Tampa Bay Beer Week has been on my bucket list and this year we finally decided to take a quick day trip to enjoy some amazing craft beer on Florida’s West Coast. We had Ollie with us so we could only go for one day of the week-long craft beer extravaganza but it was definitely worth the trip.
Please note that there are events at several participating breweries all throughout Tampa Bay Beer Week and that we were only able to go for a single day to visit a few of the local craft beer spots.
Our journey started at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning when we loaded Ollie up and headed to our first stop of Tampa Bay Beer Week, Woven Water Brewing Company. After just over 3 hours on the road, it was time to start our craft beer tasting adventure.
Woven Water Brewing Company
Upon entering Woven Water, we were immediately impressed by the overall atmosphere and decor – it was busy but we managed to score a table for the three of us. Of course we had to try the crazy fusion sour that was released for Tampa Bay Beer Week 2023, a collab with
Untitled Art and let me tell you it was incredible.
Read Our Full Woven Water Brewing Company Review Here!
It was a bonus that Woven Water is kid-friendly and had no issue with us bringing Ollie, our 5-month old inside with us. After we tried 4 different beers and had some amazing seafood from Cousins Maine Lobster, it was time to hit our second stop of the trip!
Hidden Springs Ale Works
I’ve had more than 20 different beers from Hidden Springs and I had never been to the brewery! That all changed during Tampa Bay Beer Week when we finally got to visit the people behind some of the craziest sours ever made.
Read Our Full Hidden Springs Ale Works Review Here!
Hidden Springs Ale Works was definitely the busiest out of the 4 breweries we visited but we got our flight of 4 beers pretty quickly. Two of the beers we had were special releases for TBBW 2023 and the Burrito Day IPA was definitely our favorite. We were on a time-crunch as we still had two breweries to visit and the time was flying by so after our flight we walked to our next stop!
Magnanimous Brewing
When we entered Magnanimous Brewing we felt like we were transported into another world and we mean that in a good way. The vibes were chill even though it was extremely busy and being the last stop for beer we had to make it quick.
Read Out Full Magnanimous Brewing Review Here!
We only ordered two different beers, an IPA (Juice Lord) and a sour (Whiplash), both of which were really good and definitely worth going back when we have more time to visit to try out more of their beer. That being said, we quickly downed our beers and headed to our final stop which was a 30-minute drive across the bridge in Largo, Florida.
Arkane Aleworks
We finally made it to the last stop and honestly the reason we made it to Tampa Bay Beer Week 2023. I won the TBBW 2023 bottle release from Arkane Aleworks and decided that we would take a family road trip to pick up the bottles.
Keep in mind we did not drink at Arkane Aleworks this time around, we have been once before and it is fantastic. I ran in quick to get the four bottles I won which are:
- Unicorn Blood – Raspberry Key Lime Pie FL Weisse. A TBBW exclusive!
- Double Barrel Dessert Eagle (Fluffer) – Imperial Stout with Marshmallow & Peanut Butter.
- Womb Mates – Imperial Stout with Pistachio, Cinnamon, Marshmallow, & Vanilla. (Collaboration with Mortalis Brewing Company)
- Happy Snaccident – Imperial Stout with Chocolate Candies, Peanuts, Yogurt Covered Pretzels, Raisins, Dark Chocolate Chunks, & Almonds.
Once I had the bottles packed in the cooler, it was time to start the trek back home to West Palm Beach, Florida. We arrived back home around 10 p.m. and went right to bed as we had just had a long 12-hour craft beer adventure on the other coast of Florida.
Mena and I will definitely be going back to enjoy more of the Tampa Bay Beer Week festivities next year – we are planning to stay at least 3 nights so we can hit as many participating breweries as possible.
If you are ever in Tampa, Florida, please be sure to check out some of the amazing breweries that the area has to offer!
About Tampa Bay Beer Week
“TBBW created Tampa Bay Beer Week, which is a week-long celebration of the vibrant beer culture found throughout the Tampa Bay area. Tampa Bay Beer Week begins annually on the first Saturday of March and ends 8 days later. Since the inaugural Tampa Bay Beer Week in 2012, TBBW has hosted hundreds of events such as large-scale festivals, brewing competitions, charity events, and educational seminars.”
Website: Tampa Bay Beer Week
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Thank you for checking out our review of Tampa Bay Beer Week 2023! Do you have a favorite brewery in Tampa? What was your favorite beer from Tampa Bay Beer Week 2023? Comment below!