Cigar City Brewing- The Trials and Tribulations of Opening (And Operating) a Brewery in Florida
Or: How To Open (and run) a Craft Brewery in 7000 Easy Missteps........ Contact Us: info@cigarcitybrewing.com
Cigar City Brewing
244: New Brews and Taproom hours expanded AGAIN!!
Now you can hit us up for growler fills and pints of your favorite Cigar City beers right from the source 7 days a week! Starting this Sunday we will be open on Sundays from 11am-9pm. This is great in all sorts of ways, including a place to fill your growlers up on the way to tailgate before the Buc's game and a killer after party spot!
Also, we WILL be open on Labor Day, Monday September 6th from 11am-9pm so if you're off and looking for something to do come by and see us!
This week's new brews in the tasting room are Puppy's Breath Porter and Tocobaga Ale. Both of these beauties will be draft only so they only way to enjoy will be by the pints or growlers. They will be going out into the Florida market soon so look for them at your favorite spot!
Puppy's Breath Porter is a rich, malt forward robust porter weighing in about 8% abv. This was a beer that had quite a buzz about it from those who tried it during the pilot phase during construction. Once those of us who weren't lucky enough to try it then got a taste we knew why!
Tocobaga Ale is a deep colored amber ale , with hop flavor and aromas dominating and a subtle caramel malt sweetness to balance in the finish. It's coming in at 7.4% abv. and is quickly becoming a favorite quaff of the brewery staff. This recipe was dreamed up by Tim Ogden our brewer who used to moonlight in the tasting room.
Jose' Marti' American Porter hit the taps in the tasting room last week and is now available for pints and growlers, it is also available in 12 oz. 6 packs in the tasting room and will be coming to retailers near you soon!
Good Gourd will be on tap starting this Monday (September 6th) we are very excited for this to be on tap, we're sure you'll love it!
The following Monday (September 14th) Pumpernickel Rye Porter will be on tap, this one was brewed exclusively for Datz' Deli.. Try it there first, it will go on tap on the 9th of September with a HUGE release party planned! It will only be available at Datz' and here in the tasting room so be sure to try it at one or why not both spots!
Tickets for our upcoming event on September 25th Fruit In The Room are selling briskly, be sure to get yours today if you are planning on coming and have not yet gotten them as they are limited. To make it easy for people on the other side of the bay area we have a few ticket venues set up in Pinellas county at Oldsmar Taphouse, Dunedin House of Beers, and Willard's Taphouse if you live over that way, stop in and have a beer or two and grab your tickets there, it's going to be a very fun evening!
Cheers!
Travis
243: Good Gourd, Jose' Marti', and a few other new brews coming your way!
First off, we have to apologize to everyone..
We are immensely sorry, but Good Gourd will NOT be packaged in bottles as previously anticipated. We dropped the ball, we admit it and were not able to get the label approved in time for you to enjoy it in bottles this year and we want to make sure it is available for the fall. It will be available soon (about 2 weeks) on tap here at the tasting room and some establishments in the Florida market and we will be pouring growlers in the tasting room, so anyone close (or willing to make the hike) will be able to take some home to enjoy. Hopefully it will hold out til Thanksgiving because I could see this bring the perfect end to that meal! Again we're very sorry, please don't tar and feather us this time.. Maybe next time!
On a good note we have sampled it a little here and there throughout the process and it is awesome! It should be packaged next week and hit the taps soon after. Here's a little look at the artwork for the tap handle:
One beer we're working on that WILL be bottled is Jose' Marti' American Porter in fact it was transfered this afternoon to a conditioning tank and should be bottled and packaged in kegs toward the end of this week. This beer, is basically an aggressively hopped robust porter was named for the Cuban national hero who also spent a significant amount of time right here in Tampa and gained prominence in Latin American literature from the poetry, essays, and publications he contributed to in his lifetime. Look for this it to be out in the coming weeks. Here is the label:
There's more news to come, so be on the look out for another blog post this week. Tocobaga Ale and Puppy's Breath Porter are maturing in the fermenters and will be released soon. We will be sure to get you more info on both as soon as we know when they will arrive.
Tickets for the Fruit in the Room are now on sale in the tasting room. This tasting will be limited to 300 people so don't wait to get your tickets. We hope to have a some tickets on sale around the bay area at a few other beer bars within a week or so and will update everyone on that as soon as it happens but for now they are just at the tasting room and besides you know you wanted an excuse to stop by to fill your growler or grab a pint (or both) anyways?
Those who are farther away can call us for other options at 813-348-6363 ext. 206 as we are able to send them our or hold at will call.
