Florida has generally been regarded by beer aficionados as a bit of a beer wasteland. I think it has to do with our irrational devotion to strip malls and fast food. The good news is the beer scene is getting better, specifically in the bay area.

Thanks to the Best Florida Beer Competition, there is an event that celebrates cigars, one of the things Florida does well, and great brew.

The 5th annual Stogie and Stout night will be next Thursday at the Dunedin Brewery. The event matches world class, locally hand-rolled cigars with craft brewed stouts from Florida and around the country.

Several of the stouts on tap are not currently distributed in Florida and those brews alone are sure to draw in beer geeks from far and wide.

Imperial stouts such as Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout paired with robust, full-bodied cigars demonstrate how wonderfully flavors can build upon one another for a whole new sensation. Same goes for oak-aged brews like Dominion Oak Barrel Stout paired with lightly spicy stogies.

Special dark brews to look for include Clipper City Peg Leg Imperial Stout from Maryland, Highland Brewing Mocha Porter from North Carolina and Red Brick Double Chocolate Porter, a limited edition winter brew out of Georgia.

The lineup isn't final yet so some surprises may be in store.

Can it

Beers from one of Colorado's best breweries, Oskar Blues, will soon be available in Central Florida.

While other craft brewers were corking their bottles, dipping them in wax or pouring their beer into fancy swing tops, Oskar Blues was paying homage to that most quintessential of American icons - beer in a can.

Some craft beer purists recoil at cans, but they are better at protecting beer from light than glass and, let's face it, cans are infinitely more portable.

Oskar Blues cans three beers. Dales Pale Ale is a hoppy (and hefty at 6.5 percent abv) American pale ale that delivers a West Coast style hop-blast but still manages a tasty malt base.

Old Chub, a personal favorite, is a Scotch ale-style brew with liberal use of crystal and chocolate malts, as well as beechwood smoked malts from the Bamberg region of Germany, famous for Rauchbier (smoke beer). Old Chub does have a mild smoke element to its flavor, but the real story is malt sweet malt with caramel and chocolate flavors in abundance. Old Chub is a hearty 8 percent abv, so don't try to drink a whole six pack while watching the game.

The last beer in the Oskar Blues arsenal has the innocuous moniker of Gordon. But this Gordon is a heavily hopped double India pale ale-style beer that will rearrange your taste buds in a flash. Gordon is brewed with six different malts and dry hopped with the lightly spicy Amarillo hop. At 8.7 percent alcohol, it is definitely a brew to be sipped and savored in moderation.