Cigar City Brewing, located in Tampa, Florida, is one of the largest and most well-known craft beer producers in the United States. Founded in 2009, Cigar City has become an icon in the craft beer community, producing a variety of beer styles ranging from IPAs and lagers to stouts, sours, and wood-aged beers.
Cigar City is best known for its flagship product, Jai Alai IPA, which showcases grapefruit and citrus hops flavors, as well as the popular Maduro Oatmeal Brown Ale, Guayabera Citra Pale Ale, and Florida Cracker White Ale.
The brewery also produces a variety of seasonal and limited-edition beers, and is currently one of the largest craft beer producers in the southeast. Cigar City beer is widely available in both kegs and cans throughout Florida and distributed to nearly 25 other states.
Is Cigar City Brewing independent?
Yes, Cigar City Brewing is an independent brewery. Established in 2009, in Tampa, FL, Cigar City is independently owned and operated by its founder and head brewer, Joey Redner. As an only independently-owned craft brewery in Tampa Bay, Cigar City produces a wide range of award-winning craft beers inspired by the culture, history and flavors of the Tampa Bay region.
Its 5-core beer offerings, Jai Alai IPA, Maduro Brown Ale, Florida Cracker White Ale, Invasion Pale Ale and Cuban Espresso, have helped revolutionize the craft beer industry and inspired an ever-changing portfolio of inspired new beers.
While Cigar City has grown beyond its Florida roots, the brewery remains true to its independent roots, adhering to a small-batch, limited-edition and award-winning ethos of craft beer production, innovation and quality control.
How much did Cigar City Brewing sell for?
In March 2021, Cigar City Brewing was acquired by the international brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) in a deal that amounted to approximately $220 million. Founded in Tampa, Florida in 2009, Cigar City Brewing has experienced tremendous growth in the craft beer industry, establishing itself as a pioneer in the South Eastern United States for its unique flavors and brewing practices.
The deal with AB InBev allows Cigar City to continue to make beer and cider locally, but now with the financial and distribution resources of AB InBev. This will give the company the opportunity to potentially reach more people and bring their beer to new markets.
The acquisition has been widely celebrated by both Cigar City’s fans and employees, as it provides the brand with experiences and opportunities to achieve more.
Why is it called Cigar City?
Cigar City gets its name from a time when the city of Tampa, Florida was a major center of cigar production. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, thousands of skilled cigar makers migrated there from Cuba, Spain, and Germany to work in Tampa’s rapidly growing cigar factories.
The factories produced millions of cigars and made the city one of the foremost producers of hand-rolled stogies in the world. During the heyday of cigar production, many of the streets were lined with factories, and the Tampa skyline was often filled with their smoke.
With the arrival of the cigar makers also came a large influx of Spanish and Latin American cultures, which still exists in Tampa today.
The city was always closely identified with cigar production, and sometime in the late 19th century or early 20th century, Tampa earned the nickname “Cigar City”. Today, cigars are still made in Tampa in small batches by hand, which keeps the cigar culture alive in the city.
Whenever the cigar-making industry had a downturn, the city propped it up with special funds meant to help keep the factories open and their workers employed. This commitment to their cigar-making heritage is part of what makes Tampa an enchanting and unique city.
What type of beer is Cigar City?
Cigar City Brewing is a craft brewery based in Tampa, Florida, specializing in brewing high-quality beers in unique styles. Their portfolio includes a wide range of both traditional and creative beers including IPAs, stouts, wheat beers, robust porters, barrel-aged sours, and other unique selections.
They are best known for Jai Alai IPA, an American-style India pale ale brewed with seven hop varieties and a subtle malt sweetness. This beer is distributed throughout the US, and is one of the first craft beers to be distributed throughout the Tampa Bay area.
They also offer a variety of seasonal beers, such as Cuban Coffee German Chocolate Cake, Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale, and Margarita Gose, a gose-style ale brewed with sea salt, limes, and agave nectar.
Their barrel-aged sours and barrel-aged dark beers are brewed with a variety of fruits, spices, and other ingredients, and their Florida Weisse series of beers are brewed with real fruit juice. Cigar City Brewing is also known for their unique style of beer called Floridaweisse, which is brewed with real orange juice and natural ingredients.
