The Ale and the Witch

That such a wonderful, welcoming place could be dreamt up and succeed in this unassuming courtyard is a testament to the attention to detail of ownership. You want great music, generally for free. Check You want great beers and wine at a reasonable price served through regularly cleaned keg lines. Check You want access to a community of people that frequent and love the place. Check. I could go on, but what I can tell you is that if you want a great place to hang, and have a great time/ then you have found it.

This is a gem of a spot tucked in right don't. Music is really fantastic, the vibe is great. Beer selection is vast, much of it on tap from local (and not so local) great breweries. Do not miss this stop if you love music, great beer and positive vibes.

Excellent choice on beer. So many different kinds all good. This is a meeting place for Running for Brews . Bartender is excellent.

All hail the A&W,! Best beer bar in DTSP. If you're a beek geek seeking variety this is your spot! Live music sporadically..Good vibes always. A quiet pub for community & conversations 😍🍺💞 love Brett & the staff. They make sure you're having fun. All that x a bag of chips. NO Kitchen

This is a very welcoming beer lover's heaven. They always have 30 or so widely varied and quality beers on tap and bartenders are on top of everything with speed. They very frequently have music in the vestibule in front of the bar too with much outdoor seating and tables for relaxing enjoyment. They now have many wines and sangria as well. Before 6pm on weekdays all taps and wine is $5!

It is a great beer pub with a wide selection of brews and friendly service. Small space but has a very large outdoor courtyard with live music every evening. Each evening is a different style, so check the calendar to see who's playing. Small selection of food, mostly snacks, but other vendors around the courtyard also offer food.

A great selection of draft beer combined with experienced, knowledgeable bar staff makes this the prime spot for beer and music.. The bottled DF 120 was very fairly priced and finding Allagash and Chimay on draft made me happy. One warning: Plan to walk, uber home.

Wide selection of beers from all the local brewing companies. Priced at 7-5 dollars a pint. Good live music with some good local bands. If you want drink and relax at the same time this place is it.

That such a wonderful, welcoming place could be dreamt up and succeed in this unassuming courtyard is a testament to the attention to detail of ownership. You want great music, generally for free. Check You want great beers and wine at a reasonable price served through regularly cleaned keg lines. Check You want access to a community of people that frequent and love the place. Check. I could go on, but what I can tell you is that if you want a great place to hang, and have a great time/ then you have found it.

Super quirky, great selection of beers, unique environment, the absolute nicest bartenders and reasonable prices. Do I need to say more? No, but I will. Great place to hang out on a Sunday afternoon, or for a late Friday night. Lots of live local music on a regular rotation. The bartenders are fantastic at helping you choose "the right beer for you" based on your tastes. This is a regular hangout for us! Price: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 Service: 5/5 OVERALL: 5/5

We hang here for music and beer at least weekly. Ale and the Witch has cultivated a beautiful music scene with a loyal following. The owner Brett is so nice and he's watchful to make sure it's peace and love all around. This courtyard is a little escape from the busy Beach Drive scene. Try it. You will become a regular.

They've got some great local live music here, along with a good variety of local brews. We sampled a few IPAs and enjoyed some of our favorite performers, Damon Fowler, Josh Nelms, and TC Carr. It was full inside, but the courtyard has tables and chairs, with a speaker outdoors too. Well worth the drive over the pond!

came here with several friends mid week. This place is located amongst the bar & restaurant scene of the local area. There was an outside area that had live music. There were lots of tables to sit at and room to stand. This place is a little tucked away, and really not seeable from the street. From what I can tell there's no private parking for this facility. But there are public parking spots along the streets and a parking garage nearby. This place had a good vibe. About the only thing I didn't like, was having my beer served in a plastic cup. personally, I think that's tacky. Located in the night scene area, prices were a little high. But this definitely looks like an area that is frequent by locals more than tourist. No objections to coming back here for drinks.

