Cigar City Brewing

305: It's been a great run....

Cigar City Brewing — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:54:08 GMT

This will be the final blog post here, folks. We're moving onto greener pastures! This has been a great time and there's been a lot of amazing things we've discovered over the years. 305 blog entries later and we're still learning about what it takes to open up--and maintain--a great brewery in Florida.

However, we will keep blogging at our new website. We just will not update this one anymore.

http://cigarcitybrewing.com/blog.html

Thanks to everyone who supported us from the beginning! It means a lot! We'll keep this blog up and running for historians and archivists who wish to go back and look at all the goof-ups and glory we've been through.

Cheers!

The CCB Crew

304: Barrels for Sale

Cigar City Brewing — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:24:21 GMT

What do we do with those barrels we use that make the beer taste so yummy when we are done with them?? Actually, the answer up to this point is really nothing..

These are the same barrels that have held Hunaphu's, Marshal Zhukov, and Big Sound. There's plenty of use left to them and they would make great planters, rain barrels, even tables or more if you are a little handy and imaginative. We would do this ourselves, but we're just too busy making beer!

Want one, two, or a few for yourself? Here is your chance. We now have these gently used barrels for sale for $50 a piece from the brewery pick up only. (You will need a larger vehicle to accommodate these barrels, they're pretty big!)

If you would like to purchase one please get in touch with Charlie our tasting room manager and will be able to assist you. Charlie can be reached here at the brewery at (813)348-6363 or via email: charlie@cigarcitybrewing.com.

Cheers!
The CCB Crew

303: Beer Dinner @ Dunedin Smokehouse!

Cigar City Brewing — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 18:48:15 GMT

Sure it's the day after the holiday today, but by next week you know you will be recharged and ready to go again! Check out this night of great beer and food pairings.

It's going to be an evening of culinary adventure in North Pinellas county! Join us next Tuesday (Sept. 13th) at 7pm for a delicious meeting of the minds in Dunedin. The chefs from the Dunedin Smokehouse have come up with 5 courses of amazing food that we have paired with our own local ales.

The night is sure to be a very tasty one!
Here is a peek at the menu:

The Cigar City Crew will be on hand to talk about the beers, spread the cheer, and enjoy an awesome night with what is sure to be an amazing crowd of beer loving people. It's not too late for you to be one of them!

Seating is limited for this very special event so call or stop by the Dunedin Smokehouse to make your reservation today! The phone number is: 727-736-2BBQ (2227)

Cheers!

The CCB Crew

302: Great American Beer Festival details

Cigar City Brewing — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:34:41 GMT

The largest beer festival in the world is once again taking place in Denver, Colorado this year. September 29th-October 1st is the Great American Beer Festival. If you don't already have your ticket, you're out of luck; the event sold out in record time!

For the third year in a row we'll be there pouring our beers. We've been fortunate to medal each of the previous two years, and we're looking to bring home some more bling. For those who are going and want to try some of our beers, you can find us at Booth G20. As for what we're pouring on the floor, here's the list (with their judgment categories in parentheses):

-Jai Alai IPA (51. American-style India Pale Ale)

-Maduro Brown Ale (61. American-style Brown Ale)

-Good Gourd (5B. Pumpkin Beer)

-Hunahpu's Imperial Stout (6. Herb and Spice Beer)

-Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Brown Ale (6. Herb and Spice Beer)

-Humidor IPA (21. Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer)

-White Oak IPA (21. Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer)

-El Lector Dark Mild (55B. English-style Dark Mild Ale)

-Guava Grove (69C. French-style Biere de Garde)

-Big Sound Scotch Ale (81A. Traditional Scotch Ale)

We're bringing more beers for judgment, but we'll keep those under wraps for now. Hope to see everyone stop by our booth!

301: Barrel-aged Hunahpu's Release Details

Cigar City Brewing — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:59:11 GMT

Saturday, September 24th, 2011

Saturday, September 24th we are selling three different bottled barrel-aged variations of Hunahpu's Imperial Stout, only at the brewery.
* Bourbon Barrel-aged Hunahpu's* Rum Barrel-aged Hunahpu's
* Whiskey Barrel-aged Hunahpu's

Each beer will be sold at a separate location in the brewery and tasting room. There is a one bottle limit per person for each beer.
In addition, we will also be selling growlers of Virgin Oak Barrel-aged Hunahpu's at a separate location in the brewery. There is also a one growler limit per person for this beer.
The bottles and growlers are both priced at $25.
We will have several special now-growlered beers on tap for the event as well, to be announced soon.
The tasting room will open at 11am as always, but the sales for the bottles will start at 1:00PM.
We hope to see everyone there. It'll be a great time.

