Corona Extra

Here's a special blog feature for the current corona virus outbreak. Like many other beers, Corona Extra is vegan. If the COVID-19 outbreak and all the shut-downs get to you, take it easy with a Corona, and try your best to stay safe.

Beer at New Belgium Brewing in Asheville NC

I made my way to the New Belgium Brewing Company in Asheville NC. I was there to share fun times with another vegan. Here you see our drinks; Fat Tire Belgian White on the left and 1554 on the right. Vegans can drink beer too! Just be careful. Check with the brewery about the vegan status of the beer. Some beers are filtered with fish bladder or bone ash. And others such as milk stout do contain milk. These two are safe!

Boiled Peanuts With A Beer At Green Bus In Huntsville AL

A Vegan Halloween Party Drink

Blue Moon Belgian White with a slice of orange. It's vegan. Happy Halloween!

Icehouse

Yes, Icehouse is vegan! When I'm at the gas station and want a refreshing light drink to take back to the campsite, Icehouse is a good option. The price is usually good too!

Guinness

It wasn't before, but now it is. Guinness is vegan!

Vegan Camp Snack at Monte Sano State Park

Boiled peanuts and Yuengling! I had to drive down the mountain to the Star Market to get these, so I guess that's cheating.

O'Zone Pizza Pub in Pensacola FL

For this meal I went to O'Zone Pizza Pub. It's a regular pizza pub, but they have vegan options. I had the Veg Out minus feta and substituted the cheese for vegan cheese.

This vegan pizza included typical veggie pizza toppings. The crust had a really good texture; it was crunchy on the outside and fluffy inside. I was told it gets coated with a vegan garlic oil. The pizza sauce was perfectly seasoned. Everything tasted fresh. I ordered some roasted garlic on the side (not pictured) and that made this an awesome meal!

O'Zone Pizza Pub is a strange little place built inside what was once the basement kitchen of the old Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola FL. The large stone Gothic Revival building was completed in 1915 and was the first hospital in Pensacola. It was later turned into a school. Today it looks like one of those creepy insane asylums in horror movies, especially in the more abandoned areas. (I went early on a Sunday. Almost no one was there. Creepy!) O'Zone appears to take several rooms of the old hospital. The bar area was the kitchen and still has the aged white tile and tall, narrow, metal-framed windows. Its worn, industrial, institutional vibe is mixed with weird beach art, rock music posters, and a large black velvet painting. O'Zone has a good selection of beer and obscure older rock music.

I received friendly service from the server and bar tender. It was like visiting friends of a friend.  My meal was excellent, and the environment, especially around O'Zone, was unforgettable. This is a family friendly establishment. I would recommend this place to anyone.

Click here to see the O'Zone website

Chizuko in Pensacola FL

I had an unusual experience at a vegan dive bar called Chizuko in Pensacola. Here's how it went.

I found a flat black painted building with no windows. It looked like a goth nightclub. The sign said "Chizuko".  I knew this was the place. I found a door and went inside. The darkness and cool air was like going into a cave. It was amazingly dark. 1990's Hip Hop music was playing. All I could see was some colored light and dark silhouettes. I followed the colored light to find the bar. When my eyes adjusted enough to see, I found myself  surrounded by a freakish but pleasantly interesting environment. As an artist, I immediately felt comfortable within the creative space. The lady at the bar quickly welcomed me with a smile.

New Belgium Dayblazer
I started the visit with a New Belgium Dayblazer. It was refreshing with a wheaty nutty taste. It was so good I had another one later.

I had to use light from a cell phone to see the menu until my eyes adjusted. The moment I walked in it was like visiting friends. The lady at the bar was very friendly. She said she named the place after her Japanese grandmother. The vegan snack food menu has a slight Asian theme. The place is full of strange objects like voodoo skulls, a Victorian sofa, bizarre paintings of crab-devil ladies, and a coffin as a coffee table. I went into one of the non-gender specific restrooms to wash my hands and was surprised to see this:

Wow! This place is full of visual surprises. These are my kind of people! Now back to the vegan food.



Kimchi Tater Salad
This was a creamy, tangy, chunky potato salad with crisp chunks hidden inside and topped with black sesame seeds. It was cool and refreshing. Very good!

Banh Mi Sliders
These tasted like they could be Gardein Beefless Sliders with some extra tasty veggie ingredients added to them. These tiny vegan burgers go well with beer.

Curried Boiled Peanuts
These boiled peanuts were very good! They're served in a pool of coconut milk with yellow curry, chili pepper, ginger, cilantro, and lemongrass. These may be the best boiled peanuts I've ever had. Messy but excellent! They come with hand wipes and napkins.

This visit was unforgettable. The building is uninviting from the outside, but anyone who goes inside will find a secret treasure of good vegan snacks and adult beverages served by friendly people in a visually exciting space. Chizuko has frequent comedy and music events. There's a patio/courtyard that is lit in blue light for anyone who smokes or wants to bring a canine partner. This place is amazing! If you're in Pensacola, you need to check this out!

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites and Pabst Blue Ribbon

Yes. They are both vegan!

Hippie Nachos at Blackstone Pub & Eatery in Gadsden AL

This is the Hippie Nachos at Blackstone Pub & Eatery in Gadsden AL. To make it vegan I ordered it with no melted white cheese and no sour cream. This is corn tortilla chips topped with black beans, mushrooms, fresh cilantro, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, black olives, a single peperoncino pepper, and a side of salsa. I also had a Blue Moon Belgian White with an orange slice. This is all vegan!

Hippie Nachos minus cheese and sour cream at Blackstone Pub & Eatery in Gadsden AL

Blackstone Hippie Nachos is a generous pile of comfort food. They usually go heavy on the cilantro, which is why I like them so much. This time they went a bit easy on that and went heavy on the beans. That's great too! The beans were slightly dry and very flavorful, so they may be house-made from dry beans. In fact everything tasted very fresh. The salsa is very good and has a slight Tabasco sauce flavor. Without cheese, the Hippie Nachos basket does need extra salsa. The jalapenos were so hot this time I almost couldn't think straight (or maybe it was the beer getting to me). This was a great meal!

Blackstone Pub & Eatery is usually dark, loud, and crowded. They have frequent live music events in the evening. The building is very old, maybe over 100 years old, so it's rough and grimy inside, but it's very comfortable. Some recent improvements really helped minimize the biker bar feel it had. I'm no longer afraid to use their restroom. They have outdoor seating available for smokers and those with canine drinking partners. The beer selection is huge. The menu is mostly pizza, salad, and quesadillas. I discovered Blackstone during a visit to Gadsden's First Friday street festival. Now I stop by anytime I'm in town.


Click here to see the Blackstone Pub & Eatery website