Cigar City Brewing Company

Reviews 25

CH

Chad Boggs

The most well-known brewery in the state of Florida, Cigar City Brewing has made a name for itself by constructing outlandish flavored beers that happen to taste delicious. They have made an annual holiday out of their infamous Hunahpu’s Day Release Party which is brewed once a year and only given out at the brewery. Hunahpu’s is an Imperial Stout that currently has 6 medals to its name and has a 100 rating from Ratebeer. I personally haven’t tasted this beer yet, but the simple fact that it is “hard to find” makes me want it even more. Cigar City’s website provides you with an up to date list of what is on tap at any given time in their tasting room. This is the same menu that shows up in the tasting room and it’s nice to see an up to date beer list at all times. Personally, I wish every brewery and craft beer bar would do the same. As you walk into the tasting room there are 2 separate bars you can order a beer at; between them is merchandise for sale as well as a cigar rolling station where you can also purchase appropriately aged cigars. Like the name of the brewery itself, I think the cigar station is an impeccable tribute to the roots of Tampa. Only a 45 minute drive from Lakeland, after my first visit to Cigar City I immediately had a new favorite brewery in Florida. On top of having 17 of their own beers on tap, they also had a few other beers from local breweries available. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable and even though the place seemed to be packed for a Saturday afternoon, everyone kept their cool and had time to hold friendly conversations with people while also pouring. It’s great to see breweries support other local breweries and Cigar City has made plenty of efforts to do just that. Any city would be lucky to have a brewery like Cigar City Brewing operating in its backyard, and Tampa is lucky enough to have them be here. Us Lakelanders also get to reap the rewards of having one of the best breweries in the nation within an hour’s drive of where we call home. If you haven’t yet had an opportunity to visit Cigar City Brewing, you are missing out on what has been one of the key components in putting Tampa (and all of Florida) on the map of the craft beer world. Spend an afternoon enjoying a few different flights and figure out which one of the many gold medal beers that Cigar City offers is your favorite. Even after tasting all of their awesome beers on tap which you can’t find for sale elsewhere, I still think the Jai Alai IPA is my favorite beer they make. Just one man’s opinion though… enjoy!

---

81

813 Magazine

Cigar City’s Jai Alai IPA is arguably their best-known brew; crisp and bold with delightful citrus and pine notes, it’s an excellent example of what an India pale ale should be. But Jai Alai—a nod to the sport that was hugely popular among Tampa’s Hispanic population from the 1950s to the 1970s—is only the beginning. Their Humidor series features brews aged on Spanish cedar or cedrela, the same wood traditionally used to make cigar boxes. Their Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout is one of the few beers with a near-perfect rating on BeerAdvocate. And they’ve recently expanded into ciders and meads. The brewery lives in a cozy former police building in Ybor where in the early days of the Spanish American War Teddy Roosevelt would have stabled his horses. Rumors that Cigar City was going to be sold to mega-conglomerate Anheuser Busch-InBev earlier this year ultimately proved untrue, but the brewery did change hands in 2016, selling controlling interest to a Colorado craft brewer and becoming part of a collective called United Craft Brews LLC. Cigar City’s owners have said they made the deal because they were out of production space and they’ve promised Tampa beer lovers will see few changes.

---

PY

Pyra-Danny V

This was one of my first local breweries and I KNOW I picked an excellent one. It’s actually a bright place with chattering people (not dimly lit with sports television being the main draw)—technically it’s a big ‘tasting room.’ So go sample!!! There’s a couple dozen choices above the bar and it’s up to YOU to write down what four you want before handing it to the bartender. This really makes the service faster. (The ‘paddles’ holding the samples are brilliant btw! Easy to carry yourself without spilling anything) I think four 5oz samples for about $7. Although normally crowded, I haven’t seen any skanky drunks. With many also carrying those sample paddles, it really feels like I’m part of a huge tasters’ event.

---

MI

Mike e

First off I was an avid drinker of Jai Alai. Thought I would stop in and try the oak barrel Jai alai. Got a flight of different beers. The fat female bartender with the double bun on her head waited on me. She had the personality of a pimple. Wanted to try a sample of one of the beers and gave me about 1/4 of a sip. $10 for a flight, the equivalent of 1 beer? The sour beers were actually very sour spoiled flavor and undrinkable. On the way out I asked the bartender of the bar by the door if they had oak barrel Jai alai in cans, and he just said NO. The employees that work there are Asses. I would not ever go back there and now think twice before I but any CCB beers. Good luck losers!

---

SA

Sarah W

We were in town for the weekend and stopped by on Saturday afternoon for a tour. We were told to stand at the end of a long line and purchase a glass from the bartender for the tour. Someone came through the line, counted us off, and told us we would be in the 2:00 tour. We stood in line for almost 20 minutes, and when we got to the front of the line, we were told that the tour was full and that we would have to wait for the 3:00 tour. We requested to speak to the manager and were told to find "Neil". After being blown off by 3 staff members we eventually left - disappointing waste of an afternoon, and Not worth your time.

---

NA

Nate Mosley

This establishment lets people bring their dogs into the tasting room. While we were there our child was very nearly mauled by a german shepherd. I understand that for many bringing dogs to the bar is considered part of a welcoming atmosphere. However, the bar has no way of knowing each animals personality before it walks through the door. The owners may want to consider breed restrictions. We were fortunate to leave without incident but the next patron may not be so lucky. The beer is fantastic though. 5/5 on beer but 1/5 for the experience.