300: Fruit in the Room - The Beers

Cigar City Brewing — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:06:40 GMT

Okay folks, you asked for it, here's the list of fruit beers we shall be pouring for Fruit in the Room, this Saturday, August 20th, from 4pm-7pm in the tasting room.

-Guava Groove
-Blueberry Muffin Brown Ale
-Chocolate Cherry Porter
-Raspberry Table Saison

-Strawberries and Cream White Ale

-Pleepleus Plantain Wheat Ale

-Apple IPA

-Kumquat Wit

-Peach IPA

-Tropical White Oak IPA

-Okay Guys Here We Go Sour Ale

-Wild Lychee Sour Ale

-Tangerine Cream

-Coconut Porter

-Papaya IPA

-Kiwi's Big Adventure (Kiwi's Playhouse with 2x kiwis)

-Blueberry Maduro

....and more!

PLUS these two big hits from Hunahpu's Day, brewed by Johnathan Wakefield:

-Pineapple Kölsch

-Passionfruit and Dragonfruit Berliner Weisse

ALSO, 10+ special guest beers!

Tickets are still on sale. $40 in advance, $45 day of. If you don't wish to buy an all-day pass, you can purchase each beer individually for $5.

Hope to see everyone there! It'll be a blast.

299: Fruit in the Room and a bunch of events in South Florida!

Cigar City Brewing — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:51:29 GMT

Fruit in the Room is THIS Saturday (August 20^th) there are still some tickets available in the Tasting Room or by emailing Toni@cigarcitybrewing.com. Advance tickets are $40 and they are limited, if there are any left the day of the event they will be $45. There will be somewhere around 30 beers available, 20 of them being our own creations and the others being from our friends at other breweries. The event will run from 4-7pm in the tasting room and ticket holders will be able to sample as much as they would like. Alternatively there will be an option for non-ticket holders to purchase the beers on tap for the event at $5 a pint.

Next week, some of the Cigar City crew will be headed down to have some fun in South Florida, so if you live in South Florida be sure to come out and have a pint or two with us! Here is some info about the events:

Join Fresh Beer and Tampa's own Cigar City Brewing as we take over the taps in August all across South Florida!

The fun beings on August 23, 24, and 25 at six different venues in Broward, Dade, and Palm Beach counties. Some of the rarer and more interesting brews from Cigar City will be on draft, including the GABF Gold Medal-winning Humidor IPA, White Oak Aged Jai Alai IPA, and Cucumber Saison. Check out the event list below for more information!

August 23, Tap Takeover @ Laser Wolf
(901 Progresso Dr., ste. #101, Fort Lauderdale, 33304)

From 8 p.m. on, enjoy nine Cigar City drafts, including
Jai Alai IPA
Maduro Brown
Peach IPA
Vanilla Maduro
The Hills have Coffee
Guava Grove
Florida Cracker White Ale
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
White Oak Aged Jai Alai

August 23, Unsual Wood Aged Beers @ BX Beer Depot
(2964 Second Ave., Lake Worth, 33461)

Get ready to get wood: Justin Clark of Cigar City Brewing will be giving a presentation on aging quality beer on different kinds of wood at BX Beer Depot. During the presentation, BX will be offering a ridiculous selection of Cigar City ales aged on wood, including:
White Oak Jai Alai IPA
White Oak-aged Florida Cracker (wheat)
Humidor IPA
Heavy Toast Oak (jai alai) IPA
Soft Maple Brown Ale (Maduro)
Hickory IPA (jai alai)
Humidor Zhukov's (zhukov)
Starts at 6 p.m., cost is $5 and includes lecture and samples. Beers will be available by the glass after 7 p.m.

August 24, Cigar City Beer Dinner @ Sustain
(3252 NE First Ave., ste. #107, Miami, 33137)

It's a night of outstanding pairings as Sustain Miami teams up with Cigar City Brewing for a six-course pairing dinner. Both the beer and the menu look outrageous:

First course: homemade corndogs
paired with Jai Alai IPA

Second course: Taylor Bay scallops
with preserved lemon, mustard oil, and cucumber
paired with Cucumber Saison (draft)

Third course: chille-rubbed quail
with fava bean, mint, and horseradish
paired with Tocobaga Red Ale (draft)

Fourth course: braised pork shank
with sweet-and-sour cabbage and corn bread
paired with Maduro Brown Ale

Cheese course: beer-washed cheese with guava marmalade
paired with Guava Groove Saison

Dessert: homemade truffles
paired with Cubano Espresso (draft)

Seats cost $50, plus tax and gratuity. To make a reservation, call 305-424-9079, or write to info@sustainmiami.com. Reception starts at 5:30 p.m. and dinner starts at 6.

