Cigar City Brewery Website
Cigar City Brewery on Twitter

The need for some time away from work and the scheduling of a particular heavy metal band on tour brought me to Tampa Bay last weekend. This band is rather elusive in that they don’t often play very many shows in the U S of A and when they do, it’s always sold out within minutes of tickets on sale. So, months ago, striking while the iron was luke-warm, I managed to procure six seats a few yards short of nosebleed. But, hey, I finally got to see Iron Maiden live.

Black Sheep Brewery Website
Black Sheep Brewery on Twitter

“Owl Stretching Time.” That was, at one time, one of the names being considered as a title for a new tv show. Other options the writers of the show tossed around were “Vaseline Review” and “A Bucket, a Horse and a Spoon.” After much consideration they decided upon something much less silly and stuck with Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

Terrapin Brewing Company Website
Terrapin Brewing Company on Twitter

As summer approaches and the air begins to warm to a Beelzebub-approved temperature along our gulf coast, the average beer-drinkers’ mind is usually looking towards citris-ey, thirst-quenching weizens and IPA’s; certainly not some roasty, heavy stout or porter. Thankfully, the nights have been very pleasantly cool as of late making this the perfect time to head down to Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom to try yet another rarity for Pensacola: Terrapin Brewery’s Darkside.

Xingu Beer Website

Does anyone remember Steven Spielberg’s tv show “Amazing Stories?” In the opening credits there’s a Native American family sitting around the campfire and the elderly head of the house is telling a story. That’s how they did things before a telephone could download and play the latest – ahem – music from Lady Gaga in, like, ten seconds. It was word of mouth back then.