Brew Shack (OUT OF BUSINESS)

April 21, 2008
I haven’t gone to the Brew Shack to buy beer, just brewing stuff. I have brewed a few 5gal batches in the kitchen on the cheap with supplies from this guy. I’ll go in with a list of all the grains, hops and yeast, and this guy has it all ready to rock before I can grab a bag of caps off the shelf. He comes off as a bit of an A-hole but you can tell he really cares about good beer and always has good advice to give. So far all my beers have been delicious.

December 31, 2006
This is for the home brewer not for the beer drinker. while they have some decent styles. they got all the equipment and ingredients that ones need to start home brewing.

August 8, 2006
When I lived in Hillsborough County this was my main stop for brew ingredients. Plus they had a very nice assortment of craft beer singles from the US and Europe. They seemed to have two or more bulk extract varieties, an adequate assortment of specialty grains, hops and yeast. Really nice group of people work there too. Then they decided there wasn’t enough interest in the bulk extract to keep selling it so I had to seek out another local vendor. At roughly the same time their variety of bottled beer seemed to dwindle too. As a result I don’t go there anymore. Well I also moved ten miles further away than I was. Now it is either online when it’s below 80F (winter in FL) or hit the place in Pinellas Park.

April 13, 2006 [ Updated July 30, 2006 ]
Cool place being that it is the only homebrew shop in Tampa. Not a beer store in anyway they barely had anything in there when I went. Bought my first homebrew kit there, the guy helped me pick out all the ingredients, will be back for my next batch. So I’ve been back a few times and 4 batches later am a part of the Tampa Bay homebrew club, and they always have every basic thing I need.

July 6, 2005 [ Updated July 29, 2008 ]
I love this place even thought it looks almost bare! They have brewing classes every once in awhile and they sell home brewing equipment. Also a few really good beers for sale in there coolers. The BREW SHACK is closed.

June 26, 2005 [ Updated September 18, 2007 ]
I now live pretty close to the Brew Shack and I go there a lot more now. They are in a tough location, beer wise, so the fact they are even open is impressive. As a beer store it is not the best it can be. The selection is very spotty. You can find stuff there from time to time and what you do find is usually very fresh, but they don’t stock very much at all anymore and that hurts. After a few trips I had it all and had to wait over a month for anything new. I don’t brew so I can’t comment on the brew supplies, but the beer side needs improvement. It sucks too cause you can tell the place is run by die hard beer lovers.

April 8, 2005
One of the nicest ways to buy brew supplies. I am going there today to sample a brew.

May 5, 2004 [ Updated May 15, 2004 ]
Here’s a short story about the Brew Shack, well, as I know it. The Brew Shack has recently changed hands; it is under NEW ownership…. which is a very good thing. This was originally a home brewers supply shop, but about 5 years ago the owners added a bunch of large walk in coolers and started carrying bottled beer… Very Cool! Then those owners ran it into the ground, they had about 20 beers in the cooler and the homebrew side was looking pretty sparse… so I quit shopping there all together.

Now, Starting March 1’st 2004 the shop is under new ownership! I was in the shop today and it was looking Far better! The coolers are quickly amassing a large collection of bottles, DogFish Head, Rogue, a bunch of Belgians and tons of others. The homebrew side is now filling up with equipment; the place is coming back to life! I can guarantee that they will be seeing more of me in the future!