An original menu guide, rather than a photograph of the taproom.
Original editorial graphic for Anthony Styles
A group choosing a brewery can agree on the room and disagree on the beer. Hop State Brewing gives that group another route through the menu: a house-made seltzer base with flavors added when it is ordered.
At 7052 Benjamin Road in Tampa, the brewery puts customization alongside its own beer lineup. The interesting part is the ordering process. A guest can choose how much flavor goes into a drink, while someone else at the same table orders a pilsner or an imperial stout.
Hop State Brewing lets guests build the seltzer
The brewery’s website describes making its seltzer with house water and dry wine yeast. It offers a plain base and a dry-hopped option, then adds flavor at the bar. Its instructions suggest one pump for a noticeable but less sweet result, with more pumps for stronger flavor; guests can combine flavors.
That creates a useful first-order strategy. Choose one flavor you already enjoy and begin with the lighter amount. If the base is unfamiliar, ask about plain versus dry-hopped before choosing a combination. More choices become useful when the staff can explain them, rather than leaving the guest to build an order from a list of unfamiliar names.
In a September 25 sponsored Creative Loafing update, the owners suggest passion fruit with iced tea and wild strawberry with white peach. Either combination gives a first-time visitor something specific to ask about.
The beer list still covers different kinds of orders
The BeerMenus page linked by the brewery, dated July 26 when checked for this article, lists Prima Vittoria Italian pilsner at 5 percent ABV, Ophanim Coffee blonde ale at 5.2 percent, Fallen Gods hazy double IPA at 8.6 percent and D’luscious imperial stout at 10.5 percent. It describes the coffee beer as using Colombian beans from Wiregrass Roasting Company and the stout as using cacao and macadamia nuts.
This range lets guests compare strength and ingredients before ordering. Someone looking for a lighter-strength order has a different starting point from someone seeking a double IPA. A guest avoiding nuts needs to ask about the stout’s ingredients. The listed small pours offer a way to try a beer without committing to the largest serving, subject to the day’s availability.
A dated menu is a reference, not a guarantee that every keg is pouring now. Check with the taproom before making a trip for one named beer.
A taproom choice in a tighter craft market
The Brewers Association’s July midyear report estimates that U.S. craft volume declined 4 percent in the first half of 2026 against the same period in 2025. Taprooms performed better by volume change than other brewery models, although the wider market remained under pressure.
Those national figures do not establish Hop State’s sales. They do explain why the taproom experience deserves attention alongside what is brewed. A group has to choose one place to meet; a menu that accommodates different preferences gives it another reason to choose a brewery.
Hop State’s site traces the project to Ed Valenti’s homebrewing, with Gary “Buddy” Cernan and Ed Fitzpatrick joining as partners. For a visit, use the brewery’s current calendar and tap list to settle the day’s details. Start the order with a style or a flavor you know, then let the bartender explain the next choice.
