What to do in Tampa?

Obviously hit the CCB brewery and also the Brewpub. Great food at the brewpub, I've got to a point where I spend more time at the Pub than the brewery itself.

If you are doing a beer tour you should make the 45 min trip to Dunedin and hit Dunedin Brewing and 7venth Sun. Peg's still serves Cycle brews but Cycle has opened its own location in St. Pete now. You should check it out.

Some folks have mixed feelings about Rapp Brewing but I like it and its worth a shot if you are in the area.

 

Rapp

 

Rapp has excellent beer but neither they, Pegs, or 7th Sun are in Tampa, they are all on the other side of the Bay. In Tampa, besides CCB and the Brewpub, there is Tampa Bay Brewing Company. No one ever seems to mention them but they have awesome beer and an outstanding food selection as well. Real craft beer with real, on premise created and made food. Southern Beer and Winemaking has some excellent beer with a very impressive tap list of their own offerings as well. Feel free to BM me with what part of town you will be in and I can probably come up with some closer suggestions.

 

How long are you going to be there? I would DEFINITELY try to make it to 7venth Sun, and Southern Beer and Winemaking. Southern is a giant homebrew shop with a huge taplist of their beers, last time I went they had some barrel aged stouts, different flavored berliners, a bunch of single hop IPAs, just a really impressive place. Dunedin Brewery is pretty meh in my opinion, but its like a block from 7venth Sun so it might be worth walking over. Make sure you make it to the CCB brewpub, they are doing some awesome things there. Rapp is good too. I am from Ft Lauderdale but I make it to Tampa once every month or two, the beer scene there is great.

Edit: Dunedin House of Beer down the street from 7venth Sun and Dunedin Brewery is decent too, hitting those three in one night would make for a fun evening.

 

I'm the same way with the brew pub since i work 1/4 mile away. Probably have seen you in there and didn't realize it

 

Is Angry Chair Brewery open yet? (seminole heights, same area as The Refinery)

 

Not yet.

 

I think Rapp is excellent. Didn't realize people had mixed feelings about them. Why is that?

 

Dunderbak's for beer and food. By far the best beer selection in Tampa.
http://www.whatsontap.buildabeer.org/WhatsOnTapAt.php?BarID=USAFL00014

 

Coming out November 17-21 anything I should be on the prowl for. Would love to take some goodness home. Right now ccb is on my radar. I have to figure out the whole flying with beer thing. It might just be easier to ship to self. Any thoughts, I don't fly often.

 

You can check beer in your suitcase, thats what I do. Bring some bubble wrap and some plastic bags, wrap it up, pack it in tight with dirty clothes, bingo.

 

I went home to Wisconsin this weekend with the intention of shipping back a box. Low and behold, all of the shipping stores were closed on Sunday, so my prepped box had to be counted as a checked bag. It was packaged nicely, they didn't care what was in it. The $25 checked bag fee was much cheaper than shipping cost and I got to take my beer home same day. I'm leaning more towards this approach in the future.

 

I was underwhelmed by 7th sun TBH. Worth checking out, but people hype it more than it deserves IMHO.

 

nah they're pretty awesome. i've had like 30 great beers from them.

 

Eh, maybe they had a bad selection that day.
It's all opinion in the end.

 

well it's perfectly fine to not like their beers. however what you're saying is that people are hyping them up, meaning they're just flat out wrong. so your opinion is that you're right and everyone is wrong.

 

I'm definitely going to disagree. 7venth Sun makes some world class stuff. Top to bottom, Justin and Devon know how to design recipes and barrel-age beer. If you're in Dunedin and don't stop by, it's practically a sin.

 

Yep. That's why I said IMHO.

 

Likewise...although I think it's worth the drive if you go to Peg's first. You really get a feel of the area at 7venth Sun. Very small taproom, if the weather is right it's a cool vibe.