On the heels of the announcement that Cigar City Brewing will change the date of Hunahpu’s Day, comes the announcement of a new venue for the landmark Tampa Bay craft beer event.
Somewhat far down in a post that the brewery has a new partnership with the Tampa Bay Lightning NHL Team is the news of the new venue.
From NHL.com:
“Cigar City Brewing is proud to become the Official Craft Beer Partner of the Tampa Bay Lightning and AMALIE Arena,” Cigar City Brewing Chief Operating Officer Justin Clark said. “We will work together to contribute to the Tampa Bay community and elevate the fan experience at AMALIE Arena. Not only do we look at the Lightning as a pillar of our Tampa community, we know how respected they are around the world. Their contributions to the community reach far beyond sports entertainment and we are excited to contribute to their success.”
Additionally, the Hunahpu’s Beer Festival, one of the premier craft beer events in the United States, will be moving to AMALIE Arena on March 13th, 2020. The festival will mark the 11th anniversary of the event in Tampa, Florida, and the first at AMALIE Arena. The festival is a one-day celebration of Cigar City Brewing’s Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout, which is only released once a year. More details on the Hunahpu’s Beer Festival event at AMALIE Arena will be announced at a later date.
Commentary:
If Hunahpu’s Day is going to be held inside or even around Amalie arena, that may alleviate one of the biggest concerns with the hours-long beer festival: the sun. Moving the event to an indoor venue with plenty of nearby paved parking could be a very positive change. The date change still poses a question about conflict with Cycle Brewing’s Barrel-Aged Day, assuming that the event will still take place as usual. Cigar City Brewing’s Hunahpu’s Day has been the Saturday anchor event of Tampa Bay Beer Week since the inception of the weeklong celebration of Bay Area craft beer. CCB moving the event to Friday does create a hole in Tampa Bay Beer Week – as 7venth Sun Brewery announced that their post-Hunahpu’s Day celebration, Hunahpu Hangover Day, has been moved to Saturday. Maybe Sunday will be a recovery day? Or more likely other events may move around as well.
Look for more information as it becomes available.
