Tampa Bay Beer Week 2022 starts next Friday and runs from March 5-13, with a plethora of events that will tickle the palate of any beer-lover. From educational sessions that delve into the science and culture of brewing, to King State's St. Pete debut of Brutalist Brewing—every type of beer will be showcased at this week-long celebration.
This year's rendition of TBBW is special as we celebrate its 10-year anniversary with a full week of in-person programming—for the first time in two years. Sponsors include TBBW Inc., Florida Brewers Guild and Best Florida Beer. Here are some of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay's top picks for this year's exclusive installment of Tampa Bay Beer Week. Send updates and your TBBW picks to [email protected].
Friday, March 4
The Ultimate Brew "Collaboration, not competition" is the name of the game for this annual TBBW tradition, happening for the first time since 2020. All participating brewers are invited to bring a few ounces of their favorite hop to throw into the massive collaborative brew—and VIP ticket holders can watch the entire process. 6 p.m. 7th Sun Brewery, Tampa. $35-$50. tampabaybeerweek.com
Saturday, March 5
Florida Brewers Guild Craft Beer Festival Sample more than 200 different types of beer from dozens of Florida-based craft brewers at this TBBW kickoff festival, complete with food trucks and festivities. Profits from this festival support the Florida Brewers Guild, a nonprofit trade association committed to preserving the rights of craft brewers throughout the Sunshine state. 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Perry Harvey Sr. Park, Tampa. $45-$65. eventbrite.com
Sunday, March 6
20th Anniversary Brewer's Ball 2022 Presented by Altered Craft Distribution, this event will feature the winners of the "Best Florida Beer" competition, with over 150 brews for guests to sample. You can also expect some of Tampa's most popular food trucks, raffles, live local music and awards. 12 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Perry Harvey Sr. Park, Tampa. $35–$125. eventbrite.com
Monday, March 7
Bring on the Funk Tart, sour, and funky beers are the star at this retro TBBW event. This party will be joined by Miami-based Tripping Animals Brewing Co. (which has some collaborative brews with Tampa's King State), as well as Pontoon Brewing Co.— all the way from Georgia. The two out-of-towners will be hosting beer-related games for prizes. Classic soul & old school R&B jams will be keeping those funky vibes consistent throughout the event. 6 p.m.-10 p.m. Free. Independent Bar & Cafe, tampa.tampabaybeerweek.com
Ology Brewing Spotlight Expect to see Tampa's own Ology Brewing location debut sometime next year, but for the meantime you can sip on its tasty cherry cheesecake Berliners and crispy West Coast IPAs at this exclusive sampling night. 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Angry Chair Brewing, Tampa. Free. tampabaybeerweek.com
Tuesday, March 8
First Helping Dessert comes first at this TBBW heavy hitter, with beers inspired by pies, cookies, and other sweet treats. Some beers that will be featured include a cherry amaretti cookie sour, barrel-aged banana-coconut pie, bourbon-barrel aged peach cobbler a la mode and a pineapple shortcake sour. This event will premiere Palmetto-based Corporate Ladder Brewing Company's dessert-inspired brews, available to the public on National Pi Day March 13. 3 p.m.-8 p.m. Corporate Ladder Brewing Co., Palmetto. Free to attend (bring $ for brews). tampabaybeerweek.com
Cheers to Belgian Beer! 7 p.m.-9 p.m. $30. Independent Bar & Cafe, Tampa.tampabaybeerweek.com
Barleywine Night 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Free. Angry Chair Brewing, Tampa. tampabaybeerweek.com
Wednesday, March 9
Ology Brewing Spotlight If you didn't get a chance to preview this Tallahassee-based brewery's beer at Lowry Parcade, then you have another chance at Angry Chair Brewing. Expect to see Tampa's own Ology Brewing location debut sometime next year, but for the meantime you can sip on its tasty cherry cheesecake Berliners and crispy West Coast IPAs at this exclusive sampling night. 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Angry Chair Brewing, Tampa. Free. tampabaybeerweek.com
Arkane in the Membrane The ticket price might seem a little expensive for this Largo-based event, but after leaving with 5 barrel-aged stouts, a bottle of Unicorn Blood (a raspberry and key lime pie-flavored Wiesse) commemorative tote bag, exclusive beer samples and all of Arkane's TBBW releases on tap—you'll probably be a little too buzzed to remember you spent over $200 bucks on your ticket. And if you feel like balling out on a VIP pass, you get even more booze and more swag. 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Arkane Aleworks, Largo. $230–$390. tampabaybeerweek.com
