Florida is quietly growing a solid local beer scene and the bay area is leading the charge.
The Northeast and Pacific states, where brew pubs have thrived for decades, long ago embraced tastier locally produced craft beers, but craft breweries have been slow to catch on in Florida.
While microbrewers are reporting record growth, larger brewers such as Miller, Anheuser-Busch and Coors are reporting a second straight year of stagnating sales.
That growth has greatly expanded the micro offerings in local bottle shops, but hasn't translated into exposure for the bay area's nascent locally produced beer scene. But the continued success of a few bay area brew pubs points to the persistent demand.
Dunedin Brewery, in the quaint town of Dunedin, is the only local brew pub that bottles its beers for distribution. Dunedin's regular lineup includes Pipers Pale Ale, Red Head Red Ale, Beach Tale Brown Ale, Celtic Gold Ale, Lowland Wheat Ale, Razzbeery Wheat Ale and Apricot Peach Ale. The latter is brewed with natural apricot puree harvested in the Willamette Valley of northwestern Oregon and possesses a fruit-fueled flavor, medium palate and somewhat dry finish.
Also currently available is the Christmas Farmhouse Ale. This wonderfully spiced ale has notes of ginger, nutmeg and honey atop a smooth malty base. This is a great beer for Christmas parties. You can find these ales at stores throughout the bay area and on draft at the brew pub.
Tampa Bay Brewing Company in Ybor City produces some of the best beers in the state. The pub is replete with beer-infused cuisine, a comfortable bar decked in copper flashing and a space that puts the accoutrements of brewing on display.
Sit in front of TBBC's mischievously named BIG A** COOLER and quaff a pint of the robust Jack the Quaffer Porter or slowly savor the Moose Killer Barely Wine Style Ale from a chalice. The hoppy Moose Killer has ample grapefruit notes and an excellent malt-to-hop balance. At 9.8 percent ABV, this beer approaches the strength of wine and is just as complex.
TBBC offers a host of year-round brews and several seasonal beers and is the only place in Tampa to experience cask-conditioned microbrews from authentic hand pumps. Cask-conditioned ales are unfiltered, naturally carbonated and served either by gravity or a beer engine known as a hand pump. The secondary fermentation that occurs in cask conditioning imparts additional flavor and complexity.
Saint Sebastiaan Belgian Microbrewery is about an hour north of Tampa in Spring Hill. The Steerken Family has been brewing for more than 250 years in Belgium and operates nines breweries throughout Europe and Asia. The Spring Hill brewery features three year-round offerings and one rotating specialty brew. There are four brews to try at Saint Sebastiaan, including the Spring Hill Blonde, a medium-bodied, light-tasting ale, the Novice Light, a light-bodied pale lager with a hint of honey sweetness, and the 1731 Dark, a sweet Belgian ale with notes of candy sugar, caramel, raisin and spice. You can also find a rotating specialty beer at the brew pub that varies in style from batch to batch.
- Joseph J.M. Redner is a Tampa resident and world beer traveler.
