Big Top Brewing Company

Some VERY good beer, a back yard patio to be able to bring my dog to hang and i havent met anyone that doesnt know their beer. I would like to see a few guest beers in the future but thas not critical, as long as they keep their own line up.

Great Brewery! When you walk in, you are greeted by a very relaxed vibe. The décor is basically focused on dark wood (floors, tables and bar) which makes it very welcoming. They have several TVs and an open area in the back of the brewery room for dart board and jenga. If you want to play where you are sitting, there are some smaller games scattered around the bar and table area. There’s a large chalkboard that lists which beers are available for that day. The staff is very friendly and attentive and want to ensure that you are happy with your selection.
There are plenty of beers on tap. Some of their staple beers: IPA, Belgian Wit, and their Key Lime Wheat. For a refreshing twist on Florida Key Limes, I would recommend trying the Key Lime Wheat — it has a slight tart taste of Key Lime with a graham cracker finish. It’s a very light refreshing beer that’s tasty on a hot humid Florida day.
They also get inventive on their beers. They’ve had a Coconut & Coffee Porter, a Bacon & S’mores Stout, a Honey & Jalapenos Blonde beer — so you get the picture. They definitely don’t hold back when they have an idea for unusual pairings. It’s definitely worth trying.
They are family friendly and do host family friendly events regularly. There were several kids in there playing jenga with their parents when I was there. The brewery does have a cute, little, shy dash-​hound doggie too.
It’s well worth the road trip from the Tampa Bay area or if you’re just driving I-​75 it’s right off the highway. Definitely worth the detour to make a stop inside to try their beer!

I was served a beer in a dirty glass. Tons of bubbles clung to the side of my glass for the first couple minutes I had my beer. When I asked for a new beer the bartender was very rude and rolled his eyes at me, returned with a new glass with the same amount of bubbles and blamed it on the carbonation.
I wouldn’t come back and the only reason I stayed is because we had gift cards.

Wow ! What a great place. The beer is awesome, the staff is super helpful and friendly. I am from the Miami area and wish I could get there beer down here. Hopefully soon ! We even got a quick tour and explanation of the whole beer making process. Keep it up.

Great atmosphere great service, dog friendly witch it’s a super plus! Kid friendly! All in all a great place great time!

Why 5 stars? Because they need to be on the Mount Rushmore of local beer.
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It’s a little bit of a drive from the technical border of what’s considered «Tampa Bay,» but it’s worth every second on the road. Big Top prides itself on creativity — they once brewed a Turducken beer. That is not a typo. I was not lucky enough to try it, but that gives you a idea of what they’re capable of.
I’ve tried the Trapeze Monk Belgian Wit, the Strawberry Saison, the Key Lime Wheat, and the Hawaiian Lion Coffee Coconut Porter. All were phenomenal.
I’m not even a Key Lime fan, but this this is an easy drinker with just the right amount of Key Lime.
The Strawberry Saison is not too «Saison-​y» which is my scientific explanation. Some Saison’s are overwhelmingly sweet and almost remind me more of sangria than beer, but this is not one of them. Definitely the best saison I’ve ever had.
And the Coffee Coconut Porter is, once again, one of the best porters I’ve ever had. Notice a theme here? Big Top has an incredible variety of beers, but the quantity doesn’t sacrifice quality. I want to live here.

Nice group of people work here and come here to have a beer. This group is mixed with families, yes families hanging out on the side, and couples, and groups of young friends enjoying beer games. The beer is the reason clearly to come here and stay. There is a beer for anyone, so don’t be shy, stop on by, relax and meet some locals. My only recommendation is to eat a good meal before coming here. The food trucks are nice but limited.

You gotta stop by and have some beers here! Definitely a nice place with a comfortable atmosphere.
The beer is only 5 $ per glass and their 6-​packs are very reasonable as well. The staff is friendly and talkative and they have food trucks stopping by often.
Definitely stop be and have a cold one. You wont be dissapointed at all.

Their beer game is strong. Customer service is super good. Everybody was very nice. The place is clean, nice vibe on the patio.
I saw a negative review that spoke of poor beers. I disagree. I’ve been to every brewery in Vermont and a ton elsewhere. These guys are doing just fine.

An awesome place with excellent beer. I love that this place is local so when I can’t enjoy their beer at the source, I can pick it up at a lot of convenient places around town. Cheers!!!

