Hunahpu X

March 10, 2019

Michael, Kathy and Brian 

Hunahpu X

One of the great things about the scheduling of the 2019 Indycar opening weekend at St. Petersburg is that it coincides with two other fantastic events that I love attending, but may not travel all the way from Key West if they did not happen to fall on this same weekend. One is the Gasparilla Music Festival in downtown Tampa and the other is the annual Hunahpu’s Day Beer Festival, held this year for the second time at Raymond James Stadium, the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

 

This is the tenth annual Hunahpu’s Day festival which celebrates the annual release of Cigar City Brewing’s Hunahpu Imperial Stout. One of the premier craft beer events in the United States, the event attracts thousands of rabid beer fans descend on Tampa, Florida from all over the world to collect bottles of Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout and celebrate its release with over 150 of the world’s finest breweries while sampling their finest and rarest offerings in unlimited 2 ounce pours. Bottles of Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout, a commemorative tasting glass, food, entertainment and camaraderie are all included in the cost of the ticket.

 

Tickets are a hot item to this premier event and go on-sale months in advance of the actual event and beer geeks from all over the US and many other parts of the world line-up in the field next to where the festival is held in advance of the 11 AM opening and then sprint, literally racing to get in line for some of the rarest and most difficult to find craft beers from breweries from all over the world. The opening sprint in itself is something to see as thousands of mostly large, bearded men run for perhaps the first time since last year’s Hunahpu’s Day for all their worth to line-up again in front of their favorite brewery or to get the specialty beer of the moment.

 

Among the more than 150 craft breweries represented are many of the very best in the world and they all bring their best offerings to share in what has been listed as one of the top five craft beer events in the world. It is something to see and experience. I think this was my fourth Hunahpu’s Day, but it was the first such experience for Kathy and she was suitably overwhelmed. The size, scope and simply amount of beer is really staggering.

 

Kathy

My favorite breweries from my home state of Indiana were represented, including what is my all-time favorite brewery, Three Floyd’s from Muenster, Indiana was on hand serving up their own ultra-rare beer, Dark Lord as well as their popular and tasty Zombie Dust. Sun King Brewery from Indianapolis was also on hand and it is always great to see my Hoosier friends representing. 

Aimee and Brian 

We have a group of friends from Key West who make the annual pilgrimage to attend, they actually rent a house for the week, which happens to be Tampa Bay Beer Week, and attend numerous events at what is quickly becoming one of the craft beer hotspots in the entire nation. The Tampa Bay beer week events at Angry Chair Brewery have in themselves become one of the hottest craft beer tickets in the country in themselves.

 

This year’s festival was huge and fun and pretty damn hot as well. There were so many amazing beers to sample that I could not possibly single out any, of course there were some pretty terrible beers as well as it seems brewers have just about run out of new ideas of flavors to use to brew beers with. For example there were beers on hand made from the popular 70s powdered drink Tang and one made with Grape-Ade, neither of which I could honestly recommend, though they are always interesting to try.

Numerous delicious food trucks were on hand to provide some food to go along with the plethora of beer options, but it was the beer that was the true draw to this incredible event. It is truly a beer lovers dream event and for those like myself who like beer but are not true experts, it is a really fun way to get exposed to the cutting edge, best craft brew from around the globe.

Aimee and Kathy 

https://hunahpusday.com/