Cigar City's Blog

We are on Google+! What circle are we in? Tell us with a post. Simply +1ing our page and mentioning the name, you could win some CCB brew gear.

Be creative (not like this guy). This contest ends on April 3^rd at Midnight (ET).

Join our in-room G+ Hangouts at the Tasting Room! Stay tuned to CCB Social.

 

Ever see bikes move faster than cars? You will on Saturday, March 31, 2012 in Tampa’s Downtown!

Criterium-style bicycle racing - like stock car racing on two wheels. Hang out at Tampa’s Longest Bar with a beer.  Grab a bite from a food truck or sidewalk café. Run in the 5k race. Sports enthusiasts, cyclists of all types, families and foodies will all find something to enjoy at the largest one day bike event in the state. 

 

10,000 spectators are expected downtown, and the best seats in the house will be found in the VIP viewing area. The all-inclusive price puts you right at the start/finish line while enjoying a gourmet “picnic in the park” and Cigar City brews. Plus our VIP guests have a shot at winning several great prizes including a brand new Specialized road bike. Purchase your ticket today while they are still available. Check out www.tampacrit.com for a full listing of the day’s activities.

 John Loscalzo and crew from LOKO Cuisine will be dishing up creative Cajun and Creole food cooked with all kinds of fresh local ingredients. World of Beer will be pouring our fresh brew.  Sassafras Bluegrass Band will be playing a live set and The Local Dirt magazine will be handing out their free latest edition. Guest will be able to visit the crops and of course Magnolia Organics will be selling they're amazing veggies, so bring your own bag!

BIG UPDATE ON HUNAHPU'S DAY: As the days march to Hunahpu's Day and the excitement builds throughout the beer community and even through press from local TV, newspapers, magazines, as well as already tons of reservations at local hotels, we've come to the sobering realization that there is going to be a heck of a lot of people at this event, probably way more than we imagine. We didn't brew any more beer than last year, which was a mistake on our behalf and is something we'll fix for next year's release. So all that means that we've decided to cut the bottle limit down from 3 to 2 per person when bottles go on sale at 3:30. At 7:30, we will increase the limit to 12 bottles (one case), if there are any remaining. We know this will suck for a lot of people, but we think it's only fair to get the beer out to as many people as possible.

Brewz Crewz Craft Beer Festival
Returns to Downtown Lakeland

 

We're participating in a great beer fest in Downtown Lakeland this weekend, if you live in the area or even if you don't come out to show your support for better beer being poured in Lakeland! It's all for a good cause, and of course there will be plenty of very tasty beers there in addition to our own. Here is more information below about the fest:

http://vimeo.com/36498415

Check out this great video promoting the upcoming Cigar City Brewing Criterium on March 31st. We're proud to sponsor this awesome event that can essentially be boiled down to NASCAR on two wheels.

Look for bottles of Criterium Ale in stores as well! It's a wheat ale brewed with bitter curacao peel. It's the perfect thirst-quencher after a hard battle on the bikes.

