Cigar City brews just for Florida

There's no shortage of things to do in Tampa, the former “cigar capital of the world” with Latin cultural influences, tourism, transient residents and sun. But instead of strip clubs or the aquarium, why not try something exclusive to Florida and made in Tampa?

Cigar City Brewing, founded in March 2009 by Joey Redner, sits in an industrial area of Tampa. You wouldn't stumble upon it unless you're aware it's there.

The company has expanded almost continuously since opening and is now up to 50 full-time employees.

“The power of local I knew was huge,” says Vice President Justin Clark. “We actually no longer sell beer outside the state of Florida, where previously when we were smaller, actually, we did.”

Cigar City doesn't pasteurize its beer, which makes the product perishable, and best consumed fresh, according to Clark. When it was a small brewery it distributed to Alabama, New York, Philadelphia, Georgia, Virginia and Denmark to avoid beer sitting around. Now, Cigar City has pulled away from those markets to satisfy the demand in Florida.

“We want to take care of the backyard and make sure we're strong at home,” says Clark. “We look to go back to those markets but we want to sell as much as we can here and ultimately that's better for the beer, and then the money stays in our community and state.”

There has been an increase in craft breweries in recent years. Clark attributes this to people wanting to buy local and wanting the freshest products available.

Watch the video below for Clark's explanation of Cigar City's strategy and the growing trend in craft beer operations.