Help Tampa Become #1 Best Beer Town in USA Today Poll

USA Today is polling the United States for their Readers Choice Best Beer Town and are crowning the winner in October.

“Craft beer is taking the nation by storm, and you have until Monday, OCT. 13 at NOON to vote for your favorite beer town in the USA. Our panel of beer experts picked 20 of the nation’s best cities for beer-centric travel; each offers an excellent brewery scene, great beer bars and gastropubs and a special place in beer history. Vote once per day until the contest ends.”

We in Florida all know the amazing beers being brewed and showcased at breweries, bars, stores and restaurants around the Sunshine State but unfortunately the rest of the country might not know yet. Being that Tampa is the only Florida city in the race, help bring the crown home to FLA!

What do the experts have to say about Tampa?

“Tampa is home to more than 30 breweries and brew pubs, with more opening every day. The inventive and progressive lineup of breweries started in “Cigar City” keeps the offerings fresh and relevant, while the Florida sunshine makes Tampa an excellent place for enjoying a brew outdoors, even in the dead of winter.”

Of course,  this is just a snap shop of the amazing craft beer renaissance going on in the Tampa Bay Area and not just in Tampa but St. Pete, Tarpon Springs, Pinellas Park, Largo, Dunedin, Sarasota… the list goes one. So please vote here: http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-beer-town/ and help Florida bring home the title! Feel free to vote once a day as well.

Seven Tampa Bay Breweries Team Up for Collaboration

TAMPA, FL — Recently Southern Brewing & Winemaking (Southern) hosted a collaboration brew day in honor of the Bad A** Beerfest put on by Tampa Bay Brewing Company.

Tampa Bay Brewing Company (TBBC) teamed up with Southern, Cigar City Brewpub, Barley Mow, Coppertail, Green Bench, and Big Storm to brew six recipes that will be released at the Bad A** Beerfest on June 28th. All six brews will be on tap together under one tent at the festival.

The actual brewing took place at Southern on Friday, June 6th. Craft beer fans were invited to come hang out in the Southern biergarten and watch the brewing process. Southern was chosen as the brewday location due to the brewery’s unique small batch set-up that allows for six batches to be brewed at the same time.

The six collaborations brewed for the festival include:

TBBC and Cigar City Brewpub: Weizenbock
TBBC and Barley Mow: Big IPA
TBBC and Coppertail: Saison
TBBC and Green Bench: Belgian Dubbel
TBBC and Big Storm: Smoked Scotch Ale

For the final brew, TBBC, CCB Brewpub, Barley Mow, Coppertail, Greenbench, Big Storm, and Southern all independently chose some malt and hops and threw them together for a unique and surprising amalgam brew.

Southern was involved with all of brews that day, so one keg of each of the beers brewed for the festival will also be available on tap in the Southern taproom later this month.

About Bad A** Beerfest
Tampa Bay Brewing Company (TBBC) of Ybor City will hold the first annual Bad A** Beerfest on June 28, 2014, on the site of their new brewery and restaurant in the Westchase area of Tampa, FL at 13937 Monroe’s Business Park. The craft beer festival is a celebration of the groundbreaking of the TBBC Westchase location and will showcase at least 20 local breweries, TBBC food, live music, and other entertainment. Proceeds of the event will benefit the Wounded Warriors of Tampa and South Florida.

About Southern Brewing & Winemaking
Located in Seminole Heights, Southern Brewing & Winemaking is a small, local craft brewery that makes and serves beers, ciders, meads, and sodas on site. The taproom has 24 taps and is located inside the conjoined homebrewing and winemaking supply shop.

Southern Brewing & Winemaking brings in weekly food trucks and musicians, offers monthly classes on home brewing, and hosts events throughout the year in their newly redesigned biergarten.

Southern Brewing & Winemaking
4500 N Nebraska Ave, Tampa, FL 33603
813-238-7800

Southern Brewing and Tampa Bay Markets Collaborate on Seminole Heights Summer Market Series

TAMPA, FL — Southern Brewing & Winemaking (Southern) has teamed up with Seminole Heights Sunday Morning Market for Seminole Heights Market at Southern – a series of three markets through the summer.

This market will be a smaller version of the bigger Sunday Morning Market that is held during the months of October through May at Hillsborough High School each year and will offer space to 30 local vendors who sell a mixture of agricultural & farm related products, take home foods, ready to eat foods, local art and hand crafts.

The Market will be held on the 2nd Sunday of each month and will begin starting this coming July 13th and will return on August 10th and September 14th. The hours have been adjusted for the summer and the market will operate from 11am – 4pm.

Southern will have special event glassware for sale at the markets. For just $5 a glass, the event glassware will get attendees discounts on beer for the July, August, and September markets. Southern has also collaborated with Florida Avenue Ales, another local Seminole Heights brewery, to brew a special beer to be release at the July market.

The market will be hosted on site at Southern Brewing in Seminole Heights and is pet friendly, open to all ages, and free to attend. Velo champ and the Seminole Heights bike club will be offering bike valet for each market through the summer. Markets will run rain or shine.

The Seminole Heights Market at Southern is sponsored by Creative Loafing Tampa. For more information on attending or becoming a vendor, visit Southern’s Facebook Page or visit TampaBayMarkets.com.

About Tampa Bay Markets
Tampa Bay Markets is a locally run organization that concentrates on supporting tourism and economic development in the region by providing a profitable retail outlet for local agriculture producers, artisans, crafters, food vendors and their goods.

They have five markets that currently run in various locations across Tampa.

About Southern Brewing & Winemaking
Located in Seminole Heights, Southern Brewing & Winemaking is a small, local craft brewery that makes and serves beers, ciders, meads, and sodas on site. The taproom has 24 taps and is located inside the conjoined homebrewing and winemaking supply shop.

Southern Brewing & Winemaking brings in weekly food trucks and musicians, offers monthly classes on home brewing, and hosts events throughout the year in their newly redesigned biergarten.

Southern Brewing & Winemaking
4500 N Nebraska Ave, Tampa, FL 33603
813-238-7800