If you live in the Tampa Bay area, you’ve probably heard of Hunahpu’s Day. If you don’t live in the area but like craft beer, you may have STILL heard of it. After all, Hunahpu’s Day is one of the largest beer festivals in the entire country, spotlighting hundreds of breweries from across the US. Each brewery selected to attend (invite only, yo) brings samples of their most unique and noteworthy beers for Hunahpu festival-goers to sample.

It all started when Tampa’s own Cigar City Brewing Company released their limited release Hunahpu Imperial Stout nine years ago, and with each year the event grew more popular until it became what it is today: Hunahpu’s Day. A festival where you could literally taste about 500 different beers if it were possible to do that without dying.

Because no beer festival would be complete without a lineup of scrumptious food trucks and ensuring your safety in case of mishaps, like requiring the expertise of a California truck accident lawyer in the event of an accident. Tampa Bay Food Trucks hooked me up with a pass to Hunahpu’s Day so that I could give you the rundown of the best food, beer, and highlights of this epic day while also noting the importance of being prepared. So let’s get to the goods, shall we?

It’d be pretty much impossible to rank these in order of favorites because, to be honest, they’re all SO different and unique in their own ways. I decided to categorize them based on style and include what food they pair well with as a little extra for you!

For What Ales You

In the lighter ales category, we’ve got some show stoppers to start this list off strong.

• Aviator Brewing Company – Magic Visions – Herb and spice beer with ginger, green tea, honey, and hibiscus. Hailing out of Fuquay Varina, NC (outside of Raleigh, NC) Aviator Brewing Co. has some incredibly tasty seasonal and core brews across their four locations. Magic Visions was a deliciously light and refreshing little number with its honey and hibiscus floral sweetness balanced with a green tea and ginger kick, basically like you’d want to drink it after a hot yoga class when you’re feeling earthy.
• Playalinda Brewing Company – Key Lime Slice – Blonde ale with key lime and vanilla. If you’re into key lime pie, this brew is for you. Playalinda is one of Florida’s own breweries, located on the east coast in Titusville, FL. The Key Lime Slice blonde ale is light and sweet with a very distinct tart key lime finish. After taking a further look at their menu online, I’m seeing some tropical looking brews that I’d love to try (they have a Meyer lemon, lavender, and hibiscus wheat beer! Sign me up for a road trip.)
• MadTree Brewing Company – Joon – Kolsch ale aged in gin barrels with juniper berries and ginger. THIS was one of my favorites, mostly because of the combination of piney gin flavor with the floral juniper berries. Basically, this beer tasted like spring. MadTree Brewing Co. in Cincinnati, OH has a huge selection of unique beers including series, barrel aged and seasonal brews. Way to keep things exciting guys!
• Alesong Brewing – Pêche – Farmhouse Ale matured on veteran peaches. Alesong Brewing in Eugene, OR knows what they’re doing when it comes to using local ingredients and barrel aging. This farmhouse ale encapsulates the taste of FRESH peaches better than any “peach” beer I’ve ever had (and I love peaches so I’ve tried quite a few.) This beer is light, hazy and everything you need on a hot summer day.
• Modern Times Beer – Transit of Venus – Red wine barrel aged funky grisette with raspberry and peaches. While we’re on the subject of peach beers, let’s talk about this beautifully red colored brew that combines sweet raspberry and peaches effortlessly. Grisette beer is a cousin of the Belgian Saison style and was originally created to quench the thirst of coal miners, but it also quenched my thirst after walking around tasting beers all day. Modern Times Beer is an employee-owned brewery in San Diego, CA with a focus on aroma driven and complex session beers.
• Intuition Ale Works – Graham Boat – English golden ale with cinnamon and brown sugar. If you follow along on my Instagram, you’ve already seen me talk about this beer and how it tastes exactly like Golden Grahams cereal but for adults. With the bready taste of graham crackers and the sweet cinnamon brown sugar, this ale would be perfect for a cozy night in. Intuition Ale Works is another Florida grown brewery out of Jacksonville, FL and their canned beer can be found all over the state.

Food Pairing – Light Ales

Lighter ales pair well with dishes made with white meat such as pork or chicken, as well as fish and cheese. At the festival, I enjoyed some juicy pork sliders from Vanchetta while drinking Joon by MadTree Brewing. To complement the pulled chicken taco from Fiesta Bowls, I sipped on Pêche from Alesong Brewing.

Heavier Things

When I walk into a brewery, there’s a 9/10 chance I’m ordering an IPA. So needless to say, I was SUPER excited to try all of the IPA’s on tap at Hunahpu’s Day.

• Hoof Hearted Brewing – Who’d Like to Hold My Clipboard – frappe DIPA with lactose, vanilla, and fruit. Hoof Hearted brewing from outside of Columbus, OH is all about fun, and their beers totally reflect that. I’m new to lactose beers, but I’ve loved the creamy texture of each one I’ve tried and this fruity beer was no exception.
• Bolero Snort Brewery – OBV – Orange creamsicle IPA. There’s not much to explain about this orange creamsicle IPA except that it was SO YUM. The sweet orange creamsicle flavor was perfectly balanced with the IPA hoppiness and it would make for a perfect after dinner treat! Bolero Snort is located in New Jersey, but I’m glad they made the trip down here!
• Champion Brewing Co. – Easter Basket – Double IPA with coffee and chocolate. I know what you’re thinking, coffee and chocolate in a beer sounds kind of weird, but Champion Brewing Co. from Charlottesville, VA totally pulls it off with their Easter Basket IPA. It’s smooth, creamy and flavorful, plus it makes you feel better than eating a huge chocolate bunny for dessert.
• Swamp Head Brewery – Boss Bird – Hazy hibiscus session IPA. This pretty pink beer was one of my favorite IPA’s in the lineup, mostly because I love everything Hibiscus. It’s tropical and floral, perfect for the beach or the pool. Located just north of here in Gainsville, FL, Swamp Head Brewery has some really interesting beers I’d like to try (such as the Blueberry Cottonmouth Belgian wit beer!)
• 21^st Amendment Brewing – Blood Orange IPA. Coming all the way from San Francisco, CA, 21st Amendment Brewing was one of the first breweries I tried at Hunahpu’s Day and their blood orange IPA set the bar high. The flavor of blood orange is subtly different than regular orange, but I was really into this combo. Great for sipping any time anywhere!
• Rome City Brewing Co. – Rome City IPA – With notes of fresh grapefruit peel and citrus hops. I love a good citrus IPA, especially anything grapefruit. This crisp and refreshing IPA would be perfect with dinner, and is good enough to drink anytime.