As aforementioned there is most likely more to come this week as the brewery continues to churn out some incredibly tasty and exciting brews and news from day to day! If you haven't signed up to be one of our Facebook friends or Twitter followers you should, as the most up to minute info is to be found there some times as we find out ourselves!
Until next time..
Cheers!
Travis
We are immensely sorry, but Good Gourd will NOT be packaged in bottles as previously anticipated. We dropped the ball, we admit it and were not able to get the label approved in time for you to enjoy it in bottles this year and we want to make sure it is available for the fall. It will be available soon (about 2 weeks) on tap here at the tasting room and some establishments in the Florida market and we will be pouring growlers in the tasting room, so anyone close (or willing to make the hike) will be able to take some home to enjoy. Hopefully it will hold out til Thanksgiving because I could see this bring the perfect end to that meal! Again we're very sorry, please don't tar and feather us this time.. Maybe next time!
On a good note we have sampled it a little here and there throughout the process and it is awesome! It should be packaged next week and hit the taps soon after. Here's a little look at the artwork for the tap handle:
One beer we're working on that WILL be bottled is Jose' Marti' American Porter in fact it was transfered this afternoon to a conditioning tank and should be bottled and packaged in kegs toward the end of this week. This beer, is basically an aggressively hopped robust porter was named for the Cuban national hero who also spent a significant amount of time right here in Tampa and gained prominence in Latin American literature from the poetry, essays, and publications he contributed to in his lifetime. Look for this it to be out in the coming weeks. Here is the label:
There's more news to come, so be on the look out for another blog post this week. Tocobaga Ale and Puppy's Breath Porter are maturing in the fermenters and will be released soon. We will be sure to get you more info on both as soon as we know when they will arrive.
Tickets for the Fruit in the Room are now on sale in the tasting room. This tasting will be limited to 300 people so don't wait to get your tickets. We hope to have a some tickets on sale around the bay area at a few other beer bars within a week or so and will update everyone on that as soon as it happens but for now they are just at the tasting room and besides you know you wanted an excuse to stop by to fill your growler or grab a pint (or both) anyways?
Those who are farther away can call us for other options at 813-348-6363 ext. 206 as we are able to send them our or hold at will call.
As aforementioned there is most likely more to come this week as the brewery continues to churn out some incredibly tasty and exciting brews and news from day to day! If you haven't signed up to be one of our Facebook friends or Twitter followers you should, as the most up to minute info is to be found there some times as we find out ourselves!
Until next time..
Cheers!
Travis
242: Death Metal Stout, Batch 69 Double Cream, and the Fruit in the Room!
Greetings Beer Lovers!
We've tapped a few goodies this week in the good old tasting room here at Cigar City, Death Metal Rye Stout and Batch 69 Double Cream Ale.
The Death Metal Rye Stout highlights Tampa's standing as the Death Metal Capital of the World, or so they say.. This marks the first beer we brewed on our pilot system which also means it's limited and probably a one time deal so get in and try it while you can. Due to it's limited availability we will not be pouring growlers of this one.
Batch 69 is actually from our 169th batch, back on tap again for a limited time or until we hit batch number 269 which at this point will not be too long! This beer is smooth, creamy, and pretty easy drinking for 9%, not that we're complaining come see for yourself we will be pouring snifters and quarts for you to take home while it lasts which should at least be a few weeks. Also look for it on tap at your favorite local beer bar pretty soon!
On Tap this Week:
Jai-Alai IPA
Maduro Brown Ale
Cubano Espresso
Guava Grove
Humidor Series IPA
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout
Humidor Series 110k+OT
The Sound of Big Wood
Death Metal Rye Stout
Batch 69 Double Cream Ale
GUEST TAP:
Dunedin Brewery's Apricot Wheat Ale
On September 25th we will be doing the Fruit in the Room fruit beer festival. As we speak we are collecting beers from near and far for this event and there are already a few very special goodies in the cooler we will also be tapping our friends from other local breweries in the area and of course will be putting out a few of our own from the depths of our creative minds.. Who knows what we'll come up with, it's sure to be tasty though!
The poster is below, we should have tickets on sale by next week. The list will be released in the coming weeks.
Cheers!
Travis
We've tapped a few goodies this week in the good old tasting room here at Cigar City, Death Metal Rye Stout and Batch 69 Double Cream Ale.
The Death Metal Rye Stout highlights Tampa's standing as the Death Metal Capital of the World, or so they say.. This marks the first beer we brewed on our pilot system which also means it's limited and probably a one time deal so get in and try it while you can. Due to it's limited availability we will not be pouring growlers of this one.
