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.

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.

Fun event in Safety Harbor right by the water. Beautiful location. $15 to get in, you receive beer…read moresamples, but the food and other beer you had to purchase. There were vendors as well, clothing, decor, food. They ran out of the beer samples at the end, which was the purpose of my visit but I did get there late so that was my fault. They also had live music which was very cool. I expected better options for beer at the beer truck but unfortunately they had limited options. There were several food trucks that had burgers and other options so there was good variety for the burgers. The Slider truck was the winner of the voting and Flying boat won the beer vote but I didn't get a chance to taste their beer.

Pretty good event at a wonderful location, but it wasn't without its missteps…read more This is the second annual Safety Harbor Beer & Burger Throw Down event, so it seems a little odd to me that the event staff was not 100% prepared for the day. So let's start with the bad. First off, I can't think of anything that makes people piss faster than beer, except Mountain Dew, so for there to only be one set of restrooms seemed borderline cruel. There definitely needs to be some portable Johns setup somewhere on site because the lines were really long, especially for the ladies. In the corporate world, we call this a "missed opportunity." Second, not sure how there can be a beer throw down with only 3 craft beer vendors. Crooked Thumb from Safety Harbor was there along with Backdrafts Brewing, who won the beer competition. I couldn't see the name of the 3rd brewery due to the position of their banner, which was covered by folks standing in line. There was also a keg truck selling Sierra Nevada, Oskar Blues and Bell's, and because it was the first beer vendor people would see upon entering, they had the longest line all day. That truck and Crooked Thumb were the only vendors that didn't run out of beer by 6 PM. Lastly, someone thought it would be a brilliant fucking idea for the DJ to be 50 paces from the live music stage. So from where we were sitting in the "VIP" tent, it sounded like pure shit. Left ear, pop music. Right ear, live rock cover songs. Absolutely terrible planning. Now for the good. There were only 8 burger vendors setup at the event, and at first I thought it was not going to be enough, but they proved me wrong. They were busy the entire time, and with the corn dog, potato tornado and sausage vendors there, it all worked out really well. I absolutely loved the fact that all of the vendors were offering sliders for $3 in addition to their full-sized burgers. When I'm out a tasting event like this, I crave samples and not full meals. It's a brilliant idea, and I've always wondered why food trucks do not do this at food truck rallies. So kudos to the staff for getting that right. Eats! American Grill won the burger competition, though my favorite was the Frybread burger (Navajo burger) served up by Bilagáana's. Truly unique and new to this region of the U.S. VIP tent staff, Crooked Thumb and Eats! were on point in the hospitality area. Steven kept the guttersnipes out, despite their repeated attempts to get in, Crooked Thumb kept us sufficiently lubricated with their Amber Ale and IPA pours and Eats! kept the burgers steady flowin'. Overall, I really enjoyed the event. The venue was perfect, the weather cooperated and the food and beers were great. Suggestions for next year, separate the DJ from the band, add port-a-potties, throw in some more beer vendors and make sure they bring enough brew to last for the entire event. Maybe even separate the burger vendors from each other too. Having them all in one row caused for confusion as to what lines were going where.

I have been to both years this event has been held and it is always a good time. I was lucky this…read moreyear to be in VIP out of the sun and also with unlimited free drinks. There were many food options and it wasn't too crowded early in the day. It was just entirely too hot. There were several beer selections and the cocktails were made with Deep Eddy Vodka. Yes, the name is a bit peculiar but the drinks were good. Bands were good and music wasn't too obnoxiously loud. Spring Beer Fling is a good time and another great reason to get together with friends and remember why we love Tampa and Curtis Hixon Park. Bring sunscreen!! Thanks Yelp, Brett, and Katie for my tickets!

This year, they decided at last minute to move the event from Vinoy park (on the water), to the…read morecoliseum. They decided due to weather, stating 70-80% chance of rain. The worst chance of rain according to weather forecast was 50%, but today (Friday before vent) sites are showing lower, one as low as 20%. At worst, it looks like there will be sporadic storms. The coliseum is a nice place, but it is no where near big enough for beer events, plus food, plus concerts. It will be cramped and loud......plus it is not a view of the water as Vinoy park has. I contacted Groupon (where I bought tickets) as well as the company through Facebook (Ticketf.ly). Groupon does not grant refunds for this type of change.....even though the tickets I bought clearly stated one venue vice another. When I asked Ticketf.ly on Facebook about a refund, they were kind enough to delete the post. I would recommend that anyone avoid tickets.ly, clearly they sold one thing, and intend to deliver another. We have 2 tickets at $17 each, so will not financially hurt us, but bait and switch is not acceptable. The event may be OK with a different coordinator, but done with tickets.ly. Give a refund when you change an event!

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.

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!

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...

Why 5 stars? Because this is was the end-all, be-all for beer…read more --- --- --- There's no better place to be if you're a beer lover. WOW! I don't know if I could name one local brewery that wasn't at this festival... plus, there were many home brewers, and soon-to-be breweries here as well. What an amazing job on bringing the entire community together! I tried just about every non IPA at the festival, and briefly chatted with just about every brewer. I think the longest I ever waited in line was about 45 seconds. What a lovely change of pace compared to other popular beer festivals with long lines for each pour. I heard that the food situation was a bit rough, but luckily, I had just eaten before coming out. Regardless, I'm kicking myself for not knowing about this event until now. It's unbelievable, and I'll never miss it again.

I had a great time at this rare beer festival. So many great breweries were represented: Cigar…read moreCity, Terrapin, Darwin, Southern, Funky Buddha, Shipyard & Intuition Ale Works, just to name a few. But I have to say, my favorite beers tasted were from newcomer Croxbone, a ghost pepper beer which was spicy and intriguing, yet well balanced and an excellent mango saison. It was very nice in the Florida heat to attend an indoor festival at the Coliseum, and the crowd was enthusiastic but not rowdy. The live music was a nice touch as well. The three hour time period seemed a little on the short side but there was a VIP access option of an additional hour.