Cigar City Brewing- The Trials and Tribulations of Opening a Brewery in Florida
Or: How To Open a Craft Brewery in 7000 Easy Missteps........ Contact Us: info@cigarcitybrewing.com
Cigar City Brewing
122: Cigar City Beer Goes Head To Head Vs Wine in a Chocolate Pairing Death Match......
So CCB went head-to-head with some excellent wines in a chocolate pairing put on at the NoHo Bistro by the Tampa Independent Business Alliance and their Passport To Indies Event. Granted, everyone who knows anything about beer and wine knows beer crushes wine when it comes to cheese or chocolate pairings and indeed most food pairings. Still it was cool to be asked to participate in a taste test pairing locally produced chocolate from City Street Sweets in Hyde Park Village with 1 wine and 1 beer and letting the tasters decide which liquid made for the most sublime pairing.
As you can probably guess CCB did....pretty good. But, I'd like to take this time not to toot the CCB horn, but to let people know that City Street Sweets makes some damn fine chocolate. In fact they make a Chipotle Pepper chocolate that tastes remarkably similar to our Hunahpus Imperial Stout and I very much hope tp procure some of this chocolate for the tasting room when we are finally ready to release Hunahpus in bottles.
Anyway, I regretably chose not to attend the event as we have been so busy at the brewery that I hadn't been able to see my twins for two days. So I was feeling pretty low and missing my girls and I desperately had to have some quality kid time. But this is the email I received regarding the event:
Debbie isn't embellishing. The Chipotle Pepper Chocolate is freaking amazing. I can't wait to pait it with our Mayan Chocolate inspired Hunahpus Imperial Stout!
As you can probably guess CCB did....pretty good. But, I'd like to take this time not to toot the CCB horn, but to let people know that City Street Sweets makes some damn fine chocolate. In fact they make a Chipotle Pepper chocolate that tastes remarkably similar to our Hunahpus Imperial Stout and I very much hope tp procure some of this chocolate for the tasting room when we are finally ready to release Hunahpus in bottles.
Anyway, I regretably chose not to attend the event as we have been so busy at the brewery that I hadn't been able to see my twins for two days. So I was feeling pretty low and missing my girls and I desperately had to have some quality kid time. But this is the email I received regarding the event:
To Joey, David & Steven,
A big thanks for all of you for your contributions to our TIBA Passport to Indies kickoff party!
The beer, wine, chocolate pairings were a hit. The Chipotle
Chocolate was a huge hit and I sent quite a few people home with a
little sample for their friends and family. Steven, I would expect to
see some new business for you!
The wines and beers received raves from everyone. I wouldn't be
surprised if both of you see some new business from people wanting
you to pick pairings for them.
I know everyone is excited to hear the results of the pairings:
Milk Chocolate City Bark Swirl
Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon
Madagascar Vanilla Bean Aged Maduro Brown Ale - The winning pairing but a close vote on this one!
Dark Chocolate City Bark Swirl
Izadi Rioja
Cuban Espresso Aged Maduro - The winning pairing by a landslide
Chocolate Chipotle Pepper City Bark
Zinfandel Mias
Cacao Aged Maduro - The winning paring
Thanks again to all of you for your help. You truly make Tampa a unique and wonderful place to live and work!
Warmest Regards,
Debbie
Debbie isn't embellishing. The Chipotle Pepper Chocolate is freaking amazing. I can't wait to pait it with our Mayan Chocolate inspired Hunahpus Imperial Stout!
121: The First Bottled Humidor Series Brew Went Out Today...
Humidor Series: Jai Alai India Pale Ale cases (our regular Jai Alai aged in the tank on toasted Spanish Cedar) were picked up by Florida Micro Beverage today. They are good about getting new stuff into accounts quickly, so I suspect bottles will show up at retailers in the Orlando area this week. Tampa Bay's allotment is still waiting to be picked up.
The Spanish Cedar drastically accentuates the citrus (mainly grapefruit) notes already present in the Jai Alai. And the spicy resinous aroma and flavor components imparted by the wood causes a sort of rye spiciness. Check it out.
The Spanish Cedar drastically accentuates the citrus (mainly grapefruit) notes already present in the Jai Alai. And the spicy resinous aroma and flavor components imparted by the wood causes a sort of rye spiciness. Check it out.
