Help Bring the BeerCity USA Title to Tampa!

Each of the past five years, Charlie Papazian, author and founder of the Brewers Association in Boulder, Colo., has held the unofficial BeerCity USA poll through his role as National Beer Examiner.

And for the past four years, Asheville, N.C., has landed the title, tying the first year with Portland, Ore., and with Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2012.

It's time to bring the title to Tampa.

With 16 small breweries - and one big one, Yuengling - in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Sarasota and Manatee counties and another handful set to open this year, the Tampa Bay area is no longer a beer community in its infancy, but one that can hold its own with more well-known craft brewing regions in the U.S.

BeerInFlorida.com and JJ Taylor Distributing Florida have teamed up with the local beer community to get the word out about the campaign to have Tampa win the title of BeerCity USA this year.

Beer In Florida started a #BeerCityTPA Facebook page to post updates and encourage social media interaction, while JJ Taylor is also encouraging social media shares and has created a poster to hang in local craft beer spots pushing the campaign. The posters feature a QR code that people can scan with smartphones and vote right there.

"The five counties surrounding the Tampa Bay market have for a long time been the epicenter for craft beer in Florida," said Matt Abdoney, craft specialty import marketing manager for JJ Taylor.  "We continue to be home to some of the most diverse and unique breweries in the Southeast and we strive to bring greater awareness and participation to our beer culture and our community."

But it's more than just the beer. Having a title such as "BeerCity USA" will attract more tourists and business travelers who enjoy visiting local beer hotspots while on the road.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who has said he's a big fan of local beer,  is well aware of that aspect.

“I saw what happened in Asheville,” Buckhorn said in an interview in March after he kicked off Tampa Bay Beer Week by tapping a ceremonial keg.  “Asheville became the craft beer capital of the Southeast. It put heads in beds, it brought people down there for tourism, for hotels. It led to the expansion of retail and restaurants, and that could happen here.”

Voting continues until 1:59 p.m. Eastern on Friday, May 10, 2013. Click on this link to vote.