No longer just an American pastime related to sporting activities, beer drinking is evolving in the Bay Area into something of an art form, taking a starring role in a number of popular sizzling summer Charity Fun-raisers. Some of the biggest names in Tampa Bay are involved.A Craft Brewery Sidebar identifies the growing list of local craft brewers.
Attention allcraft beer aficionados, habitual brewski guzzlers, casual sippers of ice cold ones and everyone in between … mark you calendars and savor the rest of the sizzling summer at three of Tampa Bay’s fun-filled beer festivals in August! The first stop on this beer-drinking adventure through the month of August begins at WaZoo Beer Festival at Lowry Park Zoo, located at 1101 West Sligh Avenue in Tampa, on Saturday, August 3rd. WaZoo has been named one of the “10 Great Beer Festivals in the Country” by USA Today, so you know it’s a beerfest you won’t want to miss!
More than 250 beers and beverages from around the world will help quench your thirst. Mouthwatering samplings from a variety of favorite restaurants from the Bay Area and terrific live music presented by World of Beer throughout the Zoo. The fun times will be flowing from 7:30 until 10:30pm as you enjoy an impressive selection of delicious beers and food samplings from restaurants on site such as BJ’s Brewhouse, Kona Grill, Beef O’ Brady’s, The Pub at International Plaza, Seabreeze Island Grill and Raw Bar, Taco Fusion, Reilly’s Westshore Taphouse, Crabby Bill’s Seafood, Gaspar’s Grotto and many more! As you enjoy all the tempting grub and libations, jam out to the musical stylings of One Mile Final, Cutty Jones, Mainstream, Kim Harpo and the Hawks, Impulse, The Ben Bryan Band, and Between Bluffs!
With purchase of a general admission ticket to WaZoo, which is $70.00 until August 2nd and $80.00 on the day of the event, you will receive access into the event at 7:30pm, a WaZoo0logo beer tasting cup, food samplings, access to live music, as well as animal encounters with ZooVentures! There are also tickets that can be purchased for the VIP Beastly Beverage Club, which grants access into the event at 6:30pm, access into the BBC’s private, air-conditioned Safari Lounge, exclusive beer tastings and food samplings, live music, animal encounters with Zoo Ventures, as well as a WaZoo logo mini beer tasting mug! To purchase tickets online, visit www.lowryparkzoo.com … this is a not to miss end-of-summer event !
Presented by JJ Taylor Distributing, this 18th annual WaZoo Beer Festival is a fundraising event for Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All proceeds benefit animals at the Zoo. For more information about WaZoo, please call 813-935-8552.
Two weeks later on August 17th … the 97X Craft Beer Experience at The Mahaffey Theater, located at 400 1st St South. in downtown St. Petersburg The second annual Craft Beer Experience presented by 97X will feature more than 100 types of craft beer, a delectable array of signature food samplings from Café Gala, Wood Fired Pizza and Champions Barbecue on site, as well as terrific live music by Eric Best featuring Kyle Sokol, and duets by Mercy McCoy. Participating breweries for this event include Three Daughters Brewery, Aviator Brewery, Big Storm Brewing Company, Blue Point Brewing Company, Bold City Brewery, Cold Storage Brewing Company, Tampa Bay Brewing Company, Sweetwater Brewing Company, Rapp Brewing Company, Pensacola Bay Brewing Company and many more! For a complete list of participating breweries, visit themahaffey.com.
The 97X Craft Beer Experience is a fundraiser for the Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts, which is committed to supporting art education and presenting all genres of the performing arts at The Mahaffey Theater. Admission into this fantastic fundraising event will cost $25.00 until August 16th and then $30.00, if available, on day of event. Price of admission includes a commemorative 97X Craft Beer Festival cup, access to live music, and guests will also have the opportunity to win a variety of prizes through the day. So, come out and enjoy a beautiful summer day in downtown St. Pete experiencing full-flavored hand-crafted beer, mouthwatering signature food selections and live music at the 97X Craft Beer Experience. And if you feel like staying downtown after the event, head on over to The Courtyard by Marriot, as they will be offering a special rate just for 97X Craft Beer Experience attendees! To purchase tickets for this one-of-a-kind craft beer event, please visit www.themahaffey.com.
Last, but certainly not least…finish up the month of August the right way by attending Dali’s Liquid Desires, a craft beer tasting event, on Saturday, August 24th at the Dali Museum located at 1 Dali Boulevard in downtown St. Petersburg! This third annual Liquid Desires event will be an evening you won’t want to miss, as it will be set with a 1960’s & 70’s atmosphere, so period dress is encouraged! This 60’s and 70’s vibe is supposed to mirror a time when the iconic and incredibly talented Salvador Dali was often out and about enjoying the nightlife with fellow celebrities at hot spots such as New York’s notorius Studio 54. Enjoy an evening of sampling 54+-plus craft beers, a wide variety of out-of-this-world food offerings and fantastic live music at the breathtaking, luminous and extraordinarily unique Dali Museum.
