TBBC

Some people might take the weekend after a trip from Tampa to MPLS and back to rest…not me.

This weekend I decided to drive down to Tampa early Saturday afternoon to check out the Tampa Bay Brewing Company (TBBC).  (Website:http://www.tampabaybrewingcompany.com)  I arrived at the brewery around 12:07pm and instantly fell in love.  It’s located in an area of Tampa known as Ybor, which has an old-school feel that you can tour on a rail car (it’s pretty cool).  The restaurant itself is kinda hard to find because it’s hidden behind an open-air bar that is open year-round (if patrons can handle the heat…on this day…they could not).

When you walk in, you immediately notice their brewing area.  It reminds me of a Granite City-type restaurant where they showcase the tall steel vessels, but it’s more of a lounge/hipster type hang-out.  They have everything you (or at least I) would want in a brewery.  They have 10 full time beers including several Ales and a solid Stout.  They have seasonal beers.  They have a weekly cask beer. And they have great food.  Now, I plan on coming back to this place almost every weekend while I’m down here so on this visit, I decided to stay away from the food.  Trust me, I’ll have a post that’s all about the food in a couple weeks…I won’t be able to stay away from their “Burger Bomb” which is ½ pound of ground beef, onion rings, bacon, cheddar, French fries…all wrapped in pizza dough…It might be too much for my limbic system to handle.

The first thing I ordered was the beer sampler and I would be remised if I didn’t chronicle my two favorite beers:  Old Elephant I.P.A was my favorite…obviously.  It was hoppy and hit me in the face with its bitterness…it wasn’t my favorite IPA ever…but it was close.  My other favorite, however, was Jack the Quaffer London Porter which had wwaaaayy more flavor than I’ve had in other porters…there was even a little chocolate in it!

This place also has a ton of regulars.  They all know each other and have their own mugs etc., and they’re all really friendly.  On this day, I was more than happy to keep to myself at the bar and enjoy the beers and food, but as I sat there, I began to hear a conversation that I couldn’t avoid.  Down the bar a little ways I heard a woman yell “I CANNOT STAND TOM BRADY!!”  I looked over to see 3 people hashing out their favorite (and apparently least favorite) sports teams and players. Now I’ve had a strong dislike for Brady since he led the Patriots on that 35 yard game winning drive against the Rams…and was subsequently compared with every great QB ever.  It’s at this moment that I dove in and had a great conversation about Brady, my journey to Bucs fandom, and South Dakota which included tidbits like:

Bar Patron (with a condescending tone in her voice): “You’re from South Dakota? Where’s that?”

Me (purposely being a smartass): “Below North Dakota.”

After a few more conversations, it is no exaggeration to say that I was incredibly happy with everything this place had to offer.

After a few more beers, some of the patrons got a little boisterous about Hurricane Irene and how North Easterners were freaking out about a Category 1 storm.  One in particular began to yell about how they (the New Englanders) need to “just suck it up and have a ‘Hurricane Party.’” She was hammered so I didn’t provoke her much about how 1 blizzard down here would up-end their world (just like a hurricane in an area of the country that doesn’t normally get hurricanes…like say…New York?).

Overall I had a great time down in Tampa.  On my way back to Citrus County, I drove by Raymond James Stadium and thought about going in for the pre-season game against Miami.  I decided not to waste my first experience with the pirate ship on a pre-season match-up…

That's all for the weekend that was!  See ya Tuesday