This weekend at a food and strong beer pairing, I made the mistake of letting my mouth get away with its thoughts (again) by saying that the beer scene was virtually nonexistent in Florida… Not true for either the home brewer or hip downtown brewery… As I learned from my subsequent tongue lashing and by discovering the Tampa Bay Brewing Co.

Nestled nicely in the heart of the old (as far as I could tell) Tampa downtown, this place had a relaxed atmosphere, a pleasant staff, a very cool layout, and most importantly, the beer was right on the mark. I, of course, bellied up to the bar and had my new friend sling me a pint of Old Elephant IPA. It had everything a growing beer needs… Big hop bitterness and aroma, balanced malt bill, beautiful golden amber color, and a filled vessel within arms reach

From there, we hit a sampler to get a good view of the pack…

I think the IPA was the standout for me, being the hop head I am, the porter they had on was pretty good as well. The DIPA tended toward the syrupy side for me which is common for the style. As with all (so far that I have seen) Florida brew pubs, they really cater to the light body patron… With good reason… Know your clientele/climate, right?
The brewery itself was my favorite part. Right in the middle of the brewery with 4 foot walls and no other barriers.

Very cool to be able to chit chat with the dude who crafted you beverage while you’re drinking it.

A funny little quirk about the Florida beer scene is the growler… Our beloved 64 ounce growler is not alive and well in the sunshine state because it is illegal! 32 ounces of beer you ask? All day long. How about a gallon of IPA?! Sure! No prob….

But the half gallon apparently promotes drunkenness. That’s what happens when you allow lobbyists to make laws… They make stupid ones that don’t help anyone but themselves.
That being said… The gallon size is quite nice and it turned out to be much more capable of supplying a thirsty table later on!
So my hat’s off to you, TBBC… Good beer, good staff, and a gallon of beer to go… You’re ok in my book!