One of the most coveted tickets out there during Tampa Bay Beer Week grants access to the Brewers Ball.
Hosted at Water Works Park in Tampa Heights on Sunday afternoon, the annual festival and awards ceremony from Best Florida Beer fulfilled the nonprofit group's mission to recognize commercial and at-home brewers through the Best Florida Beer Championships.
This year, the professional portion of the Championships drew 858 beer, mead and cider entries in 38 categories, which are thoroughly vetted and assessed by members of beer community statewide, including representatives from local breweries and folks who've completed the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP, for short). The fair and credible competition — which helps further cooperation within an already-friendly industry — then showcases its Best of Show winners at the Brewers Ball.
"When I began homebrewing seven years ago, I had no idea my passion for craft beer would bring me to this point," said brewer Jason Toft of Crooked Thumb Brewery, who also serves as vice president of commercial brewing for Best Florida Beer. "Presenting awards to my peers in the industry and sharing their joy at the culmination of months of hard work is incredibly rewarding. I look forward to the progression of craft beer in Florida."
The fest, as expected, was full of camaraderie. Allowing both craft beer fans and industry folks to pour their own medal-winning samples certainly ensures a great start to TBBW.
So, who took home what? The big win for Best Beer was awarded to Big Blue Brewing, a young Cape Coral brewpub, for its American light ale called Lightest Thing Ya Got. Big Blue also scored the Best Brewpub title.
Other notable nods went to Fort Myers Brewing Co. (Best Small-Batch Beer), Ocala's Infinite Ale Works (Best Large Brewery), Arkane Aleworks in Largo (Best Small Brewery), and Tampa Heights' Garagiste Meadery (Best Cider/Mead).
The Brewers Ball remains a testament to the growing Florida brewing scene — and the quality of beers being brewed across the Sunshine State.
For the full list of medal winners, visit the Best Florida Beer website.
Editor's note: This story has been updated since its original publication.
This article appears in Mar 1-8, 2018.