Cheese & Charcuterie Pairing 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. $45. Florida Avenue Brewing Co., Wesley Chapel. tampabaybeerweek.com
Shakespeare on Tap 6 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Independent Bar & Cafe (Tampa). Free. tampabaybeerweek.com
Thursday, March 10
King State Lagerfest Get your hair of the dog fix at King State's debut Tampa Bay Beer Week event, at its new multi-faceted brewing facility in St. Petersburg. Expect 20-plus breweries "bringing their best" at the first annual Lagerfest. There's already some exclusive merch on the Lagerfest website, including water bottles and shirts. 12 p.m.-4 p.m. $25-$65. Brutalist Brewing, St. Petersburg. kslagerfest.com
MiniPalooza This event will have you asking yourself "how much mead can I drink in two-and-a-half hours?" In addition to unlimited mead—with flavors ranging from strawberry ginger key limeade to toasted blueberry waffles —guests can take home exclusive glassware as a souvenir, in addition to receiving a full meal. Each attendee will also have the chance to win one of five three-liter bottles of mead. 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m. $100. Garagiste Meadery, Tampa. garagistemeadery.com
Super Rad Rare Beer Night 3 p.m.-9 p.m. Angry Chair Brewing, Tampa. Free to attend. tampabaybeerweek.com
Friday, March 11
Foeder for Thought Fermentation-forward beers are the star of this annual TBBW event, presented by Good Beer Hunting alongside St. Pete's popular Green Bench Brewing Co. There will be unlimited pours of festival-affiliated beer, panel discussions hosted by Michael Kiser of Good Beer Hunting, commemorative glass and merch and a wide selection of fermentation-forward brews from across the globe. 5 p.m.-10 p.m. $150. Green Bench Brewing Co., St. Petersburg. tampabaybeerweek.com
Barrel Aged (BA) Day Cycle Brewing hosts this event at St. Petersburg's historic shuffleboard club, as guests will leave with an exclusive event bottle and glass after drinking an unlimited amount of barrel-aged brews. VIP tickets are pretty much the same as a GA ticket, but for the extra $25 you can enter the event an hour early. 12 p.m.-4 p.m. $100-$125. St. Petersburg's Shuffleboard Club. tampabaybeerweek.com
Woodwright Brewing Co. 6th Anniversary 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Free to attend. Woodwright Brewing Company, Dunedin. tampabaybeerweek.com
Saturday, March 12
Cigar City Brewing Hunahpu's Day Release The Big Daddy of Tampa Bay Beer Week—it's finally time for Cigar City to release this year's exclusive Hunahpu's Imperial Stout. And for the first time ever, this year's Hunahpu imperial stout will be available in 16-oz. cans. There will also be another limited edition beer available—a Hunahpu Imperial Stout brewed with blackberries, called the Camazotz's Imperial Stout. Head to the Cigar City website and register for this year's lottery—the only way to get your hands on this limited-edition release. 12 p.m. Cigar City Brewing, Tampa. cigarcitybrewing.com
Pye Road Meadworks 1-Year Anniversary Weekend This Odessa-based meadery is only a baby compared to some of TBBW's other featured breweries, but it's celebrating its very first anniversary with special barrel-aged and exotic meads—in addition to craft beers on tap. There will also be different food trucks present at this weekend-long anniversary party. 12 p.m.-10 p.m. Free. Pye Road Meadworks, Odessa. tampabaybeerweek.com
Black Out Day 12 p.m.-10 p.m. Free to attend. Angry Chair Brewing, Tampa. tampabaybeerweek.com
Sunday, March 13
All About Foam Foam is an underrated part of beer, and Barriehaus Brewing Co. will highlight the "whipped cream on top of the sundae" three different ways with six foamy lagers and a Mlíko pour that's 80% foam and 20% beer. You can even caramelize your beer foam to get that toasted marshmallow aroma. This is a first come, first serve event. 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Free. BarrieHaus Beer Co., Tampa. tampabaybeerweek.com
Hop King Invitational One of the last events of TBBW, this friendly competition pits different local breweries against each other to see who has the hoppiest beer. Participating breweries include: Barriehaus, Coppertail, Crooked Thumb, Florida Avenue, Green Bench, Magnanimous, Marker 48, Woven Water and Zydeco Brewing. 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Free. Tampa Bay Brewing Co., Ybor City. tampabaybeerweek.com
Pi(e) Day 12 p.m.-10 p.m. Free to attend. Corporate Ladder Brewing, Palmetto. tampabaybeerweek.com
Tampa Bay Beer Week returns next month for its 10-year anniversary
Here are the best events happening in Tampa Bay from March 5-13.
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