5 Florida Breweries for Summer
With impending sweltering temperatures quickly on the way in the months ahead, some frosty beverage options will prove to be an essential summer survival tool. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of incredible breweries throughout the entire state, with many residing right here in the Jacksonville area. With several award-winners and a beyond wide selection of unique locations, dive headfirst into some of our picks.
Cigar City Brewing
Distributed throughout 40 states and with numerous GABF medals over the years, Cigar City remains one of Florida’s flagship breweries, and for good reason. Opened in 2009 by 5th generation Floridian Joey Render and brewmaster Wayne Wambles, they’ve developed flavor profiles built on quality ingredients that help highlight the cultures and people of Tampa. These include selections like their flagship Jai Alai IPA, to newer releases like Frost Proof Belgian White and rich darks Cubano Espresso Brown Ale and Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout, a robus dark brewed with cinnamon, vanilla and cacao along with ancho, pasilla and guajillo peppers. 924 W. Spruce St, Tampa, FL; cigarcitybrewing.com // @visitccb
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Bold City Brewery
Another individual that started in humble, homebrewing roots, Brian Miller started Bold City with the goal of crafting distinctive creations, and he’s definitely hit the mark. Besides favorites like “Duke’s Cold-Nosed Brown Ale” (named after the family dog), their most notable concoction is their 1901 Roasted Red Ale, named after the Great Fire of Jacksonville, the largest urban fire in the Southeastern United States. They often dabble into more limited editions as well, including “Mordred Deschain,” a 2-year barrel-aged boozy, sweet chocolate milk stout with a surprisingly hoppy finish. With a regular rotation of local live music, brunch and drag bingo, it should be on your list of go-to destinations in Jacksonville. 2670 Rosselle St. #7, Jacksonville, FL; boldcitybrewery.com // @boldcitybrewery
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Cycle Brewing
Looking for an intimate downtown gem with outgoing and knowledgeable bartenders? Look no further. The (you guessed it) cycling-centric brewery is highlighted not only by a sleek, modernistic tasting room, but its wide selection of hop-focused offerings, including Sharrow, The Fixie and Crank IPA. The richer, bolder entries are not to be missed either though, with a standout being the “Cream and Sugar, Please” hazelnut coffee milk porter. While the craft industry has no shortage of eye-catching labeling, the sharp graphics featured across many of their to-go options will ensure you’ll want tot ake some home beyond the flavor notes and enticing aromas. 534 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL; cyclebrewing.com // @cyclebrewing
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Wakefield Brewing
Beginning in 2005 with a simple Mr. Beer homebrew kit, John Wakefield has gone on to become a pillar of the Florida brewing community. After being one of the first to utilize a beer-centric crowdfunding platform, the brewery opened in 2015 and has rarely slowed down since. Known for its sours like “Miami Madness” with guava, mango and passionfruit in addition to “DFPF” (Dragon Fruit, Passion Fruit), they are consistently rated as the world’s top Berliners by Beer Advocate & RateBeer.com. However, many of their other core beers imbue a sense of regional authenticity to the table, quite literally, including “El Jefe,” a traditional German Hefeweizen with fresh coconut flakes, along with other lambics, IPAs, pilsners and porters. With oft-rotating murals and art on display throughout the taproom, it’s definitely worth the visit. 120 NW 24th St., Miami, FL; jwakefieldbrewing.com // @jwakefieldbeer
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Angry Chair Brewing
Opened in 2014, Angry Chair’s name comes from an almost philosophical perspective; that one’s angry chair is symbolic of a place, time, or situation that they must overcome to spark change. With artwork that definitely has more of a metal, nordic-inspired edge (think Indiana’s Three Floyds), their focus rests primarily on stouts, including “Arawn” (bourbon-barrel aged sweet), “Lunar Lycan” (imperial marzipan coffee cream) and Sincerely Sorry (coconut, hazelnut, marshmallow and lactose). However, there are more bright, tart options that should not be overlooked, like their Cucumber Lime Gose or “3 Angry Birds” Berliner Weisse. 6401 N Florida Ave, Tampa, FL; angrychairbrewing.com // @angrychairbrewing
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