I was so excited to have won tickets from Yelp for this event! You cannot beat an evening of craft…read morebeers and chili. Plus, the cold Florida weather was perfect for chili. The chili cook off was formerly known as the "Steve Otto Chili Cook Off." Steve Otto, has since retired and has given his blessing for the event to be renamed as the "Big Guava Chili Cook Off." We got to the event right as it started and everything ran smoothly with checking into will call. The craft beer sampling was included with the tickets but the chili sampling was not. Tickets to sample the chili were only $10, so we didn't mind. There were also some food trucks at the event but I wanted chili to warm me up in this weather. There were several different tents set up with craft beers to sample provided by Pepin Distributing. A couple of my favorites were the Widmer Bros Beers and the Goose Island Beers. There were many tents set up with chili being served. It was so hard to choose which was the best out of all of them. I also liked that there were chairs and some tables throughout Curtis Hixon. I hate to eat standing up! Live Music was provided by Easy Posse and Amanda Drake and the Barnburners. The music was predominantly country music...yuck. Thus, the reason for the four stars.. Curtis Hixon was not overcrowded, for once. The amount of people there was perfect. This definitely was a no-frills event. This was a fun event. I will definitely make time to schedule this event in my social calendar every year!

Great concept and yummy chili. Chili ran out early, but $10 unlimited samples was a great deal. The…read moretwo bands were awesome and played great music. I give two stars because Craft beer was not local, which is disappointing since Tampa has so many great breweries. Also, it was $20 to get a five 4 oz samples of the same beer I can buy at the market across from the event or at the bar across the street and get more than 16oz. I didn't care for the voting. It was determined by how much tasters donated money to the specific competitors. The teams that won had great booth designs and gave out free shots, but the chili was not the best there. It felt more of a popularity contest instead of based on the art of making chili. The teams with the best chili ran out early because it was so good but majority of the public didn't get to experience it, so they didn't get votes. :(

Bloody day in English expression is a bad day. However, we are in the Bloody Mary festival and the…read moreparty is on. Thanks to a friend provide the tickets that we can attend this festival. We are excited to attend this event with a group of yelpers. The event certainly have many vendors some of them try to impress, some doing the right thing and some just have plain Bloody Mary. The ticket include one free drinks and all sample. Music playing at the big stage and all the food trucks are hugging along the area. I like the setting in Curtis Hixon Park to hold the event with Hillsborough River in the Back Drop. I certainly have too many Bloody Mary in one day. I have tried them all and I like the Ella's, Datz, Acropolis, and Roux. Some of them are spicy for my wife. At the end of the day I have wonderful time since we have a group went to this event. Love the event when you have a wonderful time. We went on the riverwalk with solo musician playing at the background.

Yet another cool event in the awesome Riverfest - this isn't a political statement, but Buckhorn is…read morea great mayor just for getting all this cool stuff off the ground. Hopefully this is an annual tradition for the Bloody Mary throwdown - local food institutions (think Datz, Roux, etc) line up to give away free samples of everyone's favorite breakfast booze. They're competing for the prize of "Best in the Bay" moniker, and after samples, you vote via text message on your mobile phone. Some places really brought it, a few just showed up with minimal fanfare and bland beverages, but by and large it was a good time. The other non-Mary-themed setups could have been a little more efficient, and the only place allowed to sell bottled water was the DRINKS TENT with a 200-people deep line. But overall it was a good positive experience. The best part, of course, is that watching hipsters drink before noon means you get to watch drunk hipsters dance poorly to Top 40 Hits at around 1pm. As a professional day drinker, I was unfazed - watching twentysomethings with handlebar mustaches try a Mick Jagger strut was worth every penny and I would definitely recommend it.

