Tuesday nights at Tap 42 are like Friday nights most other places; the bar is packed and tables are full. But beer lovers this night take to the back half of the restaurant to linger over goblets and tulips of unique and rare treats from the brewery on Tampa Bay: Cigar City Brewing.
Organized by Tap 42's resident craft beer director, Lauren Bowen, the event brings some coveted beers to the South Florida market.
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On tap offerings include Cafe Con Leche Sweet Stout (which kicked only an hour into the event; it was very popular), Blueberry Muffin Brown Ale (aromas of blueberry and cocoa with a sweet kick and an almost oatmeal raisin finish), Cucumber Lager (you like cucumbers, right? It's appealing to the vegetable crowd), and an amazing Chocolate Graham Cracker Brown Ale (cocoa and distinct graham cracker taste and smell with just the right amount of body, not too thin nor too cloying).
The Cigar City reps are armed with handfuls of bright orange koozies for the swag-hungry crowd. Upon closer examination, they are emblazoned with 'South Florida Apology Tour 2013', in Dolphins colors. Yep, CCB wants to make sure you know they're sorry for not having enough beer for our ravenous appetite.
Local rep for the brewery, Phil Palmisano, explained it further.
"We wanted to come out and say that this beer shortage on our part was not a foreseen event, and we decided to go personal and show that we understand what's going on in the marketplace right now in South Florida with our beers."
So, as a way to show their support for the beer enthusiasts, the brewery wanted to make certain this tap takeover at the Fort Lauderdale hotspot went down especially well.
"We like to call them 'spotlight' events rather than tap takeovers," Phil continued. "I think it helps open up the regular consumer's mind to thinking outside the box when it comes to beer; that's a core feature of our brand.
"[These events] may introduce newcomers to new beer styles, and also reward the beer geeks with special one-off releases."
Those specials are what brought many of the beer lovers out, like Eddie and Eve from Boca Raton.
"We love Cigar City," they said. Being craft beer enthusiasts, they follow the local breweries and try to come out to events at least once a month.
"Funky Buddha always has something interesting," Eddie added.
Even though this particularly delicious event is over, there's more on the horizon for the Florida-based brew house.
"Coming up," Phil teased, "There'll be a 'golden ticket' type event in the area [undecided at this point where these will take place] to guarantee the winners of those tickets the opportunity to secure two bottles of barrel aged Hunahpu without having to wait in line or camp out or anything like that. Keep an eye on Facebook and the brewer's blog for that."
Oh we will.
However, if the thought of waiting in anticipation for the next Cigar City event drives you to anxiety, you can make plans right now for Tap 42's upcoming Breckenridge takeover on June 27th at 7pm, featuring a one time only firkin of Blueberry Muffin Top Vanilla Porter. Come hungry and, most of all, come thirsty.
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