August 24, Tap Takeover @ Cervezas
(5835 Sunset Dr., Miami, 33143)

Join the gang at Cervezas for another Cigar City blowout! On offer this night: Jai Alai IPA
Maduro Brown
Peach IPA
Humidor IPA
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
Puppy's Breath Porter
Florida Cracker White Ale
Minarett ESB
Misseur Zhukov's Biere De Stout (zhukov)
Big Dummy
Carmel Graham Cracker Brown Ale (maduro)
Jose Marti
The kegs get tapped at 8 p.m. sharp!

August 25, Tap Takeover @ World of Beer
(4437 Lyons Rd., Coconut Creek, 33073)

Cigar City Week continues with a massive tap takeover at WoB CoCo. Here's the list (deep breath):
Jai Alai IPA
Maduro Brown
Peach IPA
Humidor IPA
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
Puppy's Breath Porter
Tocobaga Red Ale
Florida Cracker White Ale
Minaret ESB
Table Saison
Vanilla Maduro
Cubano Espresso
Hot Blooded Foriegn Stout
It all starts at 5 p.m. -- bring a designated driver!

August 25, Tap Takeover @ Funky Buddha
(2621 N. Federal Hwy., Boca Raton, 33431)

For you Palm Beach County Cigar City fans, the Funky Buddha Lounge is hosting another Cigar City tap takeover night. Including:
Hot Blooded Foreign Stout
Cucumber Saison

Plus THREE super secret brews!
Doors at 5 p.m.

On Tap in the Tasting Room:

Jai-Alai IPA*
Maduro Brown Ale*
Tocobaga Red Ale*
Florida Cracker White Ale*
Big Dummy Belgo-Amber Ale*
Jose Marti Porter*
Hillsborough River Dry Stout*
Minaret ESB*
Cubano Espresso*
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie*
White Oak IPA*
Humidor IPA
Guava Grove
Big Sound Scotch Ale
Bolita Double Brown Ale
Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout
Black Whole
Hot Blooded Foreign Stout

*Growlers available

This week's Firkin is Humidor Tocobaga, why hadn't we thought of that yet??
Who knows? Anyways, come and give it a try this week it's sure to be very awesome and the Spanish cedar really does marry nicely with our assertively hoppy ales and we're sure it will pair well with Tocobaga too! We'll tap it at 2pm so come by for a few.

Cheers!
The CCB Crew

298: Zhukov Released! and 2012 GABF Pro-Am Competiton

Cigar City Brewing — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 15:29:33 GMT

Many thanks to all who came out the celebrate the second annual release of Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout this past Saturday. We still have plenty of bottles available in the tasting room and they should also be finding their way to accounts though out our distribution footprint beginning this week.

Last week we put the Smoked Jalapeno Red Ale on tap in the tasting room. This was a collaboration with Tommy Orr, a member of Special Hoperations Homebrew Club of Tampa. His is the first of 4 very special beers we will be releasing in the next few months all brewed with members of local homebrewing clubs.

Here's how it all started:
This past March we chose a beer from each local homebrew club that participated in the events of this year's Hunuphu's Day party and we've been working together with the brewers of those beers to brew them. Each will be on tap in the coming months in the tasting room for you to try. Once they have all been on tap individually we will put them all on tap together and offer samplers of all 4 so we can get your opinion for a People's Choice vote. From there we will factor your opinions as we perform our own judging and choose one of the beers to be brewed in a full sized 15BBL batch to be served and to be submitted in the 2012 Great American Beer Festival's Pro Am Competition. We had hoped to have this ready to go for this year's competition, but with all that has been going on here at the brewery it has taken longer than we expected so we will be ready to go by next year's GABF.

The beers and their brewer's are:

Smoked Jalapeno Ale- Tommy Orr from Special Hoperations

Kumquat Amarillo Wheat Ale- Mark Stober from Tampa Bay BEERS

Belgian Strong Dark Ale- Dave Kmietek from Dunedin Brewer's Guild

Where's my Lips Double IPA- Bob Bridges from Pinellas Urban Brewer's Guild

Look for these beers to be on tap in the coming months and be sure to let us know what you think! When we are ready to put them all on tap together we will update you with another blog post so you can come try them all and give us your official vote.