---

MA

Matthew Ollson

Had an awful experience with "Nicole" from the tasting room. I went in on Friday and purchased 3, 6 packs of Guayabera and 1 of the 3 was totally off. I called to complain when "Nicole" answered the phone and ruined my entire opinion of Cigar City. I was "transferred" 3 times and every person who answered had no idea why I was being transferred to them. Nicole was extremely aggressive, rude and completely unhelpful. I will not being giving Cigar City any of my business anymore.

---

RA

Randy Paul

I have been to many breweries, and so many only have very few options. This place has 15+ beers on tap. While running through the tap list, I found myself intrigued by so many beers that I ended up getting 4 completely different flights throughout my visit and was never disappointed. The tap room is great, the food trucks are great, and the beer is fantastic. I loved everything except for the name, but who really cares about the name when everything else is just so good.

---

ED

Eduardo Sato

In addition to the beers that do not need comments, the tour and the taproom are excellent. On my visit there were very pleasant surprises as Hunahpus 2014 available for consumption on the premises!

---

KY

Kyle Narkiewicz

Cigar City has good quality beers but this location needs a redesign of the interior badly. The layout is very awkward, the first bar is tiny and takes up valuable space that should really be used as the merchandise area. The back bar has too little seating. Paying for bar games, who does that? Lastly, I cannot believe they have vending machines with food and soda instead of a small kitchen for some short cuisine.

---

CH

Cheryl Tucciarone

Great, friendly staff. Oh...and the beer...AMAZING!!! Russell Breslow provided my son who just returned from Afghanistan and our family with a private tour of the brewery along with some other perks. It means so much to know there are incredible companies out there supporting our troops!! You guys are the best and we visit CCB for somd flights every time my son is home on leave!

---

NI

Nicole Evans

This is one of my FAVORITE craft breweries. The beers are wonderful, whether on tap or bottled/canned for distribution. I live 4 hours away but each visit is worth the time it takes to get there. The brewpub is just as great and both locations are pet friendly . Staff is knowledgeable attentive and helpful. Will be heading there again... hopefully once every month.

---

JO

Joseph Orallo

Awesome place !! Has an amazing tour and you get to keep the glass. The tour gives 3 decent sized servings of beer and their best selling one as well. The gift shop has bar which sells hand rolled cigars as well as plethora of touristy items to purchase from hats to shirts and some odds and ends. Overall a fun little micro brewery!! #jaxlocalvibes

---

CH

Christel Chen

We were there at December but we were not allowed to drink. They didn´t accept our german ID and our german driving license. The manager was watching over us to make sure we don´t nip from our friends. This was a little bit embarrassment for us - because we are all over thirty and don´t need to be handled like little kids

---

JO

Joseph LaCroix

Tour was informative, but the host rambled a bit too much about his life (and threw shade to the greatest quarterback of all time, which was weird.) This place is definitely worth visiting and the merch is great despite being pricey ($20 for a trucker hat). Friendly staff at the bar. Plenty of parking and easy to visit.

---

KE

Kent Meyer

I had the Florida Cracker... Wow... I have determined the only reason one would think this is a "Good Craft Brew" is because nobody in Florida knows how to brew. This was utterly disgusting. I taste microbrews all over the country and this truly hits a new low. Cigar City Brewing--You have failed.

---

AN

Andy Lee

Went on a tour with the family and had Rafael as our tour guide. Rafael did a great job, he gave us a great tour of the facility, and gave us some history and what Cigar City was trying to do in the future. Plenty of drinking throughout the tour, and was quite informational. Highly recommended!

---

SO

Sonny Del Monte

there is no rhyme or reason to the design of this place, wish it had a theme. cant see the front bar from the back bar so never know how busy it is. the selections need to vary some more instead of 50% ipas. bartenders are what keeps people coming back though, they are awesome.

---

CH

Christina Champagne

Did a tour here last week which was extremely informative on the process of beer making, their culture and how they started. It was also nice to taste their different core beers as well to learn what best goes with them!! Would recommend for any beer or history enthusiasts!

---

ZA

Zane Townsend

Victor our tour guide was very thorough and knowledgeable and of course quite humorous. Cigar City has some of the best brews for my palette, which is why I keep coming back for more. Take the time to come check them out in Tampa, taste away and enjoy great craft brews.

---

NE

Neil Natic

Went to Tampa to visit all the breweries in town and without a single doubt this is the best in the area. Every single beer i had was excellent. Only negative i have is the to-go bottle prices are a bit much. But hey... clearly people are paying it so charge on.

---

T

T Snyder

This is the best brewery in the southeast United states. They have a great talent for coming up with great combinations of flavors in the beer they create.the tasting room is the best place to try there new ideas. This placeis a must when you come to Tampa.

---

LI

Linda Navamuel

Did a brew tour, enjoyed the place and had a cigar at the end of the tour. Over all great vibe, the outside seating could be bigger but inside was pretty big from what we saw. Such a huge collection of beer to pick it gets overwhelming. Would come again

---

PH

Phillip Louden

Lots of choices of beer. Some exotic flavors and nice beers. No help from serving staff on selecting beers. Wanted to explore palate more but little guidance. Would also have liked to have been offered water with flight. Dog friendly

---

DO

Don Stugots

Craft beer made on site? Tours? Cigars being rolled as you order? This is like the mother ship calling me home. Get the apple pie cider, when they have it. Seriously, it will make you want to kick your best friend in the shin.

---

---

25 most recent searches

---

---

See also other insurance companies: