USA, FL: Tampa Bay Brewing Co. expands its market

Tampa Bay Brewing Co., which has been making handcrafted beer and ale for 16 years, will begin selling beyond the four walls of its Ybor City pub, Tampabay.com reported on November, 5.

After tripling its onsite capacity to 2,500 barrels a year, the family-owned microbrewery signed a distribution deal with Pepin Distributing for Hillsborough County with plans to spread quickly to adjoining counties.

"We think we'll have enough production capacity to sell around our hometown Tampa Bay area," said brewmaster David Doble, whose partners include his parents, Vicki and John Doble.

The first 78 kegs of his popular Old Elephant Foot IPA were scheduled to start flowing on November, 6 as drafts at 20 bay area restaurants and bars ranging from Datz Deli to the Pour House in Channelside. Other selections from the pub's menu of 19 beers will funnel through the lineup.

By Christmas the Dobles plan to have their brews in 16-ounce cans sold in supermarkets and liquor stores at $10 per four-pack.

The brewery also will sell 13.2-gallon plastic kegs at wholesale prices — $145, or less for smaller quantity containers — for orders called in but not delivered.

The Dobles have had plenty of local rivals making craft beer, including Cigar City Brewing, Cold Storage Brewing, Saint Somewhere, and Dunedin Brewery, which now sells kegs, but not bottles through other retailers.

10 November, 2011