On the road
Cigar City Brewing
Rob’s bachelor party weekend was coming to an end. The guys were packed up and waiting for a cab ride to the airport for their early afternoon flights.
“What are you going to do?” was the question everyone asked me.
Unlike everyone else, my flight wasn’t for another 8 hours. “I’m going to head over to Cigar City Brewing.” I made plans with their cab driver, Tavaris, to come back and be my driver for the day.
“No problem boss.”
I wished my friends a safe trip and took a short walk over to The Bricks for lunch. I ordered a bird and pig — roasted chicken, bacon, brie, apple and agave nectar on pressed Hawaiian sweet bread with a side of Asian slaw and an iced tea. It was the best thing I had eaten all weekend. I made a call to Tavaris and he picked me up within ten minutes. On the way over, Tavaris told me the story of how him and his friend were involved in a shootout with another driver on some highway. He ended his story with, “We lead them to an exit where we knew the police would be so then they stopped chasing us.”
We made it to CCB without incident.
“I’ll call you around 6:30 and then we can head over to the airport.”
“No problem boss.”
Upon entering, I asked Billy, the tasting room manager, about having a tour of the brewery. Unfortunately, I had visited on one of two days in which tours aren’t offered. I was bummed but I was happy to take a seat at the bar and drink what CCB had to offer. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every beer — Cafe Americana Double Stout, Experiment #05256, Florida Cracker, Invasion Pale Ale, Stiftung Berliner-Weisse, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie brown Ale, Jose Marti Common Porter, Guava Grove Sour. However, Cafe Americana Double Stout, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie brown Ale and Guava Grove Sour were the standouts.
According to Zeus, my bartender for the afternoon, Cafe Americana Double Stout was intended to be Marshal Zhukov, a Russian Imperial Stout of theirs that is 11% ABV. However, it underattenuated and instead of dumping it, the brewer “messed” around with it. The result is a 9.2 % ABV stout that is rich with fudge and coffee notes. It was absolutely delicious and my favorite beer of the day. Zeus told me that it was a one time offering, as the brewer is not quite sure how he made it. I considered myself lucky.
Oatmeal raisin is by far my favorite cookie; so imagine the look on my face when I saw Oatmeal Raisin Cookie brown ale (ABV: 5.5%) on tap. CCB nailed it with this one. Cinnamon and vanilla notes upfront in the flavor with raisin notes and spices in the finish and hints of toasted bread.
Guava Grove Sour (ABV: 8.0%) was the first beer I ordered because I have been interested in sour beers lately. This is one of the best sours I have had the pleasure of drinking. Luckily, Cigar City plans to bottle Guava Grove Sour which is great because people outside of Tampa Bay will have the opportunity to try this one out for themselves. Hopefully I can track down a bottle myself once it’s released because it’s worth it.
My time at CCB was coming to a close. I texted Tavaris.
My phone is about to die. Come by at 6:30. Thanks.
I asked Zeus for one last Cafe Americana and a CCB snifter with the red logo. I took my time with that last Cafe Americana knowing that I would never have the chance to drink it again. I took a final sip and wished Zeus farewell with a handshake.
I went outside and sat on a park bench. Within five minutes, Tavaris pulled up. The windows were down and the sun was setting as we drove down George J. Bean Outbound Parkway towards the airport. My anxiety about having to fly had subsided for the moment. I thought about that weekend and was glad I made the trip down to celebrate the fact that my friend was soon to be married.
Tavaris dropped me off and I thanked him again for everything.
“No problem boss.”