It's no secret that we like to experiment with our beers and often add off-the-wall ingredients to create an entirely new beast. We've done a lot of them. We've had some failures, some huge success, but no matter what happened everyone seemed to get a kick out them. Today we're going to leave it up to you folks to decide which treatments you want to see at Hunahpu's Day! We've narrowed down the amount we've done to 20 that we like a lot (and that we can actually make). Some only made an appearance once in our tasting, others were bottled and sent to the market.  The top 5 vote getters will be made for Hunahpu's Day! Vote for your favorite, or the most appealing, or whatever you want!    Blueberry Lager - Hotter Than Helles Lager aged on tons of fresh blueberries Blueberry Muffin Brown Ale - Maduro Brown Ale aged on fresh blueberries, vanilla beans and cinnamon. Cookies and Milk - A 50/50 blend of Imperial Milk Porter and Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Cucumber Saison - Table Saison Farmhouse Ale with cucumber added French Oak Jose Marti - Jose Marti American Porter aged on french oak Humidor Series Tocobaga - Tocobaga Red Ale aged on Spanish cedar Hungarian Oak Peach IPA - Jai Alai IPA aged on hungarian oak and peaches Kiwi's Big Adventure - Florida Cracker White Ale aged on oodles of kiwis Mocha Cubano Brown Ale - Maduro Brown Ale aged on an even blend of cubano espresso beans and Peruvian cacao nibs Papaya IPA - Jai Alai IPA aged on fresh papaya fruit Peach IPA - Jai Alai IPA aged on fresh peach fruit Pecan Brown Ale - Maduro Brown Ale aged on pecans Raspberry Saison - Table Saison Farmhouse Ale aged on fresh raspberries Smokabaga - Tocobaga Red Ale aged on smoked chili peppers Strawberry-Rhubarb IPA - Jai Alai IPA aged on strawberries and rhubarb Tropical White Oak IPA - Jai Alai IPA aged on white oak spirals and various tropical fruits Twig 'n' Berries - Jai Alai IPA aged on Spanish cedar spirals and juniper berries Vanilla Maduro - Maduro Brown Ale aged on vanilla beans White Oak Dry Stout - Patio Tools Dry Stout aged on white oak spirals White Oak White Ale - Florida Cracker White Ale aged on white oak spirals

survey tools

The Eagle’s Golf Club and Cigar City Brewing Present:

Four Course Beer Tasting

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 6:30pm 

Reception Beer: Hotter than Helles Lager

Appetizer Course: Maduro Brown Ale: A slow roasted Pulled Pork Sandwich with Slaw and the Eagle’s house BBQ Sauce.

Salad Course: Minaret ESB: A Juicy Haddock Filet on a bed of mixed greens, with German potato salad and a crispy beer-batter garnish.

Dinner Course: Improv Oatmeal Rye India Style Brown Ale: Slow Roasted Corned Beef served with our seasoned Sauer Kraut and Improv beer-mustard. All served next to an Oat and Rye bread soufflé.

Dessert Course: Jai Alai IPA: A mango pineapple Turnover baked fresh with flaky puff pastry.

$25.00 per seat. This Event is reservation only, so make yours today! Call the Eagle’s at 813-920-6681 ext. 3 -- All beers at the tasting will be available for sale after the food is served.

BON BEER VOYAGE TAPS INTO TAMPA’S BREWERY SCENE FOR ITS
THIRD ANNUAL BEER SAFARI WEEKEND TOUR IN FEBRUARY

 

TAMPA, FL – Bon Beer Voyage, a specialty tour company for craft beer enthusiasts, is heading to Florida’s West Coast for its Third Annual Tampa Beer Safari Weekend on February 10 to 12, 2012. Rates are specially priced at $475 per person double occupancy with limited single occupancy rooms available for $625 per person.

The tour includes private brewery tours and the latest offerings from such West Coast breweries as Saint Somewhere, Cigar City, Dunedin Brew Pub, Peg's Cantina and Seventh Son; two gourmet beer-paired dinners at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and the Melting Pot; and a lunch with beer at one of the breweries. Other highlights include a stop at the Greek-inspired village and world sponge capital of Tarpon Springs to view manatees enjoying Florida’s warm winter, a chance to explore the artist galleries and shops of Gulfport and a ghost tour of historic downtown St. Petersburg. Cost includes hotel accommodations, meals, tours and transportation during the weekend. Transportation to and from Tampa is the responsibility of the participants.

“We already have guests who were on previous year’s Tampa Beer Safaris registered for this trip because they loved it so much -and we’ve added some great new venues this year as well,” said Ruth Berman, CEO and BBB (brains beyond the beer) of Bon Beer Voyage. “If you love craft beer, this is one beer trip not to be missed.”

Bon Beer Voyage’s other upcoming tours include the Amsterdam to Bruges Beercation Cruise in October 2012, and the St. Augustine Beer Safari Weekend in September 2012. Call 1-888-U-GO-BEER (888-846-2337), visit www.BonBeer.com or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information on the Tampa Beer Safari Weekend or other Bon Beer Voyage specialty beer tours. To receive their monthly Brewsletter, including information on their tours and articles related to beer culture and travel, text BEER to 22828.

