Tampa Bay Brewing Co.

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +7.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Located in Ybor City, back in a first floor corner of Centro Ybor with the secondary entrance on the left facing side of a bank of windows with neon signs in the upper reaches of each window. The main entrance was along the left side with the m.d.s. with a wooden rack of logo items to the immediate right and a bank of FVs to the immediate left. Also to the left were a purple (!) felt billiards table; restaurant seating with standard tables and chairs; the brewhouse; and a (smaller) secondary bar. The main, "U"-shaped, hammered copper-topped bar was off to the right, past the servers' station. Mugs hung from the heavy wooden pillars as well as on the back bar. A color chalkboard to the extreme right of the bar listed all of their available beers. High tables and chairs lined the windows with booth seating in the bar area. The kitchen was straight aft of the main entry, to the left of the main bar. English style darts and opulent lavs to left of kitchen.

Beer: Well, no wonder that this place is so highly rated! Moosekiller (barley wine); Iron Rat (Imp.) Stout; Old Elephant Foot (IPA); Red Eye (Amber Ale); Wild Warthog (German style lite); True Blonde; One Night Stand (Pale Ale); Jack the
Quaffer (robust Porter).

Cask: Oatmeal Imperial.

I started with cask, ended by being stomped by the foot.

12-18-2009 10:34:41 | More by woodychandler

TheLongBeachBum

California

4.45/5  rDev +8.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

My first visit to Tampa, Florida was, like most work related, but it still offered me the chance to take some time off and head out for a few beers. I only had the chance & time to hit establishment, so after consultation with BeerFly I decided that the Tampa Bay Brewing Company fitted the bill perfectly.

As the Website alludes….the Tampa Bay Brewing Company is located in historic Ybor City in Tampa Florida on 15th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenue. I elected to park in a nearby brick fronted multi-storey parking lot [Centro Parking] also on 15th Street, which proved to be great value at only $1 for less than 3 hours.

The whole of Ybor City has a New Orleans feel about it, and the Tampa Bay Brewing Company is no different. The frontage is rather low-key; in fact I drove past the place and missed it first time round. The 2-storey cream painted brick built building has a centrally located entrance. Its most distinctive feature is the iron clad open air patio on the second floor which partly covers the sidewalk. Once inside the bar is L-shaped on your left hand side, the front part of the interior on the left has few tables and chairs. To the right the 10bbl step-infusion brewing system sits tightly in the corner, whilst a raised seating area seats around 15 or so people. There is an upstairs which gives access to the open air patio, but it also house more tables and even a pool table, two dart boards and foozball also.

I decided to sit at the copper topped bar, a great choice as I ended up sitting between two fellow travelers and beer enthusiasts, so discussion was immediately sparked, adding to the comfortable feel here. The service was extremely welcoming and helpful; this place really has a very warm feel. The low lit interior, bedecked with dark woods, copper and subdued lighting really adds an Olde Worlde ambience and relaxes.

The Beer range is very impressive. Since the TBBC opened in February of 1997, they have been serving fine hand-crafted ales and lagers. Equipped to produce up to 12 tap beers, plus three Cask-Conditioned ales, it is a mighty impressive achievement to see such diversity from a Brewpub in an area that is not exactly well known for its dedication to craft beer, let alone Cask Ale. On my visit there were Ten house beers on offer, 8 regular beers; Redeye Ale, “Jack the Quaffer” Porter, Wild Warthog Weizen, “Old Elephant Foot” IPA, Moosekiller Barleywine Ale, Iron Rat Stout, True Blonde Ale, One Night Stand Pale Ale – plus 2 Seasonal brews; California Common and Maibock. The Iron Rat Stout was available from one of the two Beer Engines in Cask format. Alongside the ten house beers, there was also a choice of several Imports including; Newcastle, Guinness, Stella Artois, Lindemans Framboise, Hoegaarden, Franziskaner, Chimay White plus Strongbow Cider an a few others that I forget. I give selection 4.5 for the diversity of its own house brews, the fact it dares to offer 10 other imports and even offers Cask Ale!!

I opted for the Old Elephant Foot IPA, which was rather excellent and a must try if West-Coast hop-heads get over this way. The Jack the Quaffer Porter was also a tasty treat.

Food Menu is equally impressive. It includes a good range of Starters, Salads, Soups, Burgers, Sandwiches, Entrées, House Pizzas, Calzones and Desserts. I opted for the Grouper which was fresh and absolutely superb.

Service was friendly and attentive, sharp & courteous, you can tell that this is a family owned establishment and not a chain, lots of character, quality food and beer and a genuine commitment to the Customer here.

I’ll have to travel back to Tampa on two more occasions this year to finish the Power Station project that I am working on, and I will most certainly be heading back to the Tampa Bay Brewery Company for sure. A quality establishment which deserves the support of any BA in the area, local or otherwise.

In Tampa!?!? Then the TBBC is a Highly Recommended “Must-Do”.