This place jams out! What a great neighborhood bar and location. The live music is great and paired with the selection of beers and great service this place is a gathering spot for the community. Small local joints like The Ale and The Witch not only need to be preserved but celebrated. Spots like this make the city of St.Pete all the better. Look forward to raising another pint! Cheers

Great beer, love the ambiance. Always friendly, helpful ( I never know which beef to order) they always make great selections! Love the variety of live music, outside seating. We return often!

was that a live band on Friday night? After dinner by Sun Dial i started to walk the Beach Dr and I heard music and i stopped and looked. There was this bar, full of customers and with beer mugs! service was week and ordered a local IPA and Found a table and watch people dancing. I would have never found this place if i wasn't looking for Music. if look at the board by the bar, the average beer cost of a mug of beer is $8. Another hopping place and hidden among the offices of St Pete.

safe but pricey interesting crowd good vibe cool atmosphere my friend and I had a great time would go again

Ok I flat love this place. Always my first stop in St Pete for music. Brett, the owner,is an 8th wonder. Been a big supporter since Day 1. Great beer, and always my kind of hippies. Obviously I am not alone.

Okay so the beer was pretty good and priced accordingly! I am not real knowledgeable when it comes to Craft Beer. I asked a lot of question and was offered sample tastes, which started friendly enough, as I was trying to find a selection I could enjoy! The rest of our group of 5 had already made choices. After about a fourth try I asked fora sample of??? And was told rudely..." okay but this is your last sample " Really we were obviously purchasing. Your samples were all of about a half ounce each. And I settled, not really satisfied with my selection.I should have just said " sorry no order" but was with a group and didn't want to be that guy! Unsatisfactory experience

Not bad. Nice outdoor setting. Tap beers for the usual ridiculous DTSP $7 were good and cold. Wine from a 6-oz was tasty and a decent price. We didn't stay for food because some twangy banjo group set up in the plaza and turned up the volume like we wanted (not) to hear them and nothing else.

So glad these guys survived the pandemic, too many great businesses lost. They've got an open space for putting in your order, and outdoor seating for guests, so it's as Covid safe as you can want for some time outside. Great rotating tap list with a national focus - you'll see some local Florida beers, but also a variety from Michigan, California etc. This can be a great place to get a truly unusual craft beer, there are usually ~5 on the menu if you're looking to try something new. If you do get hungry, their BBQ offshoot unfortunately closed but this shares outdoor space with other places, including Sab Thai which is fantastic Thai food.

I ordered a beer that I didn't like and tried to exchange it for another and was told that "they don't do returns and that I could speak to the manager". I tracked him down and told him my story and he said "that I was a grown man and should know what I want". I asked about trying an unfamiliar beer and he said "no samples & that I could buy a flight". I have been going here for years and will never buy another beer ever, this is probably the worst customer service that I have ever been exposed to and recommend no else does either.

We recently met friends here at the bar for some tasty craft beer and wine. Our bartender was extremely knowledgeable about all the beers and was very attentive. Love this eclectic, casual and fun spot!

Cool hangout, watering hole and small band venue. My experience here was meeting up with some friends that were watching a cover band of a cover band of either Phish or the Grateful Dead... The entire indoor/outdoor plaza was full of hippies dancing while high as kites on a multitude of substances. I'm not judging. They were having harmless fun and enjoying the music. The bar inside the Ale & Witch provided me with plenty of cider on tap. Though the place is pretty small inside it wasn't too crowded nor difficult to access the restrooms. They had some boardgames stacked up for normal business hours. Overall I thought the set up was unique in the sense that anyone could walk in and enjoy the music despite the large crowd taking over the plaza. I felt welcomed in despite not being the dead head type, and enjoyed the hard ciders.

It's a great place for beer and they have an excellent selection of beer. This is a fantastic place to get a local draft beer. Less sports bar feel and more indie. It is a place you can relax and not have to worry about any rambunctious outbursts that are often commonplace downtown. They carry so many Florida beers that it makes my head spin. They carry St. Somewhere and he is hard to find. Staff is knowledgeable and helpful always. They know their beers and their breweries. Prices are right. A flight isn't bad and you can ask for a 4 oz pour all by its lonesome if you want. They have board games, clean bathrooms, bar and table seating. There is live music inside or outside pretty much every time I have gone. Usually, the courtyard has music during the weekends. Bottom line, Awesome vibe for local beers. Can't go wrong when looking for something amazing on tap with a good vibes.

