For its sixth annual Bad Ass Beerfest, TBBC (formerly known as Tampa Bay Brewing Company) is going to level up the craft beer festival in more ways than one.
The Bad Ass Beerfest — happening on November 9 — will feature over 60 breweries, including locals like Hidden Springs, Arkane and 7venth Sun. The breweries will be packed into the Westchase location of TBBC, located at 13937 Monroes Business Park, to pour up more than 200 beers.
Due to the hefty vendor list, the festival is moving to daytime hours — which might keep you from bringing home the wrong date due to beer goggles. Keyword: might. With elbow room in mind, TBBC is putting a cap on attendance, too.
Just 200 VIP tickets will be sold for anyone who wants early access to the festival at noon. Gates for GA ticket holders open at 12:30 p.m., and only 1,500 total tickets total will be sold.
GA tickets ($65) come with a souvenir glass for unlimited beer sampling, but you will have to pee is a portable toilet. VIP ($120) gets you that extra half hour as well as six additional taps, a VIP lounge, flushing toilets and a four-pack of TBBC's forthcoming Hop Silo 8 beer.
To soak up some of the brews, TBBC’s Executive Chef is smoking up some barbecue, which will be available for purchase. Food trucks including Portland, Maine's High Roller Lobster Co. will be on-site along with the Ramen & Waffles truck.
Bad Ass Beerfest wraps up at 5 p.m., and ride sharing is a solid option after five solid hours of boozing. If you hate getting in strangers' cars, then convince a friend to be your DD because a $15 designated driver ticket comes with a free meal and all the non-alcoholic drinks your bladder can handle.
For tickets, visit eventbrite.com.
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This article appears in Oct 17-24, 2019.