Last Visit: Wednesday 11th May, 2005.

05-15-2005 05:27:10 | More by TheLongBeachBum

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Who, passing through Tampa, can pass up the Tampa Brewing Company? No one. And that's probably why they do so well. Great location, to be sure.

That said, the inside is nicely decorated (and the outside patio seating is spectacular when it's not too hot). It's a bit basic, but also nicely adorned. I like the horse brass and old pictures on the walls. And the layout seems to work, although I prefer a more quiet table towards the back near the pool tables.

You can't go wrong with the pizza, which is great, but some of the other items can be a let-down.

As for the beer, I was stunned that they use Cara-pils malt in some of their formulations!!!??? Cara-pils is basically for homebrewers, and any brewer worth his boots can adjust his mash accordingly to create whatever he's looking for right there. There's no need to use specialty malts as a 'Band-Aid'... ... but, OK, whatever, their beers were good so I guess I can't fault them.

Overall, I found it a pretty charming place to dine, and good for families with children (earlier before the bar gets full of 8th Street "kids").

09-15-2009 03:49:01 | More by NeroFiddled

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.76/5  rDev -8.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

In the touristy "historic" part of town, well patrolled by police. The place is very nice, with a covered but outdoor bar and tables, and an inside part with the main bar, and there I was. Service is very attentive, maybe too much so. A bit of knowledge about the beers. The barleywine is the one worth having, the others being acceptable for their respective styles. Friendly touristy crowd, and I would return even though no guest taps. Rootbeer on tap, and a cask available this being their scotch.

02-19-2009 00:45:09 | More by northyorksammy

SaCkErZ9

Florida

4.3/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$$

Fresh off the plane, this was the first stop in out long Tampa weekend. Place was brand new and very fresh looking. The huge copper fermenters are visible in the restaurant. Quite a nice size bar area. About 20 or so seats at the bar area itself. Plenty of booths and tables for multiple diners. We sat at the bar and were immediately greeted and served.

I chose to have the IPA and it was excellent. Nice and hoppy and fruity and 6.8% abv. Very tasty. They only had four of their beers on tap but were tapping a fifth, the Kolsch, as we were seated. They also had five macro beers available as well as the on premise brews.

We were there at 4 on a Thursday afternoon so it was pretty slow. Happy hour starts at 4. The beers were a bit expensive at 4 bucks a pop during happy hour, but they were tasty. I would recommend this place for your first Tampa stop!

11-14-2006 01:24:44 | More by SaCkErZ9

AtLagerHeads

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4

One warning - don't go here on Friday or Saturday after 4 p.m. or so. Ybor City is largely an entertainment district and on those nights the on-stteet parking is illegal and the peripheral parking quite expensive, unless you're willing to walk for few blocks.

But any other time, be pleased to go here. A two floor arrangement is designed to accomodate huge crowds, with bars both up and down. Games are available up for the kiddies or the gaming crowd. Originally a stable, this is large pub, not exactly initmate, but certainly homey feeling because of its unique heritage and character. The eating areas down are elevated and separated by railing from the huge bar. Up is more open and less comfortable - more for mixing I'd say.

The beer selection is big, of good quality and reasonably priced with frequent special. Good food accents the drinking experience. Truly a fun place for a brew or two.

03-18-2004 03:10:20 | More by AtLagerHeads

Redrover

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

I was in Tampa of work and stayed at the Hyatt which is about a block from their brewpub. I was psyched when my customers recommended that we have our business dinner here.

I liked the layout of this pub. There is a comfortable patio in front that has seating for about 50. It has its own small bar, so no long waits for the server to go into the bar for beer.

The main room is spacious with very high ceilings. The tanks are on display and the room is nicely decorated. The bar proper seats about 30 and I like how they have the Mug Club's mugs on display. Very clean bathrooms with cool blue sinks. The have table & booth seating for about 100 patrons.

The atmosphere is friendly. I had a few conversations with some regulars and even spent 10 minutes talking to the owner. He was great to chat with and you can tell he has a passion for both the beer and the food side of the business. I really like to see the owner working the crowd like he was. Our waitress was friendly, and helpful without hovering.

The food was very good. I would say they aspire to more than pub grub and they succeed. The salsa was freshly made, the fish was fresh and the sides tasty.

They have ten beers on tap and also offer a cask option. The had a Belgian Triple on cask during my visit which the waitress gave me a sample of.

I had a tasty amber, a nice APA and a juicy IPA. All the beers would rate better than average. I hope to be able to sample a few more next visit. Several of their beers have won regional awards.

I’m very glad I had the opportunity to stop by. I can heartily recommend this friendly gem!

04-20-2007 18:09:18 | More by Redrover

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

2.54/5  rDev -38%
vibe: 2 | quality: 1.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 2.5 | food: 4 | $$$

Many people seem to talk this place up, and it has an unexpectedly high rating. I really don't know why. Homerism is the only thing I can fathom.