What company owns Cigar City?
Cigar City Brewing, the Florida-based craft beer brewing company, has been brewing “The Beer of Florida” since 2009. The company was founded by Joey Redner, his brother Robert and their friend Ed Bowen.
The brewery is owned and operated by Tampa Bay Brewing Company and has been since 2017. Prior to Tampa Bay Brewing Company assuming ownership, Oskar Blues Holding Company of Longmont, Colorado, owned and operated Cigar City Brewing.
Cigar City Brewing is one of the largest craft brewers located in the South Eastern United States, with beers distributed to thirty states from Florida to as far west as Minnesota and as far north as Maine.
The company is known for its Cigar City Jai Alai IPA and seasonal specialties such as Maduro Brown Ale, Invasion Pale Ale and the legendary Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout. With their focus on flavorful, balanced ales, Cigar City Brewing has often been listed in “The Best Beers In America” by Beer Advocate, as well as being a three-time winner of RateBeer.
com’s award, “Best Beer in Florida”. Recently, Cigar City Brewing has expanded its operations by opening two new satellite breweries, located in Virginia and New Mexico. With its craft beer offerings, increasing production capacity and wide distribution network, Cigar City Brewing is sure to bring a little bit of Florida to even more craft beer lovers nationwide!.
Do they still make Florida Cracker beer?
Yes, Florida Cracker beer is still available! Florida Cracker is an American-style wheat beer brewed by Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Florida. The beer has a light and refreshing taste that is complemented by the addition of sweet orange peel, coriander and homegrown Spanish saffron.
The beer has an ABV of 5.5%. The beer has won several awards, including a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2016. It’s available in six-packs of 12-ounce cans, on tap at select bars in Florida, and online.
Overall, Florida Cracker is a great choice for a refreshing beer that is perfect for any occasion.
Where is jai alai brewed?
Jai alai is a type of beer that is brewed by Cigar City Brewing, a microbrewery based in Tampa, Florida. The beer is made with pale malts, a blend of European hops, and a special strain of yeast. Jai alai has a light body and a delicate hop aroma, with a citrusy, apricot-like sweetness.
It has an Alcohol by Volume (ABV) of 7.5% and an International Bitterness Units (IBUs) of 70, making it an American IPA. The beer has a deep gold color, and it has a light, refreshing finish. Jai alai is the brewery’s flagship brand and is available in stores, bars, and restaurants throughout the United States.
Some specialty stores also carry limited and seasonal releases of Jai alai.
What beer is made in Tampa Florida?
Florida that produce beer. One of the most popular is Cigar City Brewing, founded in 2007. They produce a variety of traditional and experimental styles of beer, including many IPAs, Belgian Ales, Brown Ales, Imperial Stouts, and more.
Additionally, the brewery has a strong focus on barrel-aged and sour beers. Another popular brewery in the area is Rock Brothers Brewing, which focuses on specialty craft and limited release beers. Among the most popular offerings is “7venth Sun”, their flagship IPA.
There are also several other craft breweries in the area, such as Coppertail Brewing Company, Tampa Bay Brewing Company, and Big Storm Brewing Co. Many of these craft breweries also offer interesting takes on traditional beer styles and also feature seasonal releases, as well as collaborations with other local breweries.
No matter what kind of beer you’re looking for, there is definitely something to be found in Tampa, Florida.
Who owns CANarchy craft brewery collective?
CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective is owned by Fireman Capital Partners. Fireman Capital is an American private equity firm founded in 2010 by Jon Fireman and Rand Berube which focuses on investing in consumer-facing businesses in the “Consumer Innovation” space.
Fireman Capital Partners invests across the entire consumer sector, including specialty retail, food and beverage, specialty apparel and footwear and eCommerce marketplace businesses. CANarchy was created in 2015 in partnership with Oskar Blues and Cigar City.
In the past few years, the collaborative has grown to nine craft breweries and continues to pursue rapid expansion of its beer portfolio. Fireman Capital Partners and CANarchy are dedicated to the mission of bringing world-class beer and experiences to passionate craft beer fans, spreading the culture of craft beer and being a driving force for innovation in the beer industry.