The beer community in Tampa is really growing and I must say with some exceptional speed. In the two years since I've been here, beer availability has increased, beer bars are popping up and beer enthusiasts are emerging from their quiet homes of drinking alone or in small groups. It's okay fellow beer advocates, come out and don't be afraid. Can I get an "AMEN!"
Last week over thirty of us gathered at Oldsmar Taphouse for the second of what promises to be a regular meeting of beer advocates. The premise is simple, bring beer, drink and enjoy. My fellow beer aficionados and I enjoyed what must have been close to 100 beers. Now, before you think this is anti-alcoholics anonymous meeting, we didn't drink them all. We tasted them, about 2-3 ounce pours. Okay, sure when added together it's no small amount of beer, but you get the point. My fellow traders brought some real gems. I can say now I've tasted at least five of the top ten rated beers in the world. I'll have to write more about my feelings on this later on as I'm not sure what all the hype is about in some of these beers. Others, yeah - I've seen the light.
It was a laughter filled afternoon (especially the later it got) and I have met some really great people at these meetings. Some of them actually read my site...yikes! You all really must be bored at work. Anyway, in some conversations I was encouraged to see the beer culture of Tampa growing in this community. A few people are rooting for me to realize my dream, and that means a lot for someone who gets disillusioned like I do. Our next meeting will be in December and we might do a theme, we'll see. Regardless, I have some trades to make to find some fun stuff to bring to the group.
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