(Tampa, FL) – Cigar City Brewing, a 15 BBL operation slated to start brewing beers this coming February, recently received its first label approvals at the federal level. The brewery is still under construction but when CCB is ready to make beer there, Patio Pils and Big Sound Scotch Ale are in the clear (see below for pics). While these two went through, according to Founder, Joey Redner, another “ten got kicked back for corrections.”

Redner has actually been quite open about such mishaps along the way to becoming a brewery. He has been blogging about his experiences since October of 2007. With a strong presence in the Tampa craft beer community as well as an online beer community presence, Redner has generated a great deal of interest in this project. It helps to be in Florida as well, a state with a lot of brewpubs but very few breweries.

Wayne Wambles is the Head Brewer, bringing with him ten years of experience that includes GABF medals. He has been making his own contributions to the blog adding updates on the actual beers themselves and the challenges that every brewer faces in actually brewing them (stuck fermentation anyone?). There is already information on the site about most of the beers that Cigar City Brewing plans to make next year.

The 7.5% ABV Jai Alai IPA, and an American-style ESB, TBT* Ale, will be the first year-round beers in CCB’s arsenal (not sure what this means but Redner has history with the Tampa Bay Times. It would be odd to slap the name of a newspaper onto a beer label!). There are a ton of other beers in the works, see below, that will start off as seasonals and one-offs, an impressive collection for an operation in its infancy.

Redner’s plans are to start out local, understandable considering the brewery is a two-man staff with volunteers that also help. Still, if the beers stand up to the critics, big things could lie ahead for this brewery. “We have had some interest from importers in Denmark, Canada and from Shelton Brothers to distribute us nationally in the U.S. But it will be a while before we make any final decisions about where we are going after Florida.”

Starting Beers:

Puppy’s Breath Porter – 6% ABV English-style Robust Porter with dark chocolate, toffee, herbal, & hoppy notes

Jai AlaI IPA– A juicy hop bomb.

Patio Pils – A pre-prohibition recipe lager with a modern twist.

Guava Grove – A specialty Belgian-inspired offering brewed with guava.

Marshal Zhukov’s Imperial Stout – A complex stout with layers of flavor.

The Humidor Series – A rotating release of brews aged on cigar box cedar with various levels of toast on the wood.

110K+OT – A brash, braggadocios line of beers that are unapologetically over the top. Limited special release only.

The Rest:

Big Sound Scotch Ale (pictured above)

Bolita Brown Double Nut Brown Ale

Warmer Winter, Winter Warmer

Capricho Oscuro – Oak Aged Dark Ale blend – 50 bottles 1st batch to Oldsmar Taphouse with 2-5 BBL batches to follow (170 to 880 750mL bottles)

Cafe Con Leche Milk Stout appears to be another one to be added to the existing line-up. There are also some other pilots going: Mayan Chocolate Imperial Stout, Bleeding Heart Brown Ale, Imperial Pumpkin and the Oatmeal Rye India Brown Ale.