Bon Beer Voyage was created for the beer enthusiast who enjoys traveling throughout the United States and around the world to savor the best in craft and specialty beers. Bon Beer Voyage specializes in tours for small groups with an emphasis on locations known for their craft beer production, and cultural, historical and tourist sites that will interest all travelers.

On Saturday, March 10th, we will be releasing Hunahpu's Imperial Stout. Just like the previous two times we've released it, we're going to devote the day to its release.

Here are the most important things to know that everyone is asking us:

- The event starts at 11am, when the tasting room opens up as usual.
- The bottles will go on sale at 3:30pm.
- The bottles are $20 per bottle.
- There is a 3 bottle limit per person.
- Wristbands will be utilized just like last year. When entering the gate to the event, you will be asked for your I.D. If you're over 21, you will get one wristband. If you want to purchase bottles of Hunahpu's, you will get another one. Your Hunahpu's wristband will be cut once you've purchased the bottles.
- All bottle sales will be cash only.
- The bottle limit will end at 7:30pm. If there are any bottles remaining, you will be able to purchase any amount of bottles you want, regardless of whether you've purchased any before or not.
- We will have several different stations to purchase the bottles of Hunahpu's starting at 3:30, so it should be quicker and easier than previous years.
- No growlers of any kind will be sold during the day. And no sample flights as well. 
- There will also be no tours on this day at all. Expect Friday to be fairly busy as well, so if you wish to plan a tour for that weekend, you should book it now. 

Some pretty awesome things to consider for this year's event:

- The entire parking lot will be wet-zoned and closed off for the event. Meaning, there will be no parking at all on our property.
- There will be parking available at the IRS building at 3848 W. Columbus Drive. 
- There will be a FREE shuttle service for that parking lot to the brewery that starts at 9am and runs throughout the day.
- There are several local hotels around us who will be offering shuttle services as well, and it might be a good idea to get a room there. We will soon be offering special codes to use at these hotels.
- We plan to have a whole slew of different food trucks on premise serving up great food. In addition there will also be several other food vendors.
- Live music and other entertainment! 
- The tasting room will be accepting credit cards on drinks. Almost everything else will be cash only, so be prepared!
- There will be an ATM available.
- We again expect the local homebrew clubs to be pouring some of their finest beers.
- We will be providing fresh Cuban coffee and bread for those who wish to queue up before the event opens at 11am. 
- Feel free to bring beers to share with everyone. We encourage this behavior, especially if you share with CCB employees! 

We plan to have several guest beers and other exciting stuff on tap, as well as, of course, our own offerings. Those special beers will be announced at a later date (ya know, when we figure out what we have and don't have).

This year's Angel Tree for Hope's Children Home has been a big success. Today we delivered the presents that everyone dropped off and everyone was very happy with the turnout this year. Cheers to everyone who stopped by the brewery and dropped off presents for some awesome kids. We hope next year will be an even bigger success!

We're going to be closing the tasting room at 5pm on Christmas Eve, and we'll be opening back up again at 5pm on Christmas Day for anyone who wants to get away from their family and have a few beers. Happy holidays everyone!

About Hope Children's Home
For over 40 years, they’ve been helping discarded, abused, unwanted, or orphaned children, nearly 5000 in all.  Founded in 1968, Hope Children's Home has rescued nearly 5,000 children between the ages of 2 and 18. Some of them have faced life situations that you can’t imagine...

They’re located in Tampa on 55 beautifully wooded acres of land with dormitories for the boys and girls that can house a total of 80 children. Hope Christian School is also located on the property and is accredited by the state of Florida, providing a private, quality education to each of the children, Nursery through 12th grade.

Hope Children’s Home receives no State or Federal funding.  The children live in both dorms and cottages with a family atmosphere that provides guidance and encouragement.

