Six Tampa Bay breweries win U.S. Open Beer Championship medals

There are few places in the country better for finding great local breweries, and there are few things Tampa Bay does better than craft beer (Cuban sandwiches notwithstanding). So it’s no surprise that six different breweries from the area won medals at the 2022 U.S Open Beer Championships.

Cigar City Brewing, Florida Avenue Brewing Co., Cueni Brewing Co., de Bine Brewing, Motorworks Brewing, and Brew Hub all took home awards from the annual event in Ohio, one of the country’s largest brewing competitions. In total, the group accounted for 11 medals in as many categories this year.

Bradenton’s Motorworks Brewing led the way with three awards, an impressive accomplishment for the quickly-growing company. Motorworks won gold in the chili pepper beer category for their Mango Habanero IPA, won gold again in the barrel-aged Belgian dark category for their Bern’s Legacy 8, and earned a silver medal for Thresher in the barrel-aged wine category. Out and about in the bay, look for their Pulp Friction Grapefruit IPA on tap.

Tampa favorite Florida Avenue Brewing Co. notched two medals, including a gold in the American brown ale category and a bronze for their Tangerine Splash in the American-style fruit beer category. If you haven’t yet, check out their Mullét Seltzer, truly the best hard seltzer being made in Florida (no pun intended).

Gulp Coast delivers on name with delicious beer

And of course, the Tampa brewery known nationwide, Cigar City won two medals of their own for a pair of heavy brews. They took home the silver medal in the imperial stout specialty category for their beloved Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout, then earned another silver for Maduro Brown Ale in the brown porters section.

Lakeland’s Brew Hub (we’ll call them close enough, right?) won two more of their own, earning a silver in session IPA for their Rome City, and another silver for The Dude in the “specialty/anything goes” category. We haven’t tried it ourselves, but if you can tell us more about The Dude, then please do. Just don’t spill any on the carpet.

And finally, a pair of Gulf-side breweries each earned one medal apiece. Dunedin’s Cueni Brewing won a bronze medal for their Sinister Imperial Stout in the American imperial stout category, while Palm Harbor’s de Bine Brewing Company (a very underrated spot) won gold in the American amber/red category for Fire The Cannons, a tribute to the Bucs.

Looking for more places to grab some local beer? Check out our guides to the best breweries in Tampa, and all the top breweries in St. Petersburg. If interested, peruse the full list of U.S. Open Beer Championship medal winners here.