120: Bourbon Barrel Bolita Release Party Pics....
Well everything went down without a hitch. The crowd was great and I personally had a heck of a time. There are certainly some things we could tweak for next time, but all in all I felt like it was a great event and we can't wait to put on another. I want to thank everyone that volunteered and worked so hard so that other people could have a great time. Mark, Toni, Theresa, Esme, Jen, Brian, Chris, Greg and anyone I am forgetting. Thank you so much for help making the release so fun.
I don't have a whole lot else to add except we have an event at International Beer Garden in Lutz on Wednesday the 1st of July and I hope to see some familiar faces. We'll have Cacao, Vanilla and Espresso Maduro along with Guava Grove. I'm also bringing one bottle of Campeador to test the carbonation on it. We tested Bourbon barrel aged Big Sound Scotch Ale today and the carbonation is spot on. We bottled Guava Grove today and Wayne is shooting for a higher carbonation level in keeping with the Saison style. Guava Grove came in right around 100 cases, plus there will be a decent amount of draft available.
I'll leave you with some pics Wayne took of the Bourbon barrel aged Bolita release:
Waiting for the taps to open.
Ben from Southern Brewing Supply and someday Zen Brewing, grabs his bottles.
Geiger and Ben.
A Wayne's eye view of the proceedings.
Chris from Whole Foods and me (Joey-right) work the new draft lines.
Greg.
Wayne.
A few beers being shared.
Brian (far right) from Souther Brew Supply.
Morgan (right).
CCB Director of Operations Toni Derby and our man with the growler plan, Mark.
Kevin.
Enjoying a brew.
Jay.
Justin from Florida Micro Beverage cracking his BA Bolita.
Heather and Justin.
Toni and Brian.
Bottles ready to go.
There can be only 1, number 1!
Jen, Esme and Theresa wash glasses.
The lineup.
I don't have a whole lot else to add except we have an event at International Beer Garden in Lutz on Wednesday the 1st of July and I hope to see some familiar faces. We'll have Cacao, Vanilla and Espresso Maduro along with Guava Grove. I'm also bringing one bottle of Campeador to test the carbonation on it. We tested Bourbon barrel aged Big Sound Scotch Ale today and the carbonation is spot on. We bottled Guava Grove today and Wayne is shooting for a higher carbonation level in keeping with the Saison style. Guava Grove came in right around 100 cases, plus there will be a decent amount of draft available.
I'll leave you with some pics Wayne took of the Bourbon barrel aged Bolita release:
Waiting for the taps to open.
Ben from Southern Brewing Supply and someday Zen Brewing, grabs his bottles.
Geiger and Ben.
A Wayne's eye view of the proceedings.
Chris from Whole Foods and me (Joey-right) work the new draft lines.
Wayne.
A few beers being shared.
Morgan (right).
Kevin.
Enjoying a brew.
Jay.
Justin from Florida Micro Beverage cracking his BA Bolita.
Heather and Justin.
Toni and Brian.
Bottles ready to go.
There can be only 1, number 1!
Jen, Esme and Theresa wash glasses.
119: Bourbon Barrel Bolita Release Final Draft Lineup
Hunahpus Imperial Stout (no growlers)
Capricho Oscuro Batch #2 (blend of Bolita, 110K+OT I.R.I.S. and Big Sound Scotch ale aged in a Maker's Mark Barrel) (no growlers)
Humidor Series IPA (no growlers)
Guava Grove (no growlers)
Availible Draft and Growlers:
Cacao Maduro Brown Ale
Vanilla Maduro Brown Ale
Cuban Espresso Maduro Brown Ale
Jai Alai IPA
All drafts are $4. Most are served in pint glasses. Hunahpus and Capricho Oscuro will be served in smaller stemware. We apologize, but we can not take credit cards yet. Everything is cash only and we do not have an ATM on premises. The closest ATM is at the gas station on the corner of Dale Mabry and Spruce, just a block east of the brewery.