Cheers!
The CCB Crew

297: A Party for the Animals!

Cigar City Brewing — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:52:53 GMT

We have sponsored a party this weekend in Orlando going to a very great charity educating people of all ages about animals of all kinds that are native to Florida. If you are in the Orlando area, stop by and have a few!

Cracker Swamp Stomp for Hands on Wildlife

Hands on Wildlife Mission Statement

To help preserve the Earth's diversity with the use of "hands-on" education, enlightenment and entertainment. We hope to show our fellow man, and generations to come, that unless we become more concerned with providing immediate protection for the many endangered and threatened species of the world, we too are in grave danger of becoming a scarce and possibly extinct species ourselves. *We will have LIVE GATORS on display at Wills along with lots of other wildlife. You can see and feel the animals we are trying to help!

We are asking for a minimum $5 donation

*Animals will be in a non smoking/music outdoor covered area

Cheers!
The CCB Crew

296: Black Whole Release, South Florida Beer Dinner, and Liquid Pecan Pie?

Cigar City Brewing — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:00:36 GMT

Join us today (Friday July 29th) as we release Black Whole brew that pays homage to the El Chupa Cobras, a band from Alabama very dear to the heart of Wayne Wambles our very own rock star on the brewing platform. This liquid delight; is a porter/dubbel hybrid with a big chocolate expression, moderate caramel and toasted biscuit notes, rounded out by hints of clove and black licorice.

Sales will be limited to Alabama and in our own tasting room where you can pick up bottles and try it on draft. Also released today to go along with the beer release is the El Chupa Cobras song "Black Whole" which can be downloaded free here: elchupacobras.bandcamp.com

In addition to releasing this very musical beer, we will also be tapping a very interesting firkin. By now, especially if you like our Oatmeal Raisin Cookie you are used to drinking your baked goods so how's about Pecan Pie? At noon we will tap a fresh firkin of our latest creation.. Pecan Pie Brown Ale. What is it about us and baked goods? Who knows, but the beer will definitely be interesting! Come and have a few, it won't last long.

On tap in the Tasting Room:

Jai-Alai IPA*
Maduro Brown*
Humidor IPA
White Oak IPA*
Tocobaga Red*
Hillsborough River Dry Stout*
Big Dummy
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie*
Cubano Espresso*
Minaret ESB*
Florida Cracker*
Chocolate Maduro
Big Sound Scotch Ale
Table Saison*
French Oak Jose Marti
Guava Grove
Black Whole

Guest Tap:
Swamp Head Big Nose IPA

*Growlers available

For all you South Florida CCB fans, on Thursday August 4th we will be hosting a beer dinner at Padrino's Cuban Cuisine in Plantation. This will be a special 5 course meal, each paired with an offering from us.

Here is a look at the menu and pairings:

- Beef empanadas paired with Maduro Brown Ale
- Roast Pork paired with Guava Grove
- Ropa Vieja paired with Big Sound Scotch Ale
- Paella paired with Jai Alai IPA
- Tres Leches paired with Cubano Espresso

It's making me hungry as I am writing this! Space is limited so make your reservations today.

Here is the info:

The cost is $29/person + tax & gratuity. Guests can pre-pay via PayPal by following this link. The pre-paid option is inclusive of tax & gratuity at $35.96/person.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=X5Y3R5KMJ94F6

On August 12th we will be releasing Bolita Double Brown Ale in the tasting room and will be hosting a real Bolita game in the tasting room. For those who are not familiar, Bolita was sort of a Cuban lottery played in Tampa around the turn of the century. Famously known for being rigged by the area's more colorful characters of the time, our game will be completely on the up and up.. or will it? Come and find out on the 12th and try this latest release of Bolita along with a few special treatments that we will be preparing for it's release.

Cheers!
The CCB Crew

295:Why not just stay the night?

Cigar City Brewing — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:38:50 GMT

For anyone traveling from far away, or even across the bay to come to our tasting room for events, or just for an evening of fresh local craft beer we now a corporate rate at a local hotel with a complimentary shuttle. Next time you are considering a stay close by check out the Wyndham Tampa Westshore, they are offering us a special rate which can be booked by clicking the link here: http://tinyurl.com/WyndhamTampaCigarCity

We've provided them with this flyer at their front desk too, so look for it if you are there and tell them to point that van in our direction!

Don't forget, This Saturday!

Starting at 11am, our newest barrel aged release will be available for sale in the tasting room.

Might be a good time to take advantage of that special hotel rate..