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:
- We have set up a tree in the tasting room with the Angels' names on it. Select an  Angel from the tree or from this blog (PDF link here)

- Obtain that child's wish list of items (1 to 5 items....however you help is appreciated)

- Purchase, wrap, and bring the item(s) to the brewery by 10pm, Sunday, Dec 18th (please don’t forget to label EACH item & bag(s) for your specific angel with their name).  This can be done anonymously or you can include a card addressed to your angel…

- The brewery will ensure that all gifts are delivered to the Hope Children's home.

- For your generosity you will receive a free pint of beer (to be consumed upon reception). 

Dear Customers, Neighbors and Friends,   

   

 As you all know, we've been working diligently on renovating our new store location at 4500 N. Nebraska Avenue with plans to move our homebrewing and winemaking retail store, Southern Brewing & Winemaking, in before the end of the month.  As part of our long-term plan, we'd like to develop the second half of the building into a small-brewery and winery with a pub and beer garden and family activities, such as a bocce ball court.  In addition, the space will be ideal for hosting special events, such as birthday parties and retirement parties.  As part of this overall offering, we'd like to make mixed drinks available to our customers as well.  We realize this raises concern about how the property could be used once we are no longer there, but we have self-imposed restrictions to prevent something like a package store from operating on this site.  We have agreed not to sell liquor after 11:00 and not to sell it at all "to go" or take off premise.  We simply want to be able to offer a full bar to appeal to friends of our beer and wine customers who may prefer otherwise.

On Thursday December 8, at 6:00, we go before City Council again to request zoning approval to serve liquor on premise, with the above mentioned restrictions.  Please come out and show your support.   

If you have any questions or concerns prior to the meeting, please feel free to contact us.

We look forward to being a contributing partner in the Seminole Heights community!

Cheers!

Kelly and Brian Fenstermacher

Southern Brewing & Winemaking, Inc.

I apologize to everyone that was unhappy with the condition of Rum Barrel Aged Big Sound Scotch Ale and for not addressing this issue earlier. It wasn’t willful, I have just been busier than usual this last month going through the process of becoming a foster parent and adjusting to having a 4th child under the age of 4 in my home. Because I have been more distracted than usual I haven't been checking in on my favorite beer sites daily like I normally do. It's not an excuse it's just what has been going on with me. I literally didn't know the scope of things until tonight. Everyone has demands on their time, I am however not exceptionally good at managing my time and so because of the distractions in my life I haven't been paying as much attention to the websites I normally monitor. I apologize for that as well, I certainly wish I had noticed this earlier.

That said I want to address some of the concerns people had about this beer and some conjecture on it. We certainly did not know we had a problem on our hands and just chose to go forward anyway. It is much harder to address a beer gone wild than it is to prevent an unintentionally wild beer from ever getting released. In fact I'd happily pay 10X the profit on the Rum BA Big Sound to not have that sinking feeling I got when someone informed me there might be an issue with it. Releasing something that isn't generally enjoyed never helps the cause.

We bottled 6 barrel aged beers in this last release. Three versions of spirit-based Hunahpu, 1 Virgin Oak beer and 2 of Scotch Ale. The Scotch Ale aged in Rum barrels was treated exactly as the other 5. Same aging area. Same transfer technique and the same bottling machine. Why did the Rum eventually turn out tart? I can’t say. I don’t know. I wish I did. That is the nature of using barrels. You take some gambles when you use wood. That said, on the day (and all the days leading up) it was released we were very happy with the way it was drinking. Many on the staff still are very happy with it and we just opened several bottles from the library when we become aware of a potential issue. But each bottle was a little different, which means some people may have gotten bottles that tasted a lot worse (or possibly better) than the test bottles we have been pulling. Again something that can happen with Barrel Aging.

This was absolutely not an attempt to sell a beer we didn’t think was good. We liked the beer we sold. I have been sending it to personal friends as recently as last week. I want people to be impressed with what we make. Not pissed. I didn’t purposely release a dud. It’s much harder to deal with the repercussions of selling a beer that isn’t perfect than it is to just not sell that beer. Having people feel duped doesn’t gain us anything; it only hurts. In fact if you want to be cynical you could assume that if I knew the beer had (or would have) gone tart I missed a golden opportunity to sell an intentionally tart beer. We didn’t “know” there was an issue before we released the beer. That is the truth.

