There are lots of happening bars in the Tampa bay area, full of style and panache.
The Tasting Room at Cigar City Brewing isn’t really one of them.
That's because the increasing numbers of faithful customers who visit the barebones space adjacent to the brewery's warehouse in West Tampa aren't looking for a scene; they're seeking the new flavors and combinations that owner Joey Redner and head brewer Wayne Wambles have been bringing to beer.
The national craft beer intelligentsia has fallen hard for Cigar City Brewing, so much so that its home off Spruce Street near Dale Mabry is becoming as essential a stop for some out-of-towners as Bern’s or Busch Gardens. This summer Entrepreneur magazine named the brewery the #1 hottest startup in the U.S., and aficionados from as far away as Canada have made the pilgrimage, citing the adjacent taproom as a significant lure.
But on Dec. 2, when Redner goes before Tampa City Council a second time to ask that his conditional permit to sell beer be extended to a permanent license, Council may well vote to shut the taproom down.
Why? Who would want to see this local success story stifled?
You have to ask the neighbors.
This article appears in Nov 18-24, 2010.