The place screams "tourist trap," and reminded me of a typical family-oriented / college kid hangout, similar to a low-end chain. It's big, it's noisy, it's crowded, it's tacky, it's generic. I'm also really shocked at the way their beer is praised. Their beer...was really not very good at all. Sub-chain quality, if I had to put a label on it. BJ's and RB at least have some good offerings. The beer here? Generic, home-brewy, mass-appealing swill, most of it. There were maybe a few relatively inoffensive brews, but others I literally found undrinkable, and I couldn't even get through a sampler of some without holding my nose and downing it like a trooper. On the plus side, they definitely had a very good selection, but it was all quantity, no quality. No quality. I'd equate these beers with something like Gordon Biersch, or even bordering on Michelob. They're selling crap and getting away with it.

Service was definitely on the ball, which was good. It was pretty busy, but our bartender was handling his area like a champ. Also, the food was quite good. It almost took my mind off the terrible beer, but not quite. I had the fish and chips, which was excellent...but I was craving a tasty IPA or something to go along with it, and I was SOL.

For what was being offered, the prices here were too high, I thought.

To sum up again: this is a tourist trap. I do not recommend Tampa Bay Brewing at all for the serious beer drinker. If you find yourself in Tampa, go to Cigar City, go to Datz. Avoid TBBC like the plague.

01-18-2013 10:08:20 | More by Rifugium

blitheringidiot

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

*Soon to be moving two blocks over ETA Summer 2006*

Found this place accidentally, actually as I was just looking to have some fun in Ybor City on a Saturday night. Tampa Bay Brewing Co. is right across the street from a $10 a Sat. night ($3 weeknite) dirt parking lot if you go on a busy night. [Free parking at the meter lots up the street on Sunday] Outside looks like a typical bar facade that fits right in with the New Orleans like local vibe of neon and mystique.

Let's go inside, shall we? The L shaped scuffed up bar fits in well with dark neon and exposed beer tank environment. This is a casual to street wear dress style so don't expect this to be a fancy affair. Mirrors and liquor bottles adorn the back bar area. Incidentally, there is an upstairs replete with pool table, flat screen tv and balcony. Let's get to the beers...

Beers were fine and $4 a pop. Food is mostly standard fare pub grub. Personal pizzas, quesadillas burgers but dig this, our waitress hit us with the specials which were this side of Emeril fancy. I opted for the Jalapeno burger. A bit red for my tastes, but good. Hell...it's a friggin' burger. If you expect it to rape your tongue, what can I tell ya?

Brewskie selection looked quite impressive but they were out of two of the offerings which were wheat and something else illegible. On tap was an IPA, Pale, an Oktoberfest and a Scotch, a porter a stout (cask conditioned) and a barleywine and a few others that escape my pad & paper-less brain. Not too shabby, especially for beer dearth Florida.

***UPDATE*** Tonite they had an IPA, Porter, Pale Ale, Barleywine, Weizenbock, and a few others. Nice!***

Tamba Bay Brewing Company (TBBC.com) gets a well deserved nod as a must hit in the area. It's easy to find too. A solid poker hand 4 straight! Could you bring your Mom here? Yes. This place is a bit on the relaxed side, but Mom friendly. Go for it! Go here for good beer! The porter is American and good as anywhere and this stems from an idiot who hates to hear those liars say "The porter is good." It really is good!

Prices are darn near cheap!

Last call: Tampa is friggin' lucky to have such a good brewpub. I am jealous! Good beer, good food, good vibe! In the name of BA...cheers!

04-04-2006 03:43:22 | More by blitheringidiot

ecoboy

Rhode Island

3.93/5  rDev -4.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4

A brewpub with 12 of their own on tap, and a dozen worthy out-of-towners also available on draft. Together with New World Brewery around the corner and up two blocks, this brewpub should make Ybor City a BA magnet.

Two levels of food, beer, brewing equipment, TV's, games, glass, wood and style. No surprises. The decor rests firmly between the hey-it's-just-a-pub and bring-Grandma-and-she-won't-be-put-off. Visited twice, once for after-dinner drinks and once for lunch and enjoyed the lunch vibe on a weekday very much. Football is so big in Florida, I would suggest avoiding for any non-sports fan when the Bucs (or Florida or Miami or ...) are playing. Bartender was wearing a Doug Johnson uni for Monday Night Football, if that tells you something. Service was ready to answer questions and I even saw the brewer come out and talk to some vacationing beer fans.

Very full menu of fine choices that cover a. expected pub food b. expected Florida food (Cubans, Grouper) and some c. fine dining (mmmm. coconut shrimp.) Beers ranged from disappointingly just OK (pale, scotch) to outstanding (hey guys, keep making the Wedding Celebration!) to scary (Moose Killer was avoided both visits. Check out the abv on that monster!)

11-29-2003 18:30:04 | More by ecoboy