Tampa Bay brews up a craft beer storm

WHILE Britain enjoys its own craft beer revolution, thirsty travellers on a quest for liquid inspiration while on holiday stateside are in for a treat in #Tampa Bay, #Florida, which has established itself as one of the US’s most influential #craftbeer destinations. In its most recent ranking, USA Today named Tampa Bay the Number 2 beer city in the country. It has more than two dozen breweries and craft brewpubs. 

Patrick Harrison, VP of Marketing and Communications at Visit Tampa Bay, says: ‘There was a time that holidaying ale aficionados looked down their noses at American beers, but once you taste Cigar City's award-winning Jai Alai, Coppertail Brewing Company's aromatic Freedive IPA, or Ulele's mixed berry fruit “wedding” beer, you will instantly understand why along with sunshine as a backdrop, our local artisan beer maestros have positioned Tampa Bay as one of the most exciting places on the world's craft beer scene.’

Beer runs through Tampa Bay's veins: the state's first brewery opened there; the man who brought cigars to Tampa Bay, Don Vincente Martinez Ybor, founded one of the oldest breweries in the USA, the Ybor City Brewing Company in 1896; and Columbia, Florida's oldest restaurant and the largest Spanish restaurant in the world, began as a corner saloon serving beer in Ybor City.

The region's sub-tropical climate has played a leading role in Tampa Bay's fast-growing craft beer movement and its international accolades. Capitalizing on local flavours, some beers were created to quench the adventurous appetite of visitors. Summer months bring cucumber concoctions or orange peel infusions. Pumpkin spices or pine aromas infuse the beers during autumn.

All craft breweries have free tours and tasting rooms, and the Tampa Bay Brew Bus offers a one-stop-hop experience ($55/£35.60 for a 5-hour ride) touring the top bars and breweries and enjoying tastings along the way. Their 14-, 22- and 33-passenger buses can also be hired privately for small groups (from $40/£25.90 pp).

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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