The Museum’s Zodiac Group hosts this annual Liquid Desires event and it is the group’s largest and best attended fundraiser. Proceeds from Liquid Desires will benefit the Dali Museum and its programs. The event will begin at 8pm and last until 11pm, and general admission tickets cost $50.00, while Dali members can purchase tickets for $35.00. To purchase tickets, or for more information about this event, please visit www.thedali.org.
Savor the end of the sizzling summer with these beer festivals at Lowry Park Zoo, Mahaffey Theater and the Dali Museum… they are sure to be events that you won’t forget! So mark your calendars, grab your beer-drinking crew and get ready for these three fun-filled Bay Area craft beer festivals! PN
SIDEBAR- Bay Area Micro Brewers (A short but growing list, in alphabetical order)
Dunedin Brewery
937 Douglas Avenue, Dunedin, FL
727-736-0606 • www.dunedinbrewery.com
Established: 1996
They are open: Monday – Tuesday: 11am – 11pm, Wednesday – Thursday: 11am – 1am, Friday – Saturday: 11am – 2am Sunday: 11am – 11pm
Do they serve food? Yes, they serve a full menu!
How many beers do they have on tap? They have 14 beers on tap at all times with occasional guest taps.
Where else can you find their brews? The Ale and the Witch (111 2nd Avenue NE in St. Petersburg), Willard’s Tap House (12500 Starkey Road in Largo) and other craft beer bars.
Dunedin Brewery’s American Pale Ale won 1st place at Best Florida Beer Championship in 2003.
Green Bench Brewing Co.
1134 1st Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL
727-214-4863• http://www.greenbenchbrewing.com/
Established: They will be opening mid-September 2013
They’ll be open: Weekdays: Until 10pm, Weekends: Until Midnight
Do they serve food? No, but there will be food trucks on site on the weekend and delivery service from various restaurants in the neighborhood.
Green Bench Brewing will feature a full tasting room and beer garden with 12 beers on tap at any given time.
Peg’s Cantina & Brew Pub
3038 Beach Boulevard, Gulfport, FL
727-328-2720 • www.pegscantina.com
Established the restaurant in 2004 and the brew pub in 2009
Open: Tuesday – Thursday at 5pm, Friday – Sunday 12pm Closed Monday
Do they sell food? Yes, they serve a full menu!
How many beers do they have on tap? They have 9 beers on tap.
Where else can you find their brews? The Ale and the Witch (111 2nd Avenue NE in St. Petersburg), Willard’s Tap House (12500 Starkey Road in Largo), Pour House at Grand Central (1208 E. Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa) and Peg’s Cantina and Brew Pub has won 10 medals from the Best Florida Beer Championship.
Rapp Brewing Company
10930 Endeavour Way, Seminole, FL
727-692-7912 – www.rappbrewing.com
They are open: Wednesday- Thursday: 4pm – 10pm, Friday: 3pm – 11pm, Saturday: 2pm – 11pm, Sunday: 3pm – 9pm
How many beers do they have on tap? There’s 20 beers on tap, any given time.
Do they serve food? No.
Rapp Brewing Company was rated Florida’s Best New Brewer 2013 by RateBeer!
Their Goose beer also placed 3rd in the Best Florida Beer Competition in March 2013.
St. Pete Brew
2820 1st Avenue No, St. Petersburg, FL
727-692-8809 • www.stpetebrew.com
Their signature brews:
St. Pete Orange Wheat and Pinellas Pale Ale
Do they serve food? No.
Where can you find their brews? The Ale and the Witch (111 2nd Avenue NE in St. Petersburg)
Angry Pepper Taphouse (9366 Oakhurst Road in Seminole)
Saint Somewhere Brewing
1441 Savannah Ave, Tarpon Springs, FL
813-503-6181 • www.saintsomewherebrewing.com
Established: 2006
They are open for brewery tours: Thursday: 6pm – 8pm, Friday: 6pm – 8pm
How many beers do they have on tap?
They have 5-6 brews flowing at any given time.
Do they sell food? No.
Where can you find their brews? You can find Saint Somewhere Brewing’s brews in 42 other states besides Florida at a wide variety of retailers including ABC Liquors, Whole Foods, Total Wine and more!
Sarasota Brewing Company
6607 Gateway Avenue, Sarasota, FL
941-925-2337 – www.sarasotabrewing.com
Established: 1989
They are open: Monday – Thursday: 11am – 12am, Friday – Saturday: 11am – 1am, Sunday: 12pm – 12am
Do they serve food? Yes, they serve a full menu!
How many beers do they have on tap? They have 5 -8 different rotating brews flowing at any given time. They only sell their craft beer on premise at Sarasota Brewing Company.
Story by Sarah Meitz
Date: August 2013