Once again we were privileged to start off Tampa Bay Beer Week with the Florida Brewers Guild…read moreBeerfest. What was different this year is that it was hosted at Centennial Park instead of Centro Ybor. What this meant - same number of people, smaller area. Much colder. With gates opening at 1:30, my friends and I popped into line 45 minutes before - and the line was already wrapped around the park. We were waiting across from James Joyce before the line started to move. Fortunately for me, with my last name in the first table, I made it in and got to sample 4 beers before my friends even got in, and I was being patient. Now below is what I can remember, given that things got fuzzier the longer the event went. -Big Storm Arcus IPA. Later we went back for the Oats In Hose Oatmeal Stout, which was nice. Wish we would have gone for the Firestorm Black IPA -Barley Mow IPA. Right up front, so they got a lot of traffic, and was a nice, hoppy IPA -Engine 15 Hoppy Session and Saison. Great hoppy flavor from the session, did not care for the Saison. -Mile Marker Palm Beach Coconut Porter. Please note these guys aren't actually from the Keys, which confused me. What wasn't confusing was the subtle coconut aftertaste of their porter. Their Nutbrown was also really nice. -Big Bear Black Bear Stout. Delicious Chocolate Stout. Was like drinking chocolate. -Green Room Count Shakula Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. Delicious. Supposedly they make a Thin Mint version. -Intuition Ale Works. I remember their beers being good, but their employees being Awesome. I would go to Jacksonville solely because of this brewery. But this was still a great event. Everyone sees someone they know, or makes new friends. People are polite as everyone stumbles from one tasting to another.

Thanks to Yelp, I got to attend the Spring Beer Fling with VIP tickets! The venue was moved to the…read moreColiseum due to rain and as Brian M mentioned, there was no liquor available. Regardless, the beer vendors showed up and served us some good beers. The pours were full pours and not samples which proved to be quite filling. GA tickets offered admission while beers cost mostly $6 each. VIP was unlimited full pours of all beers. There were bounce houses outside which were soaked and sitting in a massive puddle when we arrived (I stayed from about 2-6pm). Festival goers still enjoyed the fun despite the rain and gloomy conditions. Several food trucks were also there, including pizza, sushi burritos, BBQ, and more. The Gypsy Junque bus/store was a very interesting vendor! The bands were great! I enjoyed No Need a lot but I was sad to have missed Rusted Root. We enjoyed the VIP area upstairs which had clean bathrooms and many places to sit. The lighting was really spectacular!! I want that ambiance in my own home!! Overall a great day and I really truly appreciated the Yelp tickets that I was able to win!!

We had a great time at Spring Beer Fling festival 2016! We were a little dissapointed that they…read morechanged venues last minute from Vinoy park to Coliseum and didn't offer liquor as originally advertised because the coliseum doesn't have a liquor license, but the selection of brews was excellent and we were glad not to get caught in the thunderstorms going on in the earlier part of the day. General Admission tickets were $20 and offered admission to the venue with craft brews costing mostly $6 each. VIP tickets were $95 and included admission, access to the VIP areas, and unlimited full pours of brews. With full pours, 8 bars, and 2 bartenders per bar at the most there was only a one person line at all times of the day. The event was very well staffed and there was virtually no wait for drinks which usually isn't the case for these festivals. The coliseum venue offered incredible lighting effects and more than enough space for all the patrons. The acoustics were great and the place only got really packed for the finale w rusted root. We enjoyed live music by  Rusted Root, The Broadcast, NoNeed, Four Star Riot, Luxury Mane, Logan Grant,The Johnny Zoom Hi-Fi Show playing from 230PM-945PM! Breweries represented included: 3 Daughters Brewing,Big Storm Brewing Co., Sea Dog Brewing Co. - Clearwater, Coppertail Brewing Co, Magic Hat Brewing Company, Tampa Bay Brewing Company,Pair O' Dice Brewing, Goose Island, SweetWater Brewing Company, Bold City Brewery Due to the rain and change of venue, the number of inflatables and beer gardens were scaled back. Outside, there were 2 bars, 4 food trucks, a big tent, 2 inflatable obstacle courses, a jousting ring, and an inflatable basketball court. I also attended Spring Beer Fling in 2014 in Curtis Hixon Park downtown Tampa. In comparison, there were way more bars this year, way more brewers, more staff, and more inflatables. I am impressed with the progression of this festival and the planning put in by big city events to make this event bigger and better every year. I look forward to coming again next year!

