American Craft Beer Week in Florida

UPDATE: New Events Added!
American Craft Beer Week takes place from May 16th to 22nd. If you’re in Florida, here’s where you should be during this fine event.

CCB Craft Beer Scavenger Hunt – Tampa
May 16 Monday	Cigar City Brewing will be hosting a Craft Beer Scavenger Hunt, which will be on-going throughout the week starting on Monday the 16th. Cigar City Brewing 3924 W. Spruce St., Tampa, Florida, 33607
American Craft Beer Week @ BrewGrrs – Vero Beach
May 16 Monday	Each day will feature the tapping of two small (1/6 – 1/4) exclusive kegs. BrewGrrs 390 21st Street Unit 104, Vero Beach, Florida, 32960
Meads and Ciders Night – Tampa
May 16 Monday	Mead tasting and cider specials starting at 7pm. Independent 5016 N Florida Ave., Tampa, FL 33603
Swamp Head Taproom Takeover at Cigar City – Tampa
May 17 Tuesday	Swamp Head Brewery will be putting their beer on tap at the Cigar City Tasting Room. Cigar City Tasting Room 3924 West Spruce Street Suite A, Tampa, Florida, 32607
Brews with Attitude – Tampa
May 17 Tuesday	Pepin Distributing is hosting the 1st annual Brews with Attitude Craft Beer Fest on May 17th, featuring Live Music, Food Concessions and home brewing demonstrations. Tickets are $20 in advance, with over 100 craft brews on tap. Our friends at Southern Brewing and Winemaking will be helping out with a homebrew contest… stop by the shop to pick up entry forms. Pepin Distributing Tasting Room 4121 N. 50th Street Tampa FL 33610
CC Taproom Takeover at Swamp Head – Gainesville
May 18 Wednesday	Cigar City will be putting their beer on tap at the Swamp Head Brewery Tasting Room. Swamp Head Brewery Tasting Room 3140 S.W. 42nd WAY, Gainesville, Florida, 32608
Hopheads Unite! – Tampa
May 18 Wednesday	American highly-hopped beer specials: Pale Ales, IPAs, and DIPAs. Independent 5016 N Florida Ave., Tampa, FL 33603
Beer Movie Night – Tampa
May 18 Wednesday	Cigar City Brewing will roll out the popcorn maker and host a Beer Movie Night! Enjoy a line up of both informative and entertaining movies devoted to our favorite topic, BEER! Cigar City Brewing Tasting Room 3924 W. Spruce St., Tampa, Florida, 33607
Cigar City Cheese & Chocolate Pairing – Tampa
May 19 Thursday	Stop by Cigar City Brewing for a  cheese and chocolate pairing event. Taste the beers from our own brewery and perhaps a few others paired with a selection of cheeses and chocolate all made by artisan producers. The tasting will take place in the tasting room beginning at 5:00 and going until 8:00. Cigar City Brewing Tasting Room 3924 W. Spruce St., Tampa, Florida, 33607
Southern Tier Tap Takeover! – Tampa
May 19 Thursday	Craft beer week in Florida enjoys some Northern exposure! Try many award-winning brews from this distinguished craft brewery from Lakewood, NY on Thursday. Pint and Flight specials all night starting at 7PM. Tampa Tap Room 13150 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, Florida, 33618
Intuition Ale Works – Jacksonville
May 20 Friday	Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena 300 A. Philip Randolph Boulevard, Jacksonville, Florida, 32202
Public Brew Session – Tampa
May 20 Friday	Ever want to try your hand at brewing? Here’s your chance! Come out to Cigar City Brewing and brew with Ben Romano, our pilot brewer. Ben will guide you through making a batch of beer as part of our pilot series for the tasting room. Time is to be announced, however, we will likely be starting in the morning and the brew day generally lasts about 6 – 8 hours. Space for this day will be limited, so if you are interested in attending email Travis to reserve your spot at travis@cigarcitybrewing.com. Cigar City Brewing Tasting Room 3924 W. Spruce St., Tampa, Florida, 33607
Swamp Head Releases 10-10-10 – Gainesville
May 20 Friday	Swamp Head will celebrate the release of its 100th batch of beer on May 20th, 100 days after it was brewed. This Imperial IPA, who’s roots came from our popular 10-10-10, got it’s name from the use of all centennial hops, 10 different hop editions and all multiples of 10 or 100 in all ingredients in the brewing process. Swamp Head Tasting Room 3140 S.W. 42nd WAY, Gainesville, Florida, 32608
Nielsbohrium Release – Tampa
May 21 Saturday	Cigar City Brewing is excited to release a very special beer we have been working on, Nielsbohrium, which is part of the collaboration we brewed with Mikkeller back in December. This Imperial Sweet Stout brewed with raisins has been resting in rum barrels for months and has just been bottled and will be ready to go just in time to be part of our celebration. More details on the release to follow, but the bottles will be available and it will make a very special, limited appearance on tap. Cigar City Brewing Tasting Room 3924 W. Spruce St., Tampa, Florida, 33607

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2011′s Publix Beer Cheers!