Great local beer and a fun place, great music! Schmitz Brothers band was playing the night we went. They had a different yummy food truck every time we went there. Try a flight of beers for a new taste or two. I had the chocolate stout it was delicious!

Conveniently located off the interstate, plenty of parking and a great selection of beer… You can’t go wrong.
We ordered a flight of four beers for $ 7 and ordered a $ 2 beer shot since we wanted to try an additional beer. Overall the beers were good, the favorite ending up being the White Sands Wheat.

A bit of a drive from the Tampa area, but a good find for Bradenton/​Sarasota, easy to get to right off the interstate.
Although it’s called Big Top, there’s not a lot of circus-​y stuff here — in a good way. The whole place is in a little industrial area (all the best breweries are), but don’t let that fool you. Going inside opens up to a great bar area with heavy wood tables and cool Golden Age of Circus posters. A couple games — big Connect 4, Jenga, darts (although non-​electronic, so play with someone who knows how to keep score) — are inside, with cornhole outside. I really dug the place for its layout.
The beers, eh. They were alright. None jumped out at me as something I’d routinely go out for, even after trying most of them. But a wide variety and a rotating tap with new stuff fairly frequently means that maybe next time they’ll have something great.
Looking forward to returning.

Quick stop at Big Top! We had purchased a Groupon awhile back that had expired. Since we finally made it down to Sarasota, it was a good time to at least use the monetary portion of the Groupon. The place is easy to find with GPS. It is close enough to I75 that it could have it’s own exit ramp! It is also appropriated located on Porter Way, I kid you not! The tap room is clean, open and welcoming. It is a tad on the dark side inside, but it does not feel like a dungeon by any means. Since this was not our destination for the day, we only ordered a flight of beer and a growler to go. They brew some interesting beer here. For example, they make a bacon flavored Session beer. Yep, bacon. Who says beer isn’t for breakfast? Other beers include a Mango Wit and Circus City IPA. We enjoyed our quick visit and would definitely stop by again next time we are in Sarasota.

This place is the best. Always a great selection my favorite has to be the Ashley gang outlaw imperial ipa! First keg that we purchased for our new kegerator was their circus city ipa, Mike was awesome he gave us a wooden big top tap handle without even asking! For my birthday my roommates got me a beer making kit with all the equipment, but none of the ingredients. Our first thought was to go to big top and we’re stoked we did, Josh hooked us up with some hops and malted barley and even helped us make our own recipe for a wicked nice birthday brew! These guys have a passion and help others with theirs! Thanks again big top!

They have cornhole out back and they have a jalapeño IPA right now which may sound god awful, but it is really miraculous and will probably make you want to slap somebody.
Oh yeah and some of their beers taste kind of flat.

Really enjoyed my visit to this local Sarasota brewery. They had a cool vibe on the inside with a great variety of local craft beer to sample. Both bartenders were really easy to talk to and knowledgeable of all the beer. The tasting room also has long windows that let you observe the brewing area. Local food trucks sit outside to offer food. There were a few games to entertain/​engage patrons hanging out. They also offer quizzo one evening during the week but I can’t recall which night it was (sorry that’s not super helpful but I’m sure you can call and they’ll let you know). Overall, a great afternoon.

Beer– lots of options, unique beers, good price!
Service– GREAT! Friendly, helpful, engaging and happy to answer questions.
Food trucks very good and reasonable prices.
We came from CA and were so happy and felt very welcomed and at home in this place.

Second time through. Wanted to get a run through a couple beers before I tossed a review.
First, the tasting room is very well done. Small enough to keep it cozy, but large enough to accommodate a couple large groups of people. Both times I’ve been here there has also been really good live music and food truck service.
Now for the good stuff, the beer. I’ve tried two of their staples, the key lime wheat and white sands wheat and both are light and full of flavor. Tonight I’m trying a new release, cracked pepper orange saison and it’s spot on. Never been a fan of saisons but this one could change all that.
Overall this is one of the better breweries I’ve visited and I’m lucky enough to have it 3 miles from my home.

What a neat place, I love the all the of pictures of circuses, the whole big top theme is very cool.
They’re not officially open but this was our first stop on our brew bus tour. Great way to start off the tour. They were very friendly, they place looked great. They even had a great merchandise section. The most important is that the beer was good!