All of that said if you are/were unhappy with the beer or even suspect that you might be unhappy with it, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . I will give you the option to trade for the value in other beer and/or merchandise or if you just want nothing further to do with us I will happily refund your money.

Again, I apologize that we didn’t execute our vision on this beer. We didn’t want it to be tart. The fact that some people like it doesn’t ameliorate the fact that it wasn’t as attended and I relish the opportunity to make it up to anyone affected in whichever manner they prefer.

Joey Redner
Founder, Cigar City Brewing

http://cltampa.com/dailyloaf/archives/2011/11/17/your-own-line-of-beer-from-cigar-city-brewing#.TsuzMGNCo8n

"Hey, buddy, there’s a beer with your name on it at Cigar City! Literally. If you win this item, you will work with the brewers of internationally known, award-winning Cigar City Brewing to craft a signature beer which will be released to the public with your name and face on the label so the world can see your creation. Plus you will get two cases of your namesake beer to share with your friends. Or you could just leave the bottles around your man (or woman) cave for the bragging rights. Bidding starts at: $100. Value: Priceless."

There's already been plenty of bids, better put yours in if you want a chance at this!

We're now selling hoodies in the store. Check it out!

Saturday we're celerating the life of Brittney Fox Watts, a valuable member of the Terrapin and Heavy Seas families that we sadly lost. We'll be tapping Free Spirit, a farmhouse ale in her honor at CCB's taproom this Saturday at 4pm.

This Friday is Firkin Friday and we're going to be tapping a cask of Citrus Melon White Ale. We took Florida Cracker and added some actual fruit to create what should be a pretty sublime drinking experience. 2pm

It'll also be Food Truck Friday and we're going to be hosting Burger Culture! They specialize in burgers, believe it or not. 4pm

We got mentioned in today's St. Pete Times in the Business section regarding our transition to cans. Check it out!

Way back in the early early days of the brewery we had a pilot of a beer called Patio Pils. It was a pre-prohibition pilsner, brewed to replicate a style that is long-gone since the days of prohibition. Well we're proud to announce that we will be bringing the beer back next summer as a regular seasonal! 

But the most exciting thing to announce is that we'll be brewing a special batch just for the Repeal Day Party coming up next month! Check out this press release:

******

On Sunday December 4th, 2011, from 8pm to 12am, Tampa's Left Coast Bar Guild will host the Repeal Day Party at the Don Vicente Historic Inn in Ybor City. This fundraising event will celebrate the repeal of prohibition with food, music, entertainment, and drinks covering over 100 years of mixology from the 1850's onward. The event will host five different bars creating complimentary historic libations from pre-prohibition era cocktails in the basement to expatriate rum drinks from the islands on the rooftop. Food to be provided by our member restaurants, including Bernini's, Ciro's Speakeasy & Supper Club, Fly Bar, SideBern's and Timpano's. Cigar City Brewing is our sole beer provider with a special release brewed for this event. Entertainment will include burlesque performers and live jazz from the 20's-40's.

"We have been planning this party since the day after last year's party. No joke! This event will set Tampa at the top of the national cocktail scene. Again...not joking! There will be guest bartenders from the four corners of the country flying in to help us create one of the largest National Repeal Day celebration on the 2011 calendar. We want to set the standard for others to follow in the years to come. Join is in the revelry as we celebrate 100 years of cocktail history and our right to make you a drink!" says Dean Hurst, president of the Tampa chapter of the USBG.

A limited amount of tickets will go on sale October 1st at $60. Ticket price will raise to $75 for the remaining tickets. Tickets may be purchased online at brownpapertickets.com or through authorized guild members. A portion of all ticket sales to benefit Metro Charities, the Don Vicente de Ybor Historic Inn, and the Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans, LA.