It’s been a full year since our last Publix Beer Cheers segment, and boy has a lot gone down. Our favorite local grocier, Publix, has begun a full-scale roll-out of delicious craft beers that has spilled over into end caps and coolers, bringing top notch libations to the free world and beyond. In honor of the bombers, six packs and finely packaged Belgian treats that we see on a weekly basis, Brasky would like to highlight five beers that you, the local hero that you are, can get at your neighborhood Publix. If you live in another part of the country, well, try Wegmans, Raleys, you get the drift. Publix is based in Central Florida, ok? Alright, now. Go on, read the beer cheers. Git!
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Hunahpu 2011 Sneak Peek!

Brasky staff was treated to an excellent surprise on Tuesday, when at a regional beer club meeting, Joey Redner from Cigar City Brewing showed up with a brand new case of 2011′s Hunahpu Imperial Stout. In addition to being subject to a sample six weeks before the official roll out (more info below), Brasky was privileged to pop tops in the company of some of Florida’s most distinguished beer aficionados. But wait a second, what’s Hunahpu? Don’t worry, son. Brasky will tell you.

2010′s Bourbon Barrel aged Hunahpu was the number 3 beer in the WORLD, according to RateBeer.com. The regular version? Number 17. No big deal. Not for a brewery in its second year of production. In 2011, Hunahpu and its various incarnations make up three of the top 32 entrants into best beer in the world, including #10 and 12 in the US, and #2 in the world for Stouts. What is it that makes this brew so unbelievable?

Take an award winning Imperial Stout recipe, add Mayan cacao nibs and Madagascar Vanilla beans, and you’re getting into uncharted territory. But top it off with a perfect dosage of Ancho and Pasillo chilis, take the ABV up to 11.5%, and this beer clearly has something special going on.

It pours flat, big black cocoa diesel fuel, clinging to the side of the glass with viscous alcohol legs. The nose is chocolate sweetness, and the first sip is an exploration of texture, as slight carbonation seeps out of a rich, savory thickness. The vanilla is more evident after the initial cacao explosion subsides, and just as one notices the alcohol linger the chili peppers match the tone with a numbing sparkle. Each sip is novel, and the intensity is so balanced and natural in flavor that even the most experienced tasters grasp at terms wise enough to encompass this taste. What amazes us is the sheer body of this beer; Russian imperial stouts and Baltic porters are notorious for their inky black thickness, but Hunahpu is something special. The sheer cojones it takes to dream of this beer are noteworthy, but to make it work, kudos. Kudos.

Cigar City will release the 2011 Hunahpu March 12 at the Cigar City Brewery in Tampa Florida. The Brewery is on Spruce Street just west of Dale Mabry Highway.

*NOTE* Limit four bombers per attendee… there are allegedly only 3,000 bottles available for the event. Plan your trip accordingly!
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Save Cigar City’s Tasting Room!

As we’ve mentioned before, Cigar City Brewing is widely considered the best thing going in Florida craft beer. With one of their beers, Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout, regarded as one of the 10 best in the world by BeerAdvocate.com, it’s not difficult to argue Cigar City’s growing value to the city of Tampa. The increasing prestige and cult popularity of Cigar City’s beer does not appear to be fully understood by Tampa City Council representatives, however.
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Cigar City Brewing Featurette

Florida is characterized by beer distributors and wholesalers as ‘a light lager crowd’, or a major-brand-preferring consumer base, much the same as the general beer-drinking populace of North America. Although a ‘light lager’ is just the sort of brew meant to be enjoyed while lazing on the beach or pounding em back at a college party, what are Floridian beer snobs expected to do? There are many reasons for this barren beer landscape: Florida has a heterogenous mixture of transplant residents with no strong preference for any particular variant of tasty brew, it has the general lack of unique local restaurant chains that could be tempted to serve craft brews (Outback steakhouse and Hooter’s both started in the Tampa Bay area), and a dearth of local craft brewers. Luckily for Floridians, that last driver for the formation of a ‘light lager crowd’ is beginning to fall apart. Craft breweries are starting up all across the sunshine state (there’s a list at the bottom!), and some are producing downright sensational products. One in particular, Cigar City Brewing, is stepping up to the Craft Brew microphone and making a lot of noise.
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