Why 5 stars? Because why did I even consider anything else? --- --- --- My original review was written less than 3 months after I created my Yelp account. I clearly had no idea what I was doing. Ale & Witch has a ton of great, local beer on tap. They have games. They have an awesome outdoor area that often has live music. What more could you possibly want in a craft beer bar? You know how we all have done things when we were younger that makes you cringe in present day? Go ahead, check out what you were posting on Facebook in 2010 and let me know how you feel about your younger self. Well, apparently at age 27, I was dumb enough to think Ale & Witch was only worth 4-stars. The cherry on top is the staying power they've had, despite the craft beer boom going as crazy as it has.

This is a really cozy and unique beer bar in St Pete. Located in a courtyard with some small stores and the BBQ den associated with the bar, it is quaint and normally has a great beer selection. I went today with friends for Sour Sunday to try some new beers. They had about 10 different Gose/Sours for $5 a pour. They also had their usual rotational brews (more than 20 taps to choose from). If you're hungry, I would seek food elsewhere as they only have a couple of dips and bagged chips. I saw beer cheese with a bag of pretzels and fish dip with some kind of dipping vessel. The beer selection is really the star here. I've never had a bad time coming to this bar!

Hidden gem with 32 stellar beers available off the tap. Only stayed for a beer and not to eat. Was on way to check out several of the local breweries in St Petes/Tampa.. Friendly barman and a nice atmosphere.

Grateful Dead and beer. Yes please. Lines were long for beer but Uncle Johns Band playing in the court yard was amazing. Hippie good time!

I've been coming here for 8 years. I live close enough to walk/ride bike. Have always, always thoroughly enjoyed this gem. Have taken friends and family here. Good beers and good service, and I've always tipped well (I'm the $2 dollar bill guy). Unfortunately , the inside-outside set up does not work. Sorry. Having the band inside where you can't see them at all when outside, and you can't hear them at all either. Has changed the whole dynamic. A bartender told me it was a permanent change. Too bad. This was a 5/5 star place for 7 years. Now it's a 2.

Quick Summary: Great location for a variety of local craft brews! It's great to finally find a pub with craft beers that aren't just from the biggest distributors. Not that they don't carry them, they have a great variety of the bigger craft breweries and a nice selection of some local breweries. The location is a bit hard to find located inside an actual plaza. So walking around down the streets of St. Pete's you're not likely to find it, but it's worth a little adventure to find. Once inside you'll note it has a little bit of a divey feel to it, which is nice. Beer isn't supposed to be pretentious. Plenty of seating at the bar, at a table or outside. There's also an upstair section which I did not venture up to. The selection is excellent! There isn't a beer on there that isn't a craft brew, and I'd say of about a couple dozen, almost a dozen are local. If you're new to the craft beer scene or afraid of commitment, try a flight to see what you like. Not much food offered here; your typical pretzels and chips, but I did see a smoked cheese and sausage option. It was a few slices of cheese and sausage which was nice for a little extra something; went really well with my beers for that day. They've got a variety of board games and depending on the evening, some live music option, which makes it a great place to just hang out with some friends and have a couple drinks! It was so fun, I came back the next day. ;)

Awesome cider & beer collection. It was a really cool n good vibe kind of place. Very friendly staff & absolutely amazing live music. There was a lady singing n she was outstanding. We went on a Saturday night so it was crowded. All chairs were taken! We sat on stairs. But the band which was playing it was so so good. It takes some time to get your drinks since it's crowded n there are only 2 person behind the counter to take orders. The selection was very nice even had couple of cask beer and the prices were super reasonable! I love this place n will be back again soon!

Brett and his entire team at Ale and Witch have been a blessing to this part of downtown. Literally revived that building. The entire plaza was dead/DOA until 2007ish when he moved in there and recommissioned it. We have been patrons since about week #2 and visit as often as we can. There isn't a better place to get a beer, a cider or even a glass of wine or sangria, than The Ale and Witch! They've got live bands in the outdoor courtyard just about every weekend (Florida weather permitting) and everyone behind the bar is the t*ts, the bees knees, the bomb-diggity!

