As a craft beer lover located in Tampa, FL, I am blessed to be spoiled for choice when it come to craft beer options. Indeed, some of the top-rated craft brewers in the country call Tampa, FL home. Whether you’re a local who is looking to find a new local craft brewer, or a tourist who wants to drink where the locals drink, this list will give you 10 top options for drinking amazing craft beer in a very laid-back, Tampa atmosphere. For the purposes of this list, we’re including brewers who all call the greater Tampa Bay area home – we’re including Hillsborough Co. (the county in which Tampa is located) & Pinellas Co. (Tampa’s neighboring county to the West, with world-class beaches). While the greater Tampa Bay area metro includes additional counties which also have great craft beer options, the majority of the top craft brewers reside either in Hillsborough or Pinellas Co.
- Cigar City Brewing Co.
Located just W. of downtown Tampa,, and mere minutes from Tampa International Airport, Cigar City Brewing Co. is a Tampa institution, and arguably not only Tampa’s, but Florida’s most well-known craft brewer, and rightfully so. Cigar City Brewing Co. is frequently cited as one of the top 10 craft brewers in the country. With a range of beer styles to suit any palette, CCBC is most well-known for their Jai Alai IPA; a bitter-forward IPA with citrus and pine/resin notes sitting at 7.5% ABV. Equally famous, and one of the harder beers to acquire, even for a Tampa-native, is Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout. This limited-release seasonal beer is so popular that CCBC has a day (Hunahpu’s Day) dedicated to the beer’s release, and only those dedicated enough to get in line hours in advance will have a chance to grab this world-class beer. They have a strict 2 bottle per patron limit, so it’s best to get there early if you want to get your hands on this one. This stout a brewed with cinnamon, vanilla, cacao nibs, and chili peppers, and is my absolute favorite stout in the world.
2. Angry Chair Brewing Co.
Located between the Hillsborough River (to the West) and historic Seminole Heights neighborhood (to the East) is Angry Chair Brewing Co. While this brewer may not yet be famous across the country, to FL locals, this, like CCBC is a must-stop destination for quality craft beer. With a tap room that’s a mix of natural wood elements, and an industrial space, this brewer has the taproom ambience down to a science. AC is well-known as one of the FL stout masters, but they are constantly innovating, and brew all styles of beer. Indeed, in their tap room you will find a nice array or not only stouts, but IPAs, sour beers, porters, and even a gold medal winning pilsner. Among local craft fans, there is a long-running debate as to who is better – Angry Chair, or Cigar City. All I can say is that both brewers are absolute masters of the game, and there is not a bad choice among the two.
3. Tampa Bay Brewing Co.
Tampa Bay Brewing Co. is a family-owned and operated brewpub that was established in 1995 in the heart of the historic Ybor City district. They are located right in the middle of Centro Ybor, and are virtually impossible to miss as you’re passing through the main center square. Equally convenient is that they’re just minutes from downtown Tampa, Tampa International Airport, and are situated in one of Tampa’s most vibrant neighborhoods with shopping, clubs, and restaurants all around. What sets TBBC apart from many other local brewers is that they are a true brewpub. They brew multiple different styles of top-quality beer to suit any taste, as well as feature rotating seasonal offerings. TBBC is a one-stop shop if you’re in Ybor City and both thirsty for quality beer and hungry, as they have a full-service restaurant that has unbelievably good food. Personally, I recommend the Shepherd’s Pie that features a rich gravy made from their own stout. With plenty of table space, and a very large bar with a hand-hammered copper top, TBBC is a Tampa icon you won’t want to miss when you’re in town.
4. Coppertail Brewing Co.
Coppertail Brewing Co. is another Tampa craft brewer that is located in the Ybor City neighborhood. They’re not even 1 mile away from TBBC, and as such, are minutes from downtown Tampa, and Tampa International Airport. Inside Coppertail you will find a very large and open space that is industrial in its style. There are multiple large bars with plenty of stools, and they have multiple cozy corners where you can sit and chat with friends, or play games on their ample table tops. Coppertail is very well-known for their stout and IPAs, but as with all brewers on this list, they brew all different styles of beer to suit any taste. They’re also pet-friendly, so feel free bring your dog with you while you enjoy some top-notch craft beer.
5. Big Storm Brewing Co.
Big Storm Brewing Co. is located in Clearwater (in Pinellas Co.) just minutes from St. Pete/Clearwater International Airport. They recently opened a Pasco Co. location as well (N. of Hillsborough Co., and part of the greater Tampa metro area). Big Storm is another craft brewer that combines the option of food with their beer offerings, including Southern-style BBQ on the lunch menu. As with all craft brewers on this list, Big Storm brews a range of different beer styles to suit any taste, but is most well-known for their range of IPAs. From big, resinous, W. Coast style IPAs, to FL-inspired citrus IPAs, Big Storm is the perfect place for a thirsty hop head to grab a pint. They also feature a very large outdoor seating area that is pet-friendly, so you can bring your dog along as well.
