Live music and craft beer abound at new Pensacola brewery

West Pensacola brewery Warrior Beer Company welcomed its first customers, or members of “Warrior Nation,” for its official ribbon cutting at 10605 Sorrento Road on May 1. Ever since, customers have been lining the outdoor picnic tables to hear live music on the stage and wash down one of the brewery’s beers fit for every taste.

The line-up of original recipes ranges from a light, Key-lime-like Sasso’s Summer Shandy to a rich Perdido ‘Nilla Porter that are all brewed in house.

While the brewery experienced significant delays due to county permitting since they first got started last year, Warrior owner and brewer Gary Hefner was determined not to give up and has wasted no time in crafting original flavors. Now, 210 kegs labeled “Warrior Beer" wait inside his brewery with a range of flavors for people to enjoy.

For now, guests will walk inside the taphouse to order their drink, but Hefner plans to add an outdoor bar and an online ordering system in coming months to speed up the process.

Warrior Beer Company: Military son opens brewery on Pensacola's west side honoring father, veteran mental health

In addition to the Warrior core brews, like the all-American ‘Merica Lager, there will be a rotating mix of seasonals and sours, like a Bushwacker Brown that’s in the works.

As the brewery gets in its groove, it will add a variety of events throughout the week, including trivia, live music and karaoke. One of the most unique will be military open-mic Mondays, that encourage those who have served or are serving to speak, sing, or read to “get things off their chest.”

For Hefner, providing veterans with a safe place plays a direct role in preventing suicide. Hefner lost his father, a Vietnam veteran, that way and believes he can help others through his business.

“I know that I've had conversations that have helped men not take their lives. And to me that's what this property's about, for me personally,” Hefner said.

“A lot of people believe in this mission,” Hefner said.

The brewery, which neighbors the back gate of Naval Air Station Pensacola, was intended to be part of a bigger mission to help combat mental health struggles of those in the military by giving them a safe space to talk and find common ground.

They have already leaned into their goal by fundraising for organizations like The CampFire Fund for Men’s Mental Health, an organization that helps offset the cost of mental health care in the community. He plans on adding an annual fundraising event for them with a physical bonfire at the brewery now that it is open for business.

After many months of anticipation, customers could hardly wait to come by the brewery once it opened, leading customers to come by the dozens. He watched children playing football in the acres of land that once sat idle, and listened to laughter echoing over the live music. While the brewery was created with the military in mind, it is designed to serve everyday “warriors” who are all going through their own battles.

“This property, it’s about what we do to serve each other,” Hefner said. “We're all going through things and a lot of times it takes maybe just a person to help you through things, sometimes it takes a whole group to help people get through things when you're battling.”

Much of the brewery’s décor nods to Hefner’s business partner, Joe Danielle Sr., a military vet known by the call-sign of “Sasso,” who died recently of pancreatic cancer. Because of the delays, Hefner was devastated that Danielle was never able to see “the fruits of his time and money.”

“There was a big group behind him, trying to root and pray and, hope that he could get through it. And just, it's one of those cancers. It's tough to win against,” Hefner said.

Now, you’ll see traces of him painted on the “Sasso’s Stage” painted on the entertainment stage, in his favorite drink, the summer shandy, and painted in-between the mural wings on the brewery’s outdoor wall saying, “fly high Sasso.”

Even after Danielle's death, the brewery they created together continues on.

“We have the vision, mission still there. The goal is to build out and finish out the rest of the building over the next six months and be able to have the indoor space available for the wintertime,” Hefner said.

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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Warrior Beer Company now open on Sorrento Road in Pensacola