Batch 69 is actually from our 169th batch, back on tap again for a limited time or until we hit batch number 269 which at this point will not be too long! This beer is smooth, creamy, and pretty easy drinking for 9%, not that we're complaining come see for yourself we will be pouring snifters and quarts for you to take home while it lasts which should at least be a few weeks. Also look for it on tap at your favorite local beer bar pretty soon!
On Tap this Week:
Jai-Alai IPA
Maduro Brown Ale
Cubano Espresso
Guava Grove
Humidor Series IPA
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout
Humidor Series 110k+OT
The Sound of Big Wood
Death Metal Rye Stout
Batch 69 Double Cream Ale
GUEST TAP:
Dunedin Brewery's Apricot Wheat Ale
On September 25th we will be doing the Fruit in the Room fruit beer festival. As we speak we are collecting beers from near and far for this event and there are already a few very special goodies in the cooler we will also be tapping our friends from other local breweries in the area and of course will be putting out a few of our own from the depths of our creative minds.. Who knows what we'll come up with, it's sure to be tasty though!
The poster is below, we should have tickets on sale by next week. The list will be released in the coming weeks.
Cheers!
Travis
241: New Brews and Best of the Bay
As if packaging and refilling all of our new tanks was not enough last week, this week we decided to change it up and are producing 4 totally new brews that you've never had before!
Yesterday was the India Porter, which is sure to be a dark, hoppy, beauty of a beer. The brewery was bursting with aromas of dark malts and hoppy goodness as it was being made yesterday and it is sure to give you a new exciting experience, we can't wait to try it and more importantly share it with you!
Today is Puppy's Breath Porter, a robust porter that was made only in a small amount during the very beginnings of the brewery as a test batch. For those who were hanging about during this time you might have gotten to give it a try but even I haven't had this beer, just heard about it with very excited tones from those who have.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) is our first commercial production of "Good Gourd!" our Imperial Pumpkin ale. This is another one that has only been done as a test batch. I DID get to try this one and I can tell you it was liquid paradise. We don't get fall weather in Florida, but this will make up for it!
On Thursday and Friday we team up with our good buddy Bob Sylvester of St. Somewhere Brewing in Tarpon Springs to produce a Black Saison Ale in our first collaboration with this very stellar local brewery tucked away in Tarpon Springs! More to come about this beer, but I expect it will be big (knowing Joey and Wayne), with some funk courtesy of Bob's brilliance, use of spices and of course yeast! Sounds good to me, I'm sure you will enjoy too!
At the tasting room the Twig and Berries has made it's departure for now, the Sound of Big Wood and Big Nuts is still around although probably not for long and the Humidor Series 110k+OT is still going strong. It's remarkable what aging with Spanish Cedar has done to that beer, it was great already but almost like another beer with this addition. Get it while it lasts! Probably by Wednesday or Thursday we will have the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie back on tap and it should stay around for a bit thanks to the brew crew producing a much larger batch. I also hear that some of this may be bottled in the not so distant future, keep your eyes peeled!
I'm sure you are at least somewhat familiar with Creative Loafing around the bay area, maybe even if you aren't from the Tampa Bay area. Right now is their Best of the Bay voting that allows YOU to choose some of your favorite places around the bay area and this year there is a category for Best Local Brewery... Who loves you? Click here to vote , maybe if we win Joey will let us have a party! If you do fill this out, be sure to show some love to the other local independent businesses here in Tampa. Sure, the prize isn't exactly a check in the mail but it does help and it shows the owners of all of these business that all their trials and tribulations matter to all the local people who support them! Here's that link again, just in case..http://botbvote.com/list/1
Cheers!
Travis
Yesterday was the India Porter, which is sure to be a dark, hoppy, beauty of a beer. The brewery was bursting with aromas of dark malts and hoppy goodness as it was being made yesterday and it is sure to give you a new exciting experience, we can't wait to try it and more importantly share it with you!
Today is Puppy's Breath Porter, a robust porter that was made only in a small amount during the very beginnings of the brewery as a test batch. For those who were hanging about during this time you might have gotten to give it a try but even I haven't had this beer, just heard about it with very excited tones from those who have.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) is our first commercial production of "Good Gourd!" our Imperial Pumpkin ale. This is another one that has only been done as a test batch. I DID get to try this one and I can tell you it was liquid paradise. We don't get fall weather in Florida, but this will make up for it!
On Thursday and Friday we team up with our good buddy Bob Sylvester of St. Somewhere Brewing in Tarpon Springs to produce a Black Saison Ale in our first collaboration with this very stellar local brewery tucked away in Tarpon Springs! More to come about this beer, but I expect it will be big (knowing Joey and Wayne), with some funk courtesy of Bob's brilliance, use of spices and of course yeast! Sounds good to me, I'm sure you will enjoy too!
