Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/375259
22 w e s t w o r l d | f a l l 2 0 1 4 arm-wrestling contest, short story contest and mar- lin fishing tournament. What about a drinking con- test, in honour of Papa's other favourite pastime? "That's 365 days a year here," replies Gonzales, who has his own ideas about what attracts so many people to the Keys. "It's an energy centre – there's a hidden magical energy here," he says, before launch- ing into his theories about the area's cosmic correlation to constellation patterns. I'm quickly left behind. While it's no magical energy centre, Joe's Tap Room behind the stage of Sloppy Joe's is a welcomed respite from the daily barrage of bar bands playing at the front of the house. During my afternoon visit, a group called the Doerfels takes to the stage. e family band, from Upstate New York, consists of nine red- headed brothers and one sister, all under the age of 24. Joe's offers up a surprisingly eclectic selection of craft beers for a town where Corona and anything mixed in a blender are king. at's where I find Jor- dan Springer manning the taps. After getting laid off from his IT job in Ohio, the baby-faced 23-year-old (l-r) Sloppy Joe's bar, located at the corner of Greene and Duval streets since 1937, is a Key West tradition; No Name Pub, a former bait and tackle shop and brothel, features walls plastered with visitors' dollar bills and a menu famous for its zesty pizza and smoked fish dip. (top left) istock, (top right) courtesy the palm beach post, (opposite page) big pine key adventures