Capricho Oscuro Batch #2 (blend of Bolita, 110K+OT I.R.I.S. and Big Sound Scotch ale aged in a Maker's Mark Barrel) (no growlers)
Humidor Series IPA (no growlers)
Guava Grove (no growlers)
Availible Draft and Growlers:
Cacao Maduro Brown Ale
Vanilla Maduro Brown Ale
Cuban Espresso Maduro Brown Ale
Jai Alai IPA
All drafts are $4. Most are served in pint glasses. Hunahpus and Capricho Oscuro will be served in smaller stemware. We apologize, but we can not take credit cards yet. Everything is cash only and we do not have an ATM on premises. The closest ATM is at the gas station on the corner of Dale Mabry and Spruce, just a block east of the brewery.
118: My Tampa Life Photo Tour of Cigar City Brewing
Denis runs the My Tampa Life blog and he has a way with photos and prose which makes for a good view and read:
http://www.mytampalife.com/search/label/cigar%20city%20brewing
http://www.mytampalife.com/search/label/cigar%20city%20brewing
117: Bourbon Barrel Aged Bolita Release Draft Lineup
We are working on a surprise or two, but I am trying to learn to keep my big mouth shut as I tend to promise things I then have trouble delivering. We fully intend to put some cool stuff on draft, but we weren't able to get to everything we needed to get to today, so it all depends on if we get things ready in time tomorrow. I'll have the final list solidified and posted by 2PM tomorrow. I apologize for the last minute nature of everything and I promise I am learning from my mistakes and things will flow more smoothly and be better planned going forward.
116: No Hunahpus Growlers...
We only have the one keg of Hunahpus and that is it till we brew it again. If we make growlers available someone would order 20 of them it would be all gone and then no one else would get any. So to be clear....NO GROWLERS OF Hunahpus. Draft only on premise.
115: Bourbon Barrel Aged Bolita Release Update
Greetings friends. I just wanted to clarify some things for the Bourbon Barrel Bolita release. We intend to set a three bottle limit, but we plan to adjust that if turnout is higher or lower than expected. We figured around 55 or so people would show up. If less show up we'll increase the bottle limit. If substantially more show up we'll reduce it from 3 to 2 bottles per person.
We just want to be clear that we reserve the right to reduce the bottle limit size based on the size of the crowd. That being said we've added a new wrinkle and I want to discuss that. If for some reason the bottles sell out and you are left holding a ticket, but there are no bottles left to sell....hold on to that ticket! The next ticket after the last ticket to get their bottle allotment will be the first in line for the next Bourbon Barrel release, which will be Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale. We feel like this is as fair as we can make things and this way everyone who bothers to show up will get access to something from the CCB barrel aging cellar.
Also, the only case of Bourbon Barrel Bolita that was released from the brewery is on sell now at Whole Foods on Dale Mabry. So if you feel like you just have to have a bottle of it like right now, they have it. It's $28 there.
In addition to the Bourbon Barrel Aged Bolita we'll have beer on draft for consumption on premise as well as growlers to-go. The lineup is not finalized but Hunahpus will definitely be on draft as well as a few other limited brews. Look forward to seeing you guys there.
Cheers,
Joey Redner
We just want to be clear that we reserve the right to reduce the bottle limit size based on the size of the crowd. That being said we've added a new wrinkle and I want to discuss that. If for some reason the bottles sell out and you are left holding a ticket, but there are no bottles left to sell....hold on to that ticket! The next ticket after the last ticket to get their bottle allotment will be the first in line for the next Bourbon Barrel release, which will be Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale. We feel like this is as fair as we can make things and this way everyone who bothers to show up will get access to something from the CCB barrel aging cellar.
Also, the only case of Bourbon Barrel Bolita that was released from the brewery is on sell now at Whole Foods on Dale Mabry. So if you feel like you just have to have a bottle of it like right now, they have it. It's $28 there.
In addition to the Bourbon Barrel Aged Bolita we'll have beer on draft for consumption on premise as well as growlers to-go. The lineup is not finalized but Hunahpus will definitely be on draft as well as a few other limited brews. Look forward to seeing you guys there.