At the tasting room the Twig and Berries has made it's departure for now, the Sound of Big Wood and Big Nuts is still around although probably not for long and the Humidor Series 110k+OT is still going strong. It's remarkable what aging with Spanish Cedar has done to that beer, it was great already but almost like another beer with this addition. Get it while it lasts! Probably by Wednesday or Thursday we will have the Oatmeal Raisin Cookie back on tap and it should stay around for a bit thanks to the brew crew producing a much larger batch. I also hear that some of this may be bottled in the not so distant future, keep your eyes peeled!
I'm sure you are at least somewhat familiar with Creative Loafing around the bay area, maybe even if you aren't from the Tampa Bay area. Right now is their Best of the Bay voting that allows YOU to choose some of your favorite places around the bay area and this year there is a category for Best Local Brewery... Who loves you? Click here to vote , maybe if we win Joey will let us have a party! If you do fill this out, be sure to show some love to the other local independent businesses here in Tampa. Sure, the prize isn't exactly a check in the mail but it does help and it shows the owners of all of these business that all their trials and tribulations matter to all the local people who support them! Here's that link again, just in case..http://botbvote.com/list/1
Cheers!
Travis
240: Good Times!
2 beer festivals in two weeks? Sounds like a blast to us! This past weekend we had tons of fun sharing our wares at the Craft Beer Expo and met tons of thirsty beer loving folks. If you missed out on that one; there is still time to get your tickets to Wazoo, which is going on this Saturday (August 7th) at Lowry Park Zoo. We'll be there along with our friends brewing around the Tampa Bay area as well as a huge assortment of other craft and specialty brews from all over the country. This is a fest that is not to be missed, seems like it always rains in the afternoon before just in time to cool it off for the party!
Starting today at the tasting room we will be pouring Humidor Series 110k+OT Batch 3 so be sure to come by and get it while you can! We will also begin filling growlers of The Sound of Big Wood and The Sound of Big Nuts (quarts only). The Twig n' Berries is still pouring strong too so if you haven't tried that then get on over and taste all of these wonderful, and limited brews!
Cheers!
Travis
Starting today at the tasting room we will be pouring Humidor Series 110k+OT Batch 3 so be sure to come by and get it while you can! We will also begin filling growlers of The Sound of Big Wood and The Sound of Big Nuts (quarts only). The Twig n' Berries is still pouring strong too so if you haven't tried that then get on over and taste all of these wonderful, and limited brews!
Cheers!
Travis
239: Twig n' Berries
Thanks to all who came out to the Marshal Zhukov release party, it was a success especially for those who were lucky to walk away with the "Double Barrel" Zhukov!
Today we are open and pouring our newest release in the tasting room, Twig n' Berries which is Jai Alai aged on cedar and juniper berries. The juniper berries add a very interesting nose, and compliment the cedar nicely. We still have White Oak IPA, The Sound of Big Nuts, and The Sound of Big Wood on tap as well from Saturday. Come and enjoy these special releases while you can, once the kegs run dry there's no telling when they will be back!
Also on Draft for this week:
Voting has begun for the Creative Loafing Best of the Bay awards.. You can vote for your favorite local establishments in a number of categories by clicking here: http://botbvote.com/
We have been blessed with a few nods from the Creative Loafing people in the last year or two, but voting can help a bunch of local businesses gain the attention that helps them keep the doors open, so get on there and let them know your favorite spots!
Sorry for those who are getting this twice due to the edit, I saw that voting began for this and wanted to make sure to include it!
Have a great week!
Cheers!
Travis
Today we are open and pouring our newest release in the tasting room, Twig n' Berries which is Jai Alai aged on cedar and juniper berries. The juniper berries add a very interesting nose, and compliment the cedar nicely. We still have White Oak IPA, The Sound of Big Nuts, and The Sound of Big Wood on tap as well from Saturday. Come and enjoy these special releases while you can, once the kegs run dry there's no telling when they will be back!
Also on Draft for this week:
- Jai Alai IPA
- Maduro Brown
- Cubano Espresso
- Vanilla Maduro
- Humidor Series IPA
- Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout
- 110k+OT Batch #3
- Swamphead Cottonmouth Belgian Wheat Ale
- Southern Tier Farmer's Tan Imperial Pale Lager
Voting has begun for the Creative Loafing Best of the Bay awards.. You can vote for your favorite local establishments in a number of categories by clicking here: http://botbvote.com/
We have been blessed with a few nods from the Creative Loafing people in the last year or two, but voting can help a bunch of local businesses gain the attention that helps them keep the doors open, so get on there and let them know your favorite spots!
