you stop to eat there.

 

If you're hipsters then go to downtown st. pete at night. Ybor is full of clubs but hipsters don't gravitate there anymore because of the ghetto / younger crowd now.

 

I agree, Epcot is definitely the place if you're looking to try different beers.

 

While on Disney property, if you have an iphone(who doesn't?), use the Beers and Ears app to see which craft brews are available where in the parks, resorts, etc...

 

Do Disney/Universal the first three days of your vacation. Those will be the only three days you have until things get absolutely slammed. Trust me.

 

Get a park hopper pass for Disney, you can do 2-3 parks in one day when the crowds are small, as everyone else said, do this early in your trip. Don't concern yourself with beer while you are at the parks, Boston Lager is the high point of what you will find. In Orlando, go to Redlight Redlight (good beer bar, hipster crowd, you will love it) and Knightly Spirits (great bottle shop). Tampa/St. Pete has pretty well been covered above.

 

Actually Epcot has a few decent choices. The wine bar in Italy has a solid choice of 4 Italian craft drafts, La Cellier in Canada has quite a few Unibroue drafts, Racer 5 is popping up all over Epcot kiosks, there's a bit of craft to be found in Epcot if you know where you're going.

 

For food in Tampa metro: Datz Deli is an amazing restaurant, The Refinery is a must stop, Bern's steakhouse for your very high end meal.

For food in Orlando metro: Cask and Larder, Ravenous Pig and a lot of other places I can't think of right now

 

I didn't know about Unibroue or Racer 5. That's good to know, since I'll be going back there myself with the family next year. Can you get either of them at food kiosks or just some of the sit down restaurants?

 

Racer 5 is popping up in kiosks randomly, I saw it, fittingly enough, at a kiosk by Test Track. 9 bucks a bottle, but compared to 7 for a Bud Light, worth every penny. Unibroue is at the sit-down restaurant in Canada.

This is the new resort craft beer list starting roll-out at Grand Floridian and to spread to assumedly all the other resorts, and possibly some filtering into Epcot.

Never doubt the Mouse's ability to make money off a trend.

 

I just got back from disney, I wasn't able to get a ton of craft but the coffee porter I got at the italian restaraunt was pretty good, and all the other drinks in epcot were good too. It took us 2 days but we ended up getting a drink at each one

 

I second or third these breweries. I would add that Green Bench should be open by then and based upon the local beer festivals, their beer will be well worth the trip.