Cheers!
The CCB Crew

294: Imperial Milk Porter to be released next Saturday!

Cigar City Brewing — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:28:46 GMT

It's finally ready and we can not wait to share it with you!

The first release of our Imperial Milk Porter aged in Stranahan's Whiskey Barrels is to be released next Saturday, July 23rd at the brewery. $20 a 750mL.

Sales will start when the tasting room opens at 11am.

There will be no bottle limit.

Don't forget:

Today at 3pm we will be tapping a firkin of Cookies n' Milk, and a keg of Milk Porter stop by for a few.

Tomorrow at 1pm we will be joined by the Mr. Beery's crew in Sarasota for a special tapping of Joe's IPA aka "Limoncello IPA".

On Tap in the Tasting Room:
Jai-Alai IPA*
Maduro Brown Ale*
Humidor IPA
White Oak IPA *
Tocobaga Red Ale
110k+OT
El Lector Dark Mild*
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie*
Minaret ESB*
Hillsborough River Dry Stout*
Xenu Honey Cream Ale*
Big Sound Scotch Ale
Table Saison*
French Oak Jose' Marti
Guava Grove
Puppy's Breath Robust Porter*

*Growler Fills available

Cheers!
The CCB Crew

293: U.S. Open Beer Championships

Cigar City Brewing — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:32:41 GMT

The results are in from the United States Open Beer Championships, this year we took 4 gold medals, one silver, and one bronze! All of these medals also got us 2nd place in the judging for Grand National Champion. Click here for the full press release.

These kinds of accolades can only be credited to the fantastic brewery crew we are very fortunate to have around here working hard to make and package our products.

Here's a medal recap-

Gold:
Maduro Brown Ale
Dirac Imperial Stout
Big Sound Scotch Ale
Hunahpus Imperial Stout

Silver:
White Oak Jai-Alai IPA

Bronze:
Humidor IPA

Here is the link to the press release and full list of medal winning beers again: http://www.usopenbeer.com/

Cheers!
The CCB Crew

292:The Order Of The Red Banner

Cigar City Brewing — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:15:37 GMT

Alright so here's the deal:

On this very special night we will empty out our walk-in cooler and host a dinner in a more "traditional" Russian environment, i.e. the blistering cold!

Attendees will receive the appropriately official CCB Siberian head gear fit for the tundra to keep everyone warm, but also so we can take a bunch of pictures of all in attendance wearing funny hats!

Here is a look at the hat if you didn't already see it on Facebook.

Once we begin, we will dive into a 5 course meal of authentic Russian cuisine surely to consist of Borscht, Blintzes, and other traditional fare from the Motherland. The exact menu will be announced shortly, but be assured the only thing missing will be the vodka and with the beers we will present you won't be missing it!

In addition to this wonderful meal paired great beer, hosted in the appropriate climate, complete with a furry hat you didn't have to hunt for yourself; all attendees will receive 2 bottles of this years release of Marshal Zhukov ahead of anyone else AND will be able to choose a growler of their choice from a selection of very rare offerings here at the brewery.
(Of these growler offerings, expect very rare stouts, barrel aged goodies, and perhaps something even beyond that depending on what we find aging around the brewery.)

Due to the space inside the cooler (i.e. "Little Moscow") we will allow ticket sales for the first 30 people. Tickets will be $100 and will be all inclusive.

How do I get tickets to this magnificent event you may ask?

All reservations can be placed by emailing travis@cigarcitybrewing.com. You will be required to fill out a Credit Card authorization form and either fax or email it to us for your reservation to be completed.

Limit 2 tickets per comrade.

Выпьем за то, чтобы у нас всегда был повод для праздника!
(May we always have a reason to party!)
The CCB Crew

291: Puppy's Breath, Firkin Friday, and even more on tap in the Tasting Room!

Cigar City Brewing — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:00:48 GMT

Making it's appearance this Friday:

This special release, an English Style Robust Porter with forward notes of bittersweet chocolate, moderate notes of caramel and toffee, and a gentle hop bitterness is sure to please. Available for a limited time only, find it on tap in the tasting room and accounts around Tampa Bay.