There are many options to choose from in St. Pete for your craft beer fix but the Witch has a great combination of atmosphere, service and options. They office so many choices that if you don't find something you like you are not trying hard enough. Sitting outside is great and they always have good bands. If the significant other does not drink beer step into the Wine Madonna to get some wine. They share all the outside tables with the Witch. You also have sushi next door for food options.

Like Sour Beer? Like Hazy IPAs? Like Live Music? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this is a must stop for you! Tucked in between a plaza in Downtown St Pete, The Ale and the Witch is a stop I always make when in the Tampa or St Pete area. It is a small venue so make sure you get here early! Two of my visits to this beer bar, they had live music going. Who does not think live music and craft beer go together? They offer sampler flights and a choice of sizes for glassware upon each beer you chose. Award winning brews and a weekly cask offerings from the top breweries in the US is what you will find on-tap. It is tough to find a better list in the area. Just mention "DCon" sent you.

Great outside venue. The Ale and Witch has super exotic beers and the Dracula's legacy is Saint Petes most undiscovered Wine bar!

Such a relaxing place with good beer and music! They are located in downtown St Pete and have a great courtyard to sit, drink a beer and listen to music. They change out their beers very often. Bartenders are very knowledgeable. Music choices are always good. You have the option to bring your own chair if your want. I love Sunday afternoons here the most!

Awesome beer selection, friendly staff and live music. This was a very cool place! The outside part is fun and has a great vibe. There was a lady singing there the Saturday night I went and she was fantastic. Inside the bar, they were slammed but the service was quicker than I anticipated. The bartenders really hustled to get the beers poured quickly. Their selection was very nice, even had a couple of cask beers and the prices were super reasonable (at least compared to NYC). If I lived in St Pete, this would definitely be on my regular rotation.

We always have a great time at the Ale and the Witch. They seem to have live music nearly everyday and their beer selection is very large. They have many local breweries on tap. Don't be turned off that they don't serve food or wine. There is a wine bar, literally right next door for the sommelier and some places nearby to grab a bite including rollboto and cafe de siam. You could also walk a block to beach which has a ton of restaurants. Also, this is a starting point for the Brew Bus which I recently found out has a public tour! You don't have to have a big group! (Call for details) Pro-tip, there are some 2-hour parking spots and metered parking on this block, check the times. Don't risk a ticket though, just go for the garage or take a lyft or an uber. Con: Mostly outdoors, so rain and summer heat are factors...

This place is great - a huge and frequently-changing list of beers, super friendly and helpful staff, and a nice courtyard for drinking al fresco. (Also super dog-friendly for those of us with four-legged friends.) It's become a must-visit stop for us when we're downtown. The frequently have local musicians playing in the courtyard on the weekends - which is a plus for me, but probably a minus if you came to have a conversation with someone. The courtyard echoes, and you'll have hard time finding a quiet spot. What you will find are friendly people, good beer, and usually a small kid dancing to the music.

The Ale and the Witch serves a wide variety of local beers from breweries all around the Tampa Bay Area. If you are looking for a place to try local brews without having to go to each individual brewery then this is your place. They have a large outdoor seating area and some indoor seating in addition to seating at the bar.

Great location, great food, great beer, great company. It is hit or miss whether this place will be busy, so make sure you like the people you're with. They have live music a lot of the time and it is very relaxing to just sit outside, drink a beer, and listen to music. There isn't a lot of seating inside, so I would not suggest going if it is raining outside. They have a very limited selection of food, but everything I have tried so far is delicious. That being said, this isn't a place I would go solely for the food, but to get some food to complement the beer. I know almost nothing about beer, but my friends swear by this beer list. The bartenders are very knowledgeable and they will help you out if you tell them what you like. They also have a couple of ciders which is what I tend to get. It is located within a cluster of buildings, so it can be easy to miss. Make sure you're on the lookout when you're walking down the street. This is definitely a laid back, talk to your friends type of place and I would definitely recommend checking it out, because it is pretty unique.

