I haven't seen much posted here about the new CCB bar at Tampa International in the Southwest terminal yet so I'm here to share my thoughts.... I stopped by and had a couple pints (and dinner as well) before my flight (posting this from 38K feet, I love in-flight WiFi!). It's definitely a GREAT addition to TIA. Today they had 5 CCB beers on tap: Jai Alai, Maduro, Hotter than Helles, Xenu Cream Lager, and Florida Cracker. I was hoping to try the new pale ale that is going to be an airport exclusive but they only had 3 kegs to start with and they went fast. I was not aware that they were going to have food, it was definitely a pleasant surprise and much better than Quiznos or a burger. I have the Ropa Viejo and it was excellent paired with a Maduro. The two bartenders were also excellent advocates for CCB. As you can see in the photo they do have a couple less than stellar offerings, as well as about a half dozen shitty bottles as well. The bartender named Jini made sure to offer anyone who ordered any of the non-CCB offerings a sample of the Hotter Than Helles and Xenu. I think I only saw one or two folks stick with their original request after sampling the CCB offerings which was very good to see. All-in-all this is an excellent new addition to TIA and it definitely will make me arrive a few minutes earlier for some flights to enjoy a great brew!
They are indeed contractually-required to carry BMC. I was actually there on both Saturday and Sunday on plane changes. Saturday morning I tasted a sample of the Tony Jannus pale, but.it was too cold to appreciate it. The bartender also said to a customer "We have these taps made here and we have normal beer." MEH! On Sunday (~9:00PM btw) I had a delicious pint of Florida Cracker with a not-bad turkey and avocado sandwich. The bartender on sunday was much nicer and more knowledgeable, too. I also sampled the Helles lager and a Xenu lager, which were both pretty darn good .
