Starting Friday, here's where to cheers to two Tampa Bay breweries turning a year older, as well as the grand opening of a craft beer arcade bar.
In St. Petersburg, a new venture called Right Around the Corner has fused tabletop, board, video and arcade games with beer at 2244 Central Ave. This craft beer game room, which bills itself as the first of its kind for St. Pete and will premiere at 5:30 p.m. Friday, also features foosball, darts and a 7-foot pool table.
Guests can expect eight locally driven taps highlighting some of the region's best brewers and a 99-cent deal on PBR, as well as two 55-inch curved TVs, a big screen for Nintendo, Big Buck Hunter among the arcade games and tabletop shuffleboard.
From noon to midnight Saturday, Hidden Springs Ale Works is throwing a free birthday party to commemorate its first year in business. The Tampa Heights brewery will showcase four sours — passion fruit, apricot, pear and tangerine — from its Parthenope: The Siren Series in limited-release bottles and on draft. Each was aged in sauvignon blanc barrels for more than six months.
Mixing never-before-seen beers with old favorites, the tap list will offer beers like the White Oak IPA and Gabby's Thunderbolt, a collaboration beer from Hidden Springs and Ybor City's Tampa Bay Brewing Company. Sarge's Smokehouse BBQ, Beastro Tampa and oPIEo Pizza will be on site with their mobile eats throughout the celebration as well.
But something special is in store for those who buy an anniversary glass and beverage tokens at the door. They'll enjoy rare barrel-aged brews from several area beer-makers — Cigar City Brewing, Angry Chair Brewing and Escape Brewing Company included.
Speaking of Escape Brewing, the Trinity-based brewery is set to host its own two-year anniversary bash between noon and 8 p.m. Sunday. Here, a token system will also be used for beer purchases. One line will be dedicated to buying each $2.50 token, and guests will go to another line to redeem their suds. Escape has asked the crowd to bring cash to help everyone score brews faster.
The beer lineup, scattered outside and inside the taproom, includes the Escape Diversion IPA with mango and habanero, Escape Chocolate Milky Love with mocha coffee and coconut, 7venth Sun FYA Pale Ale, Green Bench Plum Noir Saison, and a special 3 p.m. tapping of the Escape Seeds of Doubt Russian Imperial Stout.
Growler fills aren't permitted until after 6 p.m., and food from Brick Oven Pizza and Rusty Bellies Seafood will be available.
