TAMPA BAY, Fla. — For more than a decade, Tampa Bay Beer Week has been a beloved Bay area institution.
When local craft beer blew up, TBBW blew up with it, ballooning from a series of small events from dedicated brewers and aficionados into a national attraction. Then COVID happened, shutting down pretty much everything.
What You Need To Know
- Tampa Bay Beer Week runs from March 6-14, with other peripheral events before and after
- This year's celebration will be pared down to handle COVID safety protocols
- Expect multiple beer releases, themed nights and more fun
This year, Tampa Bay Beer Week is happening – it’s just happening on a smaller scale than the big, boozy events of recent years.
“This year will be reminiscent of the early, formative years of our Beer Week, with smaller events and a more intimate feel,” said TBBW Chairman Travis Kruger in a post on the event’s website. “This year will also provide an opportunity for our breweries to solidify their importance as a part of our neighborhoods, our cities, and as part of an industry that will need to continue to heal along with much of the rest of our nation’s hospitality industry that has been so irreparably damaged.”
There’s no question that craft brewing was one of the hardest-hit industries during the coronavirus pandemic. Many of these breweries are mom-and-pop operations with razor-thin margins; now is as good a time as any to get out (responsibly, of course), spend a little money in and on a local business, and help these community retailers survive.
Here’s the Tampa Bay Beer Week schedule thus far:
Friday, March 5
Bottle Drop and Tapping, Brew Bus Brewing, Tampa
Lager Week (through the 14th), Barriehaus Beer Co., Tampa
StrawBEERy Fest (through the 7th), Rapp Brewing, Seminole
Escape Brewing Tap Takeover, Clear Sky Draught Haus, Dunedin
Saturday, March 6
Coffee with Friends, Crooked Thumb Brewery, Safety Harbor
TBBW Collab Can Releases (through the 13th), Calusa Brewing, Sarasota
Drink Beer! Eat Perogi!, Independent Bar, St. Petersburg
Sunday, March 7
Beer Week Brunch, Brew Bus Brewing, Tampa
TBBA Kickoff Sunday Jazz Project with Estrella Galicia and Maeloc Ciders, Independent Bar, St. Petersburg
Monday, March 8
Copper Kick Bottle Release, Mastry’s Brewing Co., St. Pete Beach
Crowler Flash Sale, 81Bay Brewing Company, Tampa
Rare the Wild Things Are: A Sour Beer Spotlight, Independent Bar, St. Petersburg
Tuesday, March 9
Charter 11 IPA Bottle Release, 81Bay Brewing Company, Tampa
Total Eclipse of the 7th Sun, Independent Bar, St. Petersburg
7th Sun Beer Dinner, Dunedin Smokehouse, Dunedin
Wednesday, March 10
Cycle: Rare Dos and More, Wheelhouse, St. Petersburg
Arkane in the Membrane 2021, Arkane Aleworks, Largo
Team Trivia Night, 81Bay Brewing Company, Tampa
Thursday, March 11
A Taste of Belgium, Independent Bar, St. Petersburg
Coppertail 5 Course Dinner and Beer Pairing, Coppertail Brewing, Ybor City
Beer Dinner with Civil Society Brewing Co., The Bier Boutique, St. Petersburg
Beat the Brewers Trivia, Brew Bus Brewing, Tampa
Friday, March 12
Wake Up with Wakefield, Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe, St. Petersburg
Pinot Noir Barrel Aged Belgian Golden Strong Release, Troubled Waters Brewing, Safety Harbor
Flight Night, 81Bay Brewing Company, Tampa
Estrella Galicia Presents Joshua Reilly, New World Brewery, Tampa
Motorworks Brewing Tap Takeover + Meet the Brewer, c. 1949, Tampa
Saturday, March 13
Peach Brandy Barrel Aged Belgian Dark Strong Release, Troubled Waters Brewing, Safety Harbor
A Date with King State, Independent Bar, St. Petersburg
Sunday, March 14
Sunday Brunch, Coppertail Brewing, Ybor City
Pinot Noir Barrel Aged Belgian Golden Strong Release, Troubled Waters Brewing, Safety Harbor
TBBW Kickoff Sunday Jazz Project with Estrella Galicia and Maeloc Ciders, Independent Bar, St. Petersburg
Saturday, March 20
Orval Day 2021, Independent Bar, St. Petersburg
TBAT Hikers Social, Bootleggers Brewing Co., Tampa