Green Room Brewing is Jacksonville Beach’s first microbrewery and one of the most laid-back spaces you can find. Its easy-going vibes attract folks returning from the beach and is what owner Mark Stillman intended when he started the business in 2011.

“In looking at different areas, it seemed like a fun thing to do — to open up a microbrewery,” says Stillman. “I didn’t have any major expectations to come out of it. It just seemed fun, and I was like, ‘maybe I won’t lose all my money doing it.’ In looking over by Riverside and at the beaches, it seemed like the beaches had that community feel, especially for a bar.”

Stillman’s hunch was correct; the location by the beach seems to be the perfect setting for Green Room. The microbrewery is steps away from the Jacksonville Beach pier, is close to other bars and local eateries and supplies many beach-theme named beer and events. Their casual, relaxed environment sets them apart from wild bars — and an added bonus? They welcome dogs.

“There’s three things going for Green Room, and that’s location, location, location. We’re in a good spot. I think if we could pick this building up and move it somewhere else in town, it would not be the same. Being at the beach in this location is just a rare-find opportunity. Also, the atmosphere is important. A bar that’s more laid-back and has more of [a] community feel and relaxed-beach feel…that was my thought back then. I wanted a place where you could go chill out and have a pint. It’s much different than Surfer the Bar or The Ritz. To this day, I think it’s been the reason that we’ve stayed here. I really didn’t know it was such a good call at that time.”

Aside from the enticing location and alluring atmosphere, locals can’t get enough of the establishment’s beer. There are 16 taps, with seven beers as permanent selections and nine constantly rotating taps.

“We have permanent taps and seasonal taps. Our permanent brands, like Head High, Pablo Beach, Count Chocula, Diamond…we try to keep those because people seem to always like them and always go back to those drinks, even if they try something else. The seasonal drinks are fun, and we like to switch those up. We only have 16 taps, and there are so many good beer styles to go through. It’s hard to choose.”

Stillman says their most popular drink includes their Golden Ale selections, but the biggest surprise drink is Count Chocula. It originated as a seasonal style and has stuck around since 2012.

For the patrons bringing their dogs to Green Room, the bartenders have treats waiting, and there are water bowls to keep them hydrated.

At the back of the building, there are always fun games of ping pong and Jenga available. Regular events frequently occur and make some nights a bit busier than others.

“Tuesday night, we do trivia. We do the run club on Wednesdays. Those are our events right now. As we ramp up, we may start looking at doing live music again in the near future.”

In terms of future goals, you can still rely on the beach location as the microbrewery’s sole spot, but some expansion plans are underway for the tap selections.

“The plans we have now are to expand our tap selections. We want to go from 16 taps to 24 taps. I am hoping that when we expand those taps, we can broaden up our selection. We’ll probably make room for more sour beers and add a seltzer.”

Green Room also serves select wines, sells local artists’ paintings (hung on the walls inside), has a few arcade games and regular ping pong competitions. Green Room Brewing truly has something for everyone.

Green Room Brewing: 228 3rd St. N, Jacksonville Beach, FL; greenroombrewing.com // @greenroombrew