Cheers,
Joey Redner
114: New Brews Available In The Tasting Room Starting Thursday the 18th of June
Espresso Maduro and Vanilla Maduro will be back on starting tomorrow. We'll also have two new growler/draft only Humidor Series releases. The first we have nicknamed Flora and it is our Spanish Cedar aged Jai Alai IPA further aged on heather and lavender. The idea was to ratchet the floral components of the beer up and Flora gets the job done! Then we have Humidor Series: Guava IPA which is again our Spanish Cedar aged IPA, blended with some of our soon to be released Guava Grove Saison. The effect is a very tropical IPA with a tart acidic sweetness. It's one of my new favorites.
I also found a new source for Spanish Cedar. There is a small local mill that is literally a block from my old house. They keep Spanish Cedar in stock for the local cigar box trade. The owner who does all the millwork himself is an older Cuban man who fondly recalled the original Cuban brewed La Tropical which was located in his home town in Cuba. He has also assured me that sourcing exotic woods is no problem so we hope to move forward with some of the different wood aging Wayne and I had discussed what seems like years ago. Can you say pecan wood aged Bolita or Cypress aged IPA?
I also found a new source for Spanish Cedar. There is a small local mill that is literally a block from my old house. They keep Spanish Cedar in stock for the local cigar box trade. The owner who does all the millwork himself is an older Cuban man who fondly recalled the original Cuban brewed La Tropical which was located in his home town in Cuba. He has also assured me that sourcing exotic woods is no problem so we hope to move forward with some of the different wood aging Wayne and I had discussed what seems like years ago. Can you say pecan wood aged Bolita or Cypress aged IPA?
113: Bottling, Tasting Room and Special Events Updates....
Today we bottled Bourbon Barrel Aged Big Sound Scotch Ale. Total yield was 246 bottles. We will announce the release date (most likely in mid to late July) soon. Tomorrow we are bottling Campeador. A special dark blend prepared at the behest of Knightly Spirits in Orlando. It is aged in a Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrel and is tasting quite fine as of the last pull. We expect the yield to be similar to the Scotch Ale yield. The bulk of it will go to Knightly Spirits in Orlando, but a few cases will be available at the brewery, likely with a 1 bottle limit. Monday we'll be bottling Humidor Series: Jai Alai IPA. Anyone interested in volunteering to bottle on Monday feel free to email me at joe@cigarcitybrewing.com.
We have two special events this week. The first is Tuesday starting at 4PM @ World of Beer in Westchase. There will be several CCB brews present including the new Humidor Series: Guava IPA. The very next day we'll be at Mellow Mushroom in Brandon with even more limited release brews. Hope to see you there.
The Cigar CIty Brewing Beer Shine and Tasting Room has been doing well since it opened two weeks ago. The response has been exceptional and we have had trouble keeping up with the limited brews. But we will have more on deck starting Thursday, including more Vanilla and Espresso aged Maduro and an all new Humidor Series release we have nicknamed Flora which is our cedar aged IPA further aged on lavender and heather. It gives off huge floral notes (hence the name) along with an intense spicy/resiny aroma and flavor.
And then thjere is the Bourbon Barrel Aged Bolita release taking place June 26th from 6PM till 10PM. We are releasing 170 bottles of Bolita which spent 5 months in a Maker's Mark Bourbon Barrel. We'll also have beer on tap as well as growlers to-go.
Cheers,
Joey Redner
We have two special events this week. The first is Tuesday starting at 4PM @ World of Beer in Westchase. There will be several CCB brews present including the new Humidor Series: Guava IPA. The very next day we'll be at Mellow Mushroom in Brandon with even more limited release brews. Hope to see you there.
The Cigar CIty Brewing Beer Shine and Tasting Room has been doing well since it opened two weeks ago. The response has been exceptional and we have had trouble keeping up with the limited brews. But we will have more on deck starting Thursday, including more Vanilla and Espresso aged Maduro and an all new Humidor Series release we have nicknamed Flora which is our cedar aged IPA further aged on lavender and heather. It gives off huge floral notes (hence the name) along with an intense spicy/resiny aroma and flavor.
And then thjere is the Bourbon Barrel Aged Bolita release taking place June 26th from 6PM till 10PM. We are releasing 170 bottles of Bolita which spent 5 months in a Maker's Mark Bourbon Barrel. We'll also have beer on tap as well as growlers to-go.
Cheers,
Joey Redner