One of the best places I've been to in a while - a really great rotating selection of 30-some taps, with many outstanding choices. All American craft ales, but not the typical ones you see at every other place. Kudos to whoever is selecting these! They have a beer flight of four 4 oz selections for $6 -- that is a great bargain, because many of the ales are more expensive for a pint or less, so it's really a great choice. The setup is a bit weird - part of Baywalk. The bar itself is OK, but then the actual space inside just seems odd. A DJ set up at a space in the corner when we were there - prior to that 3 bands had played in the outdoor courtyard space, which was very nice. Bar staff was super friendly, super knowledgable, and helpful. They do serve some limited bar food, but they even let you get food delivered from other places to the bar - and go so far as to put suggestions and their phone numbers right up on the wall. I would not hesitate to go far, far out of my way just to come here again.

Stumbled upon this cute bar while visiting St Pete. Good beer selection and friendly staff. Had a fun Derby Day contest and nice live music. Would definitely visit again! Vicki was a lot of fun and made us feel welcome.

To celebrate my friend getting into USF, he suggested we hit up the new bar The Ale and the Witch. As I'm still new to Tampa Bay, I didn't know what to expect, but I have found my permanent staple. With a casual ambiance and a customer base that includes beer aficionados of all ages, you're in for a great environment where people will trade beer stories with strangers. The staff is also incredibly helpful and friendly, quickly recognizing you and stopping by no matter where you sit. The menu has 32 craft beers on tap, so if you're looking for a regular sports bar or some place serving PBR, kindly look elsewhere. If, however, you are looking to purchase a flight (4 4-oz samples for $6) of different IPAs then you are in for a treat. What's really great about this place is their website has updates on when they tap new kegs, so be sure to visit the site so as not to miss your favorite brew. Note that some will sell out in a night, much to the misfortune of the staff. This weekend I brought my beer friends from Miami to pre-game the night before the Tampa Beer Fest. They want to come back to Tampa Bay just for The Ale and The Witch. TL; DR - If you like quality craft beer, you should already have a seat there.

Great selection of beers! Came here on Saturday night around 8 and it was completely empty, but they had a great selection of drafts, including my favorite, Funky Buddha. The bartender was super friendly and even gave me a half glass because I didn't want the full 10 oz. Will definitely return here.

The vibe is pretty chill. There are some seats inside, but there are more outside. The beer menu is quite large, which is cool. The bartender lady did a great job of helping make a drink decision for many people I saw standing in line before me. You can bring food from other places and eat it while you drink their drinks.

The Ale & The Witch is one of the best places in St. Pete to get a beer. There are over 30 different craft beers and the list is always changing. I was there on the weekend, enjoying myself with a friend listening to Cope (awesome band by the way!). There must have been 200-300 people out in the courtyard on this evening. Maybe they could put an attendant in the upstairs bathroom to help keep it clean, especially when there are large crowds. Overall, I love this place and always stop in when I'm downtown. It's a great place to go no matter the time of year.

Outstanding. Indoor/outdoor venue, live music, friendly knowledgable staff, endless beer selection. Just off the street away from the fray. Great find.

THis place has a nice atmosphere to it. Really casual. They don't serve food but like WOB you can order or bring in food from the neighboring spots like mexican or sushi.We like to order a little from both and mix them up with beers to have our own "international night" WHen it's dead, it's dead, quiet, too much so. Bring friends and hit it on a Fri or Sat ngiht it's a lot more fun then!

A must visit if you love craft brews. Staff is very knowledgable and the rotating taps are literally daily. Special thanks to this awesome local stop and the local music brought to us every weekend! WARNING: If you are looking for a watered down cheap shitty beer, DO NOT GO HERE. Don't even step inside! There are booby traps set for people like you. The main trap is called a LU-Cas. You have been warned.