Sorry for those who are getting this twice due to the edit, I saw that voting began for this and wanted to make sure to include it!
Have a great week!
Cheers!
Travis
238: Marshal Zhukov Release Party this Saturday!
We hope everyone is looking forward to the release of Marshal Zhukov Imperial Stout and it's very limited release friend "Double Barrel" Marshal Zhukov as much as we are! In honor of this very special release we decided to put a few more very limited beers we have been aging and working on for the party and we hope you'll enjoy them:
Specials on Tap for Saturday
For the Big Sound(s) what can we say? Once you start playing with it (we mean the beer, of course) sometimes you just can't stop and these beers are a testament to that!
Hope to see you all on Saturday!
Cheers!
Travis
Specials on Tap for Saturday
- White Oak Aged Jai Alai IPA
- The Sound of Big WOOD Vanilla Aged Scotch Ale (Big Sound Scotch Ale aged in Brandy Barrels with Cherry Wood and Vanilla Beans)
- The Sound of Big NUTS Vanilla Aged Scotch Ale (Big Sound Scotch Ale aged in Brandy Barrels with Pecans and Vanilla Beans)
For the Big Sound(s) what can we say? Once you start playing with it (we mean the beer, of course) sometimes you just can't stop and these beers are a testament to that!
Hope to see you all on Saturday!
Cheers!
Travis
237: Tasting Room is now open on Mondays!
The tasting room is now open on Mondays from 11am until 9pm. We figured that we have so much fun filling your growlers and pouring pints the other days we're open so why not do it on everyone's least favorite day of the week! From now on when you're having a case of the "Mondays" you know where to seek refuge and gear up for the rest of the week, even take some fresh tasty beer with you to help you get through those other days that seem to make the weekends so short..
This week on Monday we will tap a keg of Peach IPA.. It's a very yummy treat, and there is not much of it so if you are close (or even if you're not) stop in for a pint.
Cheers!
Travis
This week on Monday we will tap a keg of Peach IPA.. It's a very yummy treat, and there is not much of it so if you are close (or even if you're not) stop in for a pint.
Cheers!
Travis
236: Everyone Say Howdy to Travis...
Travis Kruger spent the last seven years running the Dunedin Brewery Snug Pub. He is a fixture in the bay area beer scene and we are pleased as pie (and pie is pleasing) to welcome him to the CCB team where he'll be running the Tasting Room (and organizing a lot more special events); taking over for Tim who is moving to the brewery side of operations full time. Travis brings a lot of know how and craft beer passion and we can't wait to see what he has in the works for us here at CCB!
235: Marshal Zhukov's and "Double" Barrel Aged Marshal Zhukov's Release July 24th @ Noon
At long last we are ready to say definitively that Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout and the slightly more anticipated "Double" Barrel-Aged Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout is ready to be sold at the Tasting Room. We contemplated waiting until the first weekend of August for the release but people were generally opposed to waiting until then, an attitude we were able to divine through subtle clues they dropped via phrases like, That sucks," and "Screw that mess".
So the release will be on July 24th @ Noon.
Due to the numerous requests we have had about the Barrel-aged version of Marshal Zhukov's it will be sold on a first come first serve basis at a strict limit of 2 per customer. $20 per 750ml bottle. The Tasting Room opens at 11 AM and tickets will be given out 1 per person as they arrive. The Barrel Aged version will go on sell promptly at Noon. There are 18 cases (216 bottles). If they do not sell out the first run through of numbers, tickets will be recalled starting from the first number called.
Naturally, the non-barrel-aged Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout will also be on sale. $13 per 750 ML bottle. No bottle limit. Guava Grove bottles will also be available as well as a few brews on draft pulled out of the cellar just for the special occasion.
Cheers,
The CCB Staff
So the release will be on July 24th @ Noon.
Due to the numerous requests we have had about the Barrel-aged version of Marshal Zhukov's it will be sold on a first come first serve basis at a strict limit of 2 per customer. $20 per 750ml bottle. The Tasting Room opens at 11 AM and tickets will be given out 1 per person as they arrive. The Barrel Aged version will go on sell promptly at Noon. There are 18 cases (216 bottles). If they do not sell out the first run through of numbers, tickets will be recalled starting from the first number called.
Naturally, the non-barrel-aged Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout will also be on sale. $13 per 750 ML bottle. No bottle limit. Guava Grove bottles will also be available as well as a few brews on draft pulled out of the cellar just for the special occasion.
Cheers,
The CCB Staff
