Storm ahead: Craft brewery pushes eastward with arena deal

Most live sports have gone on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Big Storm Brewing, a Clearwater-based craft beer company, is confident they’ll come back with a vengeance — and so will fans. 

The brewery — which produced, donated and sold large quantities of hand sanitizer at the height of the COVID-19 crisis, when beer sales declined due to shuttered bars and restaurants — has signed an agreement to open a 5,000-square-foot brewpub in Orlando’s Amway Center, home of the Orlando Magic NBA team and a venue for major concerts and other events. Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, The Killers and Marc Anthony are scheduled to perform there in the coming months, if the pandemic subsides.