Also to help celebrate it's release this week's cask for Firkin Friday will be a Chocolate Cherry Porter made with Puppy's Breath as it's base, Rainier Cherries, and Cacao Nibs. The firkin gets tapped around noon and is sure to run dry pretty quickly! Stop by for a few.
______________________________________________________________

On Tap in the Tasting Room:
Jai-Alai IPA*
Maduro Brown Ale*
Humidor IPA
White Oak IPA*
Tocobaga Red
110k+OT (Batch 4)
El Lector Dark Mild*
Porcini Brown Ale
Cubano Espresso
Minaret ESB*
Hillsborough River Dry Stout*
Xenu Honey Cream Ale*
Big Sound Scotch Ale
Florida Cracker White Ale*
Jose Marti American Porter*
Guava Grove
Table Saison*

Guest Tap: Tequesta Brewing Company's Chancellor

*Available for growler fills

As you might have noticed we have added a few more taps, we're now up to 18! In addition to that we have added a growler filler for our most popular fills and named him Phil. Here's a shot of Phil in action!

As of this week in addition to Jai-Alai IPA and Maduro Brown Ale we now have 5.2 gallon kegs of Hillsborough River Dry Stout available for sale in the tasting room. It might be a dark beer, but it's still the perfect taste to sip away the summer nights with!
_______________________________________________________________

Looking for a fun, beer filled weekend activity? Check out the Tampa Bay Brew Bus, Tampa's First and only bus tours dedicated to our favorite subject BEER! They've got a great line-up of tours scheduled all around Tampa Bay to breweries, bars, festivals, pubs, and even a baseball game! Go to www.tampabaybrewbus.com for more information.
(Tampa Bay Brew Bus is not affiliated with Cigar City Brewing, we're just spreading the word about a great new local business!)

Cheers!

The CCB Crew

290: It's Back!

Cigar City Brewing — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:55:11 GMT

Mark your Calendars!
Saturday August 20

More details to be revealed soon..
________________________________________________

On Tap in the Tasting Room:

Jai-Alai IPA*
Maduro Brown Ale*
110k+OT
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie*
Cubano Espresso
Minaret ESB*
Hillsborough River Dry Stout*
Tocobaga Red Ale
Xenu Honey Cream Ale*
Big Sound Scotch Ale
Florida Cracker White Ale*
El Lector Dark Mild*
White Oak IPA*

Guest Tap:
Tequesta Brewing Company Chancellor Kölsch

*Growler fills Available
_______________________________________________

We've heard from our friends at the Tampa Bay Brew Bus that there are a few spots left on the bus for this Saturday's tour to St. Somewhere, Lagerhaus, and a few other spots. Go to tampabaybrewbus.com to reserve your seat!

Cheers!
The CCB Crew

289: Tocobaga Bottles, Hoptomic, and Summertime fun!

Cigar City Brewing — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:53:19 GMT

We'd like to congratulate Eric Swanson for winning our contest to design the label for our latest bottle release! Eric's submission was chosen from over 60 label designs from local artists. Here it is, just in case you have not seen it yet.

750mL bottles of Tocobaga are now available in the tasting room. Stop by and grab a few!

________________________________________________

Coming up on the 18th of June from 2-6pm we will be participating in the 1st annual Hoptomic Bitter Beer and Food Fest at Stratz Center for Performing Arts in Tampa. Come out and enjoy samples of beers from ourselves and a bunch of other great breweries whose beers are available in the local area.

Tickets are $58.50 and proceeds will benefit Stratz Center for Performing Arts. Click here or on the logo for tickets and more information. It's Father's Day weekend this week, what could be a better treat for dad this close to his special day? Not much if you ask the dads we know!
________________________________________________

Looking for a fun, beer filled weekend activity? Check out the Tampa Bay Brew Bus, Tampa's First and only bus tours dedicated to our favorite subject BEER! They've got a great line-up of tours scheduled all around Tampa Bay to breweries, bars, festivals, pubs, and even a baseball game! Go to www.tampabaybrewbus.com for more information.
(Tampa Bay Brew Bus is not affiliated with Cigar City Brewing, we're just spreading the word about a great new local business!)

________________________________________________

On tap now in the tasting room:
• Jai Alai IPA*
• Maduro Brown Ale*
• Hillsborough River Dry Stout*
• White Oak IPA*
• Florida Cracker White Ale*
• Minaret ESB*
• El Lector Dark Mild*
• Xenu Honey Cream Ale*
• Cubano Espresso
• 110K+OT Batch #4 (Imperial Red Ale)
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Brown Ale*
• Big Sound Scotch Ale
• Jose Marti American Porter*

Guest tap:
• Mikkeller Frelser Triple Bock

*growlers available

We've got the White Oak IPA and lots of great offerings available for growler fills, don't forget to bring your quarts and gallons on your next trip for a fill or two!

