Being Beerventurers means we don’t often get the chance to visit the same brewery, city or even state twice. Lucky for us, the Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team made it to the Frozen Four down in Tampa, Florida. That means another last-minute trip and plenty of time to drink at some of the Best Breweries in Tampa!
Ology & Angry Chair
Kicking things off big is Ology Brewing Company – where the art of craft beer meets science. Ology blends traditional and modern techniques to craft exceptional beers. Nick Walker, founder and Head Brewer of Ology, has a family legacy in the sciences. His father was a researcher in olfactory, and his grandfather was a psychobio researcher on how humans “experience taste.” Fueled by his passion for beer with equipped with generations of scientific knowledge, Nick set out to meticulously craft beers celebrating the science of taste and smell.
Ology has crafted over 400 different beers over the years! Our small flight of four may not be the most scientifically appropriate sample size, but we can still confidently recommend Ology. Our favorite beer on the flight was the Juice Lab: Mango, Passionfruit, Pink Guava. This beer is one of those rarities in the smoothie sour category that actually tastes as advertised and isn’t overly sour drowning out the flavor profiles.
Did you know that stouts exist in Tampa? We figured they had to, but we never imagined an exemplary series of stouts that would blow our minds exists in the sunshine state. The magic stouts of Angry Chair Brewing start in their 1,900 sq ft. brewhouse, before patiently aging in their 2,000 sq ft. barrel house and then is served freshly to you in their 1,000 sq ft. taproom on one of sixteen taps! And before you ask, no they’re not a one trick pony – they also excel in pilsners and IPA’s and specialize in pastry/smoothie sours – but seriously try the stouts.
With a name like Cupcupcakecake, how can you not get a pour of it? Since our trip to Tampa earlier this year, we still haven’t had quite the flavor and … chewability(?) that was this 10% imperial German chocolate cupcake, that was double stuffed with coconut, vanilla, and cacao. If you can score a bottle of this thiccc beer, or even something akin to it, you will be in for such a treat.
Magnanimous & Hidden Springs
Brewer poaching is something that is industry standard at this point. However, it takes a lot of courage to leave a steady gig and open your own brewery. Even with safety in numbers, and the pedigree of Cycle Brewing, 7venth Sun Brewery and Coppertail, doesn’t guarantee success in the brewery endeavor. That’s why we’re happy to report that Magnanimous Brewing is thriving.
Magnanimous boasts over 270 craft creations and we could only try seven. Of the seven, Dark Messenger and Juice Lord were the flavorful front runners. Dark Messenger is a vanilla bean conditioned porter sitting at a comfortable 6% with a sweet aroma and taste. The vanilla is perfectly balanced and is far from bitter. Juice Lord is an 8% juicy box with mild bitterness and a whole lot of NEIPA citrus freshness. The DIPA drinks like a smoothie and is thirst quenching in the Florida heat.
The last brewery of our trip was Hidden Springs Ale Works. This local favorite isn’t a secret, but it barely crossed our radar! Huge shoutout to the beertenders at Angry Chair for telling us this was a must visit! Like every brewery on this list, they have the broad range of crowd-pleasing beers, but their extreme flavors really stood out over the weekend. A top contender is the Moon Flower, which is a sour ale brewed with lavender, chamomile, and vanilla beans. As a huge fan of lavender this is a treat and a flavor profile we don’t get to experience often.
If lavender doesn’t sound appealing in a beer, there are 162 other beers that they brew. Perhaps The Enchanted Tiki Room would be more your style? The dole whip inspired sour ale is super fruited with pineapple and the right amount of lactose for that rich, creamy mouthfeel.
Visit Tampa?
Yes. You should visit Tampa because our second trip did not disappoint! There are plenty of activities in the city, and it’s many unique and culturally diverse neighborhoods but be sure to prioritize a few craft breweries! As usual, this list isn’t a be all, end all for the city beer scene. It is mere a glimpse at a specific point in time. Happy Beerventuring.
What did our first Florida trip look like? Well – it was 31 breweries crossing all around the state.