Love coming here! They usually are carrying my favorite drink "Zombie Killer". They offer a variety of drinks and some small food items. I had the fish spread and it was pretty good. The staff are friendly and willing to answer any questions we had about the different drinks they offered. I love that you can sit inside or outside and they have a very eclectic offering of live music

This was on my "to visit" list and i am far from disappointed. This small bar is for craft beer drinkers. I have never seen a bar in my travels that has so many rotating craft beers on tap. Monks would think they were in heaven. Food is available from the sister ship upstairs, Witches BBQ which is fabulous.. The owner, "The Wizard" is about the brewhouse busy as the day. Music from Americas best past play in the background. The bartender couldn't be sweeter as she defines the bar to patron from afar and calls the names of those who frequent. I feel very relaxed here. They have live performers and get busy. The place is very popular with all ages that are of a laid back nature. Do yourself a favor and put this on your list!! See you down the road, Chef Step.

We walked over from Central Ave on a Saturday night. We could hear the live band from almost a mile away that was playing in the courtyard area. It brought back Phish concert nightmares. There were juggling jokers, flower children, and actual children--- all dancing around like woodland fairies to an extremely loud cover band. The beer is plentiful and stuff, but you will need to wait quite a while for it. And, stand shoulder to shoulder in a cloud of patchouli funk to drink it at almost room temperature. The bathrooms are shared with the surrounding office building, which are in pretty good shape. There was a group of girls that walked in the bathroom, talking loudly about how they love stealing glasses from Ale & Witch. Keep it classy.

This is a real gem in St. Petersburg. The setting is extremely casual and social with indoor and outdoor seating. I was a bit overwhelmed at first because this is not one of those places you go to for a Bud Lite; you have to be willing to express your flavors and give things a taste. That is where the specialness comes in. The staff was very helpful in making suggestions and offering samples to get you where you want to be with your beer. I found all their suggestions to perfect for me. Of course you can do all the flavors and make up your mind. They said most of the time when people try that it does not end well. But it is there if you want it. One of the charms about this place is it is dog friendly. When I first got there a beautiful Greyhound was camped out in a doggie bed next to his human. He looked so comfortable I thought the doggie bed was his permanent place. It was very cool to see a place that was friendly to dogs. The other really quaint feature of this place is the walls had art work of local artists which seemed to range from $20 to $30 dollars. This place was so personable that some of the artist names were sometimes just a first name or even a nickname. After we had been there for a while the music started and we moved to the courtyard. The setting was wonderful. The music was easy to listen to and just allowed you to enjoy the moment. It should be noted when talking about the courtyard that The Ale and The Witch also has a food place called The Witches Barbeque upstairs. I did not make it there but I understood it is a take-out only; which is perfect for hanging out and having a beer in the courtyard. Also, the staff in The Ale and The Witch made regular trips into the courtyard. This is definitely a place for groups. At one point it got really busy inside but I did not experience a long wait. There is parking both in a garage (adjacent to the courtyard) and street parking. I would suggest quarters and/or cash as the night I was there the garage had a sign up stating their computers were down so I found myself searching for an ATM. The staff at The Ale and The Witch were very helpful in giving me directions to an ATM.

Everyone likes the Ale & the Witch. If you drink beer that is. Or Ciders. Sometimes even meads. If you like beers with odd flavors like mango habanero, it's definitely for you. If you know what you like and what you like is Miller Lite, you probably won't dig it.

Wonderful beer selection, good tunes, and good friends. With that equation, you cannot go wrong at the Ale & the Witch. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. It was a bit crowded, but I was told it get much much much worse. We did finally get a bench outside, but our group continued to grow, so I did not get to use the bench very much, We actually rode bikes downtown. It was a lot of fun. I was a bit sweaty from the bike ride, so I was happy to stay outside. It was a bit warm inside. The band was awesome. They really got into it. The crowd continued to grow and lots of people were dancing. The music does echo off the building some, but it is still pretty darn good sound. I still never really had any trouble getting a beer. I did feel like I had to wait a while for the bathroom, but it was partly because I did not want to go use the upstairs bathrooms that were advertised on the door of the single downstairs bathroom. I was particularly excited to see some Bells on tap. Bells comes from Michigan and so do I, so this place was a nice reminder of home. This place was a bit trendy, but not overly infected with hipsters, a good diverse mix of people in the crowd. If you like beer and music, you will have a blast here on the weekends! The live music is almost always a local band with a fitting eclectic mix! Great live music!