6. Southern Brewing & Winemaking
Southern Brewing & Winemaking is an outlier on this list, but in the very best way possible. They’re located right in the heart of the historic Seminole Heights neighborhood in Tampa, and both brew their own fabulous beers (and wines) as well as serve as your one-stop shop for beer brewing supplies and ingredients (they also cater to wine as well). This is my personal homebrew supply store, and they have everything you need to make your brew day a success. Their friendly and knowledgeable staff will make sure you have everything you need to brew your own great beer at home. I like to sit at the bar and try some of their newest creations before I shop for my brewing supplies. In particular, their sour beers are legendary. While SB&W doesn’t have their own kitchen, they do have a large parking lot where food trucks stop by each day. They rotate daily, and post who is going to be there each day of the week, so if you have a favorite food truck, you’ll know when to drop by. They are also another spot that has an outdoor patio with ample seating that is pet-friendly. A pro tip for you – don’t forget to have them fill up a growler of your favorite beer to take home with you.
7. Cycle Brewing Co.
Cycle Brewing Co. is located in the heart of St. Pete. (in Pinellas Co.) on Central Ave. just W. of downtown, and only minutes from the St. Pete USF campus, world-famous Salvador Dali Museum, and some of the best restaurants in Tampa Bay. They brew an eclectic mix of beers and beer styles, from well-done examples of multiple styles, to flavored variants, but the most coveted by locals are their barrel-aged beers. You can find bourbon barrel-aged stouts as well as rarely-seen barrel-aged barleywines, and barrel-aged stouts and porters with multiple different flavoring additives. 1.5 blocks S. & 2.5 blocks E. is my absolute favorite burger restaurant, not just in Tampa, but anywhere in the U.S. As Cycle Brewing doesn’t have a food menu, I recommend stopping by The Avenue for some of the most inventive, indulgent burgers you will ever eat. Make sure to get a double order of their cajun fries. I have still not had better to this day. Whether you eat before you visit Cycle Brewing to drink or vice-versa, if you’re in the neighborhood, you’re guaranteed a good time.
8. BarrieHaus Beer Co.
BarrieHaus Beer Co. is another very unique brewer on this list, as they focus their brewing on lagers, and specifically, German-style lagers. They do have some other beers styles available (notable an IPA, though it is brewed with lager yeast), but their primary focus is on their lager game. Aside from their versions of traditional German lagers, they also are one of the few places that has a radler on-tap. For those who don’t know, a radler is a hybrid beer made of equal parts lager beer and lemonade (traditionally), and for my money, is one of the most thirst-quenching beer styles to enjoy on a hot Tampa day. Barriehaus is located on the W. side of the historic Ybor City neighborhood, and is conveniently not even 1 block from the Centro Ybor parking garage. Perhaps the most defining characteristic of BarrieHaus is that they feature a large, beautiful biergarten. The biergarten is pet-friendly, so Fido can come along while you enjoy your beer.
9. 3 Daughters Brewing Co.
3 Daughters Brewing Co. was founded in 2013 in St. Petersburg (Pinellas Co.) by a restauranteur who turned to making his own beer for a beer-battered fish recipe in his restaurant. After he was done tweaking, he decided to put that beer up on his tap, as he thought it was fairly good. As it turns out, everybody else agreed, and it was his best-selling beer on-tap by a vast margin. One thing led to another, and 3 Daughters was officially born. 3 Daughters is located just W. of downtown St. Pete, right of off I-275, and just minutes from Tropicana Field (home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team). 3 Daughters has a wide range of beer styles on-tap, but is most famous for it’s Blonde Ale & IPA offerings. They also have a barrel-aged strong ale, which is a very hard-to-find style on any tap, and one of my favorite beer styles. For those who like to eat while they enjoy their favorite craft beer, 3D does have a nice selection of food – including vegetarian options and a kid’s menu.
10. Mr. Dunderbak’s
Mr. Dunderbak’s, or my home away from home as I like to call it, is a another one of the most unique brewers on this list, and the most expansive, in terms of offerings, by far. I have been a regular at Mr. Dunderbak’s for nearly 2 decades now, and there’s a very good reason I love this place so much. Walk through the doors, and you’re greeted with a Bavarian village biergarten vibe, and have the option to sit at a communal table (beer hall style), grab an open stool at the large bar in the dining room, or grab an open stool at the smaller front bar (this is best for carrying on a conversation with others) or a table in the front room. Mr. Dunderbak’s is all about beer. They have a selection of greater than 50 beers on tap at all times, featuring mostly German beers, but they also have their own beers on tap as well. JB Ellis (the owner) & Jason (one of his long-time employees) brew both traditional style beers, as well as more unique offerings. In addition to the massive tap selection, they have several hundred beers you can get from their cooler, and several hundred more in their beer cellar room. One thing is certain, you will not want for options when dropping by Mr. Dunderbak’s. Speaking of options, make sure to go on an empty stomach, as they have a very large menu of German food that is out-of-this-world delicious. My personal favorite is the Von Bomb sandwich (an oversized fried schnitzel – veal or pork, your choice – that is doubled over, topped with 3 different kinds of cheese, fried eggs, bacon, spicy paprika sour cream sauce, onion rings, and their homemade kartoffelpuffern). It is legitimately one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten. Mr. Dunderbak’s is located in New Tampa, just S. of Tampa Palms on Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
The Craft Beer Corner 