TAMPA— Sun-drenched Tampa and cloud-soaked Seattle may not share a lot in common. But here’s one area where the two cities are aligned: A love of great craft beer.
Throughout the Startup Week festivities here, beer has been on the mind (and lips). Beer makers have gathered to discuss everything from the political climate for craft breweries to how to use technology to sell more beer. More than a dozen craft breweries are now scattered across the Tampa Bay region, even though litigation brought by the Florida Retail Federation and Florida Independent Spirits Association poses a threat to this booming industry.
With this very important industry in mind and as a service to our dedicated readers, I decided to head over to the heartbeat of Tampa’s craft brewery industry Thursday night: Cigar City Brewing.
I’m a bit of a beer geek myself, living within stumbling distance of Seattle’s world-famous Chuck’s Hop Shop and regularly hitting the wonderful nanobreweries of Ballard. With that in mind, I entered Cigar City with a discerning eye.
Bottom line: I was impressed. Cigar City was enormous and packed, crawling with beer lovers buying growlers (interestingly, Florida is one of two states that bans the sale of 64-ounce growlers) or sipping on tasters. A food truck outside gave the place a distinctive Portland or Seattle feel, and the brewery’s colorful canned beer was packed in an entryway cooler.
The most unusual thing, and something that you’d probably never see in Seattle: There was a station where beer lovers could buy hand-rolled cigars. (Paying homage to the historic cigar rolling factories of Tampa’s Ybor City).
I skipped that kiosk, and headed right to the back bar where an array of taps presented a difficult choice.
The beers at Cigar City were tasty to the say the least. The Invasion Nitro Pale Ale was smooth, and despite its name not overpowering like some Pale Ales, The Hotter Than Helles Lager was light and refreshing, perfect for this warm climate. And the Florida Cracker Belgian-style white ale — not my favorite style of beer — was surprisingly yummy. (I also learned the meaning of “cracker,” which relates to the whip that colonial-era Florida cowboys used to wrangle cattle). I’d put any of the Cigar City beers up against the top suds I’ve consumed in the Pacific Northwest.
The inside of the brewery and taproom had a sterile feel, like it could easily be located in a mall or stamped out in other markets. Unlike Seattle breweries, guests to Cigar City had ample opportunity to buy marketing trinkets and apparel, from Cigar City bottle openers to polo shirts to guidebooks on the Florida craft beer industry. Those items were prominently displayed.
In some ways, I felt like I was in a chain restaurant, not the controlled chaos of Chuck’s or the industrial cool feel of Stoup Brewery in Ballard. And then I remembered that the Tampa area is the birthplace of restaurant brands such as Outback Steakhouse and Hooters.
Nonetheless, Cigar City has its own approach, incorporating humor and top ingredients into its beer making approach.
“At Cigar City Brewing we make beer we like to drink and toast those who choose to drink with us,” the company writes in its mission statement. “Behind all our beer is the philosophy that quality is achieved by giving first rate ingredients to first rate people in a space where they are free to pursue their passion. We acknowledge that what we do at Cigar City Brewing isn’t for everyone, but we welcome all.”
As they note, not everyone has embraced the craft beer revolution in Tampa. For dinner one night, I popped over to Jimbo’s BBQ, a popular BBQ spot just 1.5 miles from Cigar City where my beer choices included Corona, Bud, Bud Light and Michelob.
Ugh, get me a Cigar City!
Editor’s Note: GeekWire has partnered with UP Global and Chase to cover four Startup Week events around the country, starting with the Tampa Bay Startup Week from Feb. 2-6. GeekWire will be filing daily reports from this emerging startup hub this week.
