Breweries banking on Tampa Bay Beer Week for much-needed business

Cigar City's Tampa Bay Beer Week plans

Justin Matthews reports

TAMPA, Fla. - Eighty breweries throughout Tampa Bay are participating in Tampa Bay Beer Week, which runs March 6 through 14. Typically the event would draw at least 1,000 people, but, due to the pandemic, it’s being held on a smaller scale.

Breweries will still have things like brewing competitions, tastings, and special beer releases.

"Now more than ever it's important to visit your local craft brewery, visit your local eatery, spend some money, get the capital flowing," said Ethan Tsai, the general manager of brewing operations at the Cigar City Brewing Company. "In the year of COVID, craft beer contracted massively, depending on where you live, contraction was as high as 25 to 30 percent of the breweries, just gone, just vaporized."