We had such a great time at the 2018 Clearwater uncorked. Tickets are a little pricey but totally…read moreworth it. There is tons of beer wine and food. Loved watching the food demonstration's and also learning about wine pairing. Can't beat that it's right on Clearwater Beach, gorgeous views. Lots of local wineries from around Tampa Bay and also restaurants. VIP section is worth it it's a nice place that you can go and chill out with not a lot of people. If you don't like crowds I highly suggest not coming because there are a ton of people that come to this event, you will be waiting in line to try samples. Lots of public parking around, most places charge but nothing outrageous. This was my first year coming and I would definitely come back again next year. A fun event if you are a wine lover and a foodie!

I have to say I am extremely disappointed in the execution of this event. I have been to several…read morefood and wine festivals and this one is just lacking. Yes, it was raining but that didn't detour my mood. I was ready for a good time but realistically was expecting more of a crowd due to the fact we would all be under one tent. I purchased the VIP tickets which after fees cost me $107 per person. What was offered in the vip tent was a joke. There were two additional drink stations and four booths with snacks/food. Not worth an additional $50 per person! On to the general admission tent, not enough vendors, not enough variety. I was expecting to taste some wonderful cuisine from the Clearwater area. I found it to be more like samples from your local grocer. I expect wine to be paired with cheese and snacks, so I get that aspect of it but there was literally only two restaurants there representing. There was no organization in regards to vendor lines, just all chaos. Would I return? Nope.

This is my 3rd year attending this event and the price has gone up, but to me it's so worth the…read moremoney now. Excellent variety of food from popular (Outback, Dirty Taco, Flames Indian) and not so popular but trying to get exposure (Chicken Salad Chick, for example) and I ate at every vendor they had and didn't have one bad taste the whole day. The trick is to get there early because vendors will give away all they have and sometimes it goes fast. Lots of drinks too, plenty of alcohol options and then there's the silly insurance and cell phone vendors sprinkled throughout. Loved the way they split up the vendors, front is hot and sunny, and back yard is shaded and more comfy with plenty of tables and chairs, they always need more trashcans, the band in front was perfect and the DJ was killing it on the back lawn area. Will go again just to see who is new and coming up with delicious tastes in my area...

Taste of South Tampa was an awesome event!! I have been wanting to go for years and finally…read moreremembered to buy tickets! I purchased VIP tickets for $75 which was totally worth it. GA tickets were $50 but the VIP ticket got you access to an air conditioned inside area with additional and higher end food tastings, bathrooms, and VIP bags. Our VIP bags included a $25 gift card to a local restaurant that I love among many other freebies. The restaurants definitely brought their best items to the tasting as they are competing for the tasters votes for best in three categories: best drinks, best food and best VIP restaurants. I can't wait until next year!

John LoScalzo is an amazing chef who puts together delicious creations using beers from Cigar City…read more There are generally 4 courses: a protein dish, an egg/potato dish, a salad, and the best dish of all - the French Toast!! All food is served buffet style, and each brunch ticket includes 1 beer ticket, which can be used for the featured beer or any CCB-brewed beer in the tasting room. Eggs & Kegs is held monthly on the 3rd Sunday and is an event not to be missed!

This is a fantastic pop-up brunch series that happens once a month at Cigar City Brewing. Tickets…read morealways go fast but they are well worth snagging. The food is delicious and you will never leave hungry! Cheers to John & his team for such a well-executed monthly event.

Creative Loafings Beer Fest was held at Glazer Children's Museum in Downtown Tampa where you can…read moreplay like a kid while drinking like an adult! We could choose from 95 craft beer varieties from 40 local and national breweries, interact with playful and exciting Glazer exhibits, enjoy amazing views of downtown Tampa, purchase tasty food from SaltBlock Catering Co, and had fun taking pictures in the photo booth by Premier Photo Booths of Tampa. There were 3 floors of fun and the breweries were very well spread out. There was a ton of people at beer fest but the lines were less than 3 minutes to get drinks.