**ON SALE IN THE TASTING ROOM**
Are you flying your CCB colors? Have you got our signature CCB military style cap, a necessary uniform for all of those supporting the cause? They come in tons of different colors, even in 3 different types of camo! Usually $15, we will offer them for $12.50 for a limited time so if you haven't got one, or even if you do and want another color now is the time!

Cheers!
The CCB Crew

288: Scavenger Hunt Winners, Nielsbohrium, and more!

Cigar City Brewing — Tue, 24 May 2011 17:32:47 GMT

First of all we'd like to thank everyone who turned up at the Tasting Room last week and helped to make American Craft Beer Week a success! We had a blast and we sure hope you did too whether it was here with us or at your own local craft brewery. There were lots of events taking place all across the United States and for small brewers this shows us that as a whole we are gaining strength and support from more people around the country.

Of all the events and activities that took place last week, the Scavenger Hunt was one of the ones that we are having the most fun wrapping up. The pictures are great! We had about 6 people/groups finish the entire Scavenger Hunt with Grant Gebhart and Sean McFarland finishing first on Tuesday. Grant and Sean win some very special bottles from our own cellar for their accomplishment, as does our runners up Alicia Rogers and Amanda Smith who finished shortly after! For all who participated we hope you had fun experiencing Cuban food, Tampa's history and culture, and of course craft beer. From the pictures we received it looks like you did!

On Saturday we released Nielsbohrium and there is still some left available at the tasting room, we're sure it will go pretty quick so if you weren't able to make it here to grab your bottles on Saturday stop by and get a few.

We've released a some new beers in the last few weeks in the tasting room and to our distribution network we hope you'll enjoy them. Most are available on draft only at this point but we are doing growler fills of many of them here at the tasting room.

On Tap this week:

Jai-Alai IPA*
Maduro Brown Ale*
Tocobaga Red Ale
Guava Grove
Big Sound Scotch Ale
Florida Cracker White Ale*
Minaret ESB*
110k+OT (Imperial Red Ale)
Jose Marti*
El Lector Dark Mild*
Hillsborough River Dry Stout*
Oatmeal Raisin Cookie*

Guest Tap:
Swamp Head Wild Night Honey Cream Ale

*Available in growlers (Quart and Gallon)

Wednesday June 1st we will be officially releasing Tocobaga Ale in bottles and unveiling the bottle artwork and it's creator. The first 80 bottles sold that night will be signed by the artist and Joey to commemorate the event and all of the finalist's submissions will be here in the tasting room and will remain through the month of June for you to check out.

Cheers!
The CCB Crew

287:Blind IPA Tasting Results/Swamp Head Tap Takeover

Cigar City Brewing — Tue, 17 May 2011 17:07:00 GMT

Congratulations to Jensen Roth for winning the Blind Tasting! Jensen got 2 of the 5 correct and called "the ringer" out so I guess that counts for something too.. Here's the list for those who participated and are wondering what the hell it was they were actually drinking:

1) Bell's Two Hearted Ale
2) Harpoon IPA
3) Sam Adam's Noble Pils-- This was our ringer, quite a few were able to pick this beer out as the one that did not belong but no one was able to name it.
4) Left Hand 400 Pound Monkey
5) Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
6) Cigar City Brewing Jai-Alai IPA

*Tonight*
Starting at 5pm we will change out all the taps and host our good friends from Swamp Head Brewery in Gainesville. There will be 8 different beers on tap and they will all be available in pints and for quart sized growlers fills. Here is the lineup:

Wild Night Honey Cream Ale
Cottonmouth Belgian Wheat Ale
Stump Knocker Pale Ale
Midnight Oil Oatmeal Coffee Stout
Big Nose IPA
Smoke Signal Smoked Porter
Blackwater Black IPA
Catherine's Passion Imperial Russian Stout

Come out and have a pint or two!

Don't forget! Tomorrow night (Wednesday) is Movie Night in the Tasting Room starting around 6:30pm we'll be showing two "beer centric" tales that are both entertaining and informative! Add fresh beer, popcorn, and candy and it's sure to be a fun night!

Cheers!
The CCB Crew

286:American Craft Beer Week update

Cigar City Brewing — Mon, 16 May 2011 12:50:00 GMT

American Craft Beer Week begins today and we couldn't be more excited!

Below is a list of events we will be doing each day, we hope you will be able to spend some time with us throughout the week and participate in at least a few of these fun events!

Today/Monday- To kick off this week's events we will start with the first ever Cigar City Scavenger Hunt. This will be mostly a photo scavenger hunt along with a few other objectives that will ask you to bring things to us. Anything we will be asking for you to bring to us will not be expensive and most things will be free. When you gather these items for dropping off at the brewery please put them in an envelope with your name, phone number, and email address on them. For the photos we ask that you either upload them in Facebook and share the album with us, or upload them to another photo sharing website and email us (travis@cigarcitybrewing.com OR info@cigarcitybrewing.com) a link to the page. When uploading your photos please name the album "CCB PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT" so we know they are for us and be sure to put captions on the pictures. There is no cost to participate and the winner will be the first person to complete all the objectives OR who ever has completed the most objective by the end of the week.

The winner will be announced by the beginning of next week and they will receive a seriously rare collection of Cigar City Brews from our secret stash.. Here are the clues and objectives:

Get your picture taken with this famous Cuban National Hero who spent time in Tampa around the turn of the 19^th Century.
Convince the bartender at your favorite bar to let you pour your own CCB Brew. –Not applicable to the CCB tasting room.
Take a picture of yourself eating a Cuban sandwich.
Get a picture of yourself enjoying a pint at another local brewery in Tampa Bay.
Get your picture taken with your favorite CCB bartender or employee. Tell us why they are your favorite.
Bring us a beer coaster from another American craft brewery. Extra Points for more than one and for coasters from local breweries.. NO DUPLICATES!
The Maduro Brown Ale pairs well with two of our favorite Cuban foods. Get a picture of you eating one of them. HINT: It’s not a Cuban Sandwich that was the other objective!
Get a picture of someone wearing a T-Shirt from Cigar City Brewing in public. It can’t be taken at the brewery! Extra Points for another picture with someone wearing the shirt for another local brewery.
Bring us an ingredient used in the making of beer.
Bring us a photo of you drinking an IPA. (other styles?)
Get a photo of you drinking a CCB brew at Tropicana Field or Bright House Field
Get a picture of you with the Sulfur Springs tower.
Get a picture of a Jai-Alai player. Can be a current or former player, they are around you just have to find them!
Get a picture of someone rolling a cigar.
Get a picture of the building that once housed Florida’s oldest brewery. Hint: It's near Ybor City
Find Cigar City Beer on the shelves of a grocery store and take a picture.
Use your empty Cigar City bottles, cases, coasters, etc. to make art! You can make something and bring it to us, or just take a picture.
Visit an authentic Tocobaga Indian Mound and get a picture.
Find Cigar City beers in a gas station.
Get a picture of yourself enjoying a CCB beer on or near the water. It can be on the beach, on a boat, on a dock, etc.

BONUS: Go on a brewery tour at another small brewery in Florida and send us proof.

Also happening today will be our Blind IPA tasting- Think you know your IPAs? We'll see.. Try six different beers and select from our list of many which ones you think are which. The cost will be $6, and person who is closest to choosing all correctly will also win a collection of beers from our own private collection. It all goes from 5:30pm-7:30pm.

Tuesday will be the Swamp Head Tap Takeover, at 5pm we will host Luke from Swamp Head and change almost all the taps in the tasting room to pour a seriously sick collection of beers from this very special brewery from up the road in Gainesville. Growler fills will be available of selected Swamp Head brands, and we will keep Jai-Alai IPA and Maduro Brown available as well for pints and growlers just in case you just have to get your fix!

Wednesday is Movie Night! Join us for 2 beer geek selections "Beer Wars" and "The American Brew" along with popcorn, candy, and BEER! We will begin with the first movie at 6:30pm and do a short intermission between the two movies.

Thursday we will host a Cheese and Chocolate Tasting, come and try your favorite Cigar City brews paired with a selection of artisan cheeses and chocolates. This tasting is free of charge and will run from 5-8pm.

Friday is Grain to Glass with Ben Romano, our pilot brewer. Ben will be brewing 2 batches on our pilot system and guiding participants through the process of making beer from start to finish. The are two sessions, morning and afternoon. The morning session is full, but there are still spots for the afternoon session which will begin about 2:30pm. To reserve your space email travis@cigarcitybrewing.com.

Saturday We will release Nielsbohrium a very special collaboration we did a few months ago with Mikkeller. This Imperial Sweet Stout brewed with raisins has been mellowing in rum barrels for a few month and is ready to go! The release will begin with the opening of the tasting room and will continue until it runs out. Bottles will $20 and there will be a limit of a case (12 bottles). Also on Saturday we will have lots of very special beers from both Milkkeller and us on draft so come out and have a few!

Cheers!
The CCB Crew