BEER EMERGENCY! - in Florida for a week for work. WHERE CAN I FIND CRAFT BREW?

So I am in Florida for a week for work (Orange Park, near Jacksonville). While visiting other states I make it a mission of mine to try and find some local craft brew that I can't get up by me (in illinois).

I have been to about 3 hole in the wall liquor stores and a few grocery stores but can't seem to find anything interesting or anything I don't commonly see in Illinois.

Surely I am missing something...................

What is the Florida equivalent of an Illinois Binny's (super beverage mart with glorious walls full of craft brew)?? and where can I find it?

Are you going to get to Orlando by any chance? Orlando Brewing Company has a killer tap room in the front of the brewery. I'm not sure about up in Jax. There might be some stuff down by the water front, but most of the stuff brewed here in Florida is pretty tame IMO.

That is one of the reason I got into home brew. Everything good comes from somewhere else and they charge big $$$ for it.

Good luck and enjoy your stay.

Dave

From beermapping.com:

http://beermapping.com/maps/proxymaps.php?locid=43&d=50

total wine, while a bit expensive, has the best selection I know of in Jax.
4413 Town Center Parkway
Jacksonville, FL 32246
(904) 998-1740

totalwine.com

For a local brew try Bold City. Im not sure what their hours are.
boldcitybrewery.com
Or Whole foods has a decent selection as I recall and is close to OP...
10601 San Jose Boulevard, Jacksonville

Bold City and Seven Bridges for a good beer from the brewery. For a bar you HAVE to go to Kickback's.

As for beers you might find around town that you can't get in illinois: Cigar City (from Tampa), Swamp Head (from Gainesville, but draft only), Red Brick/Atlanta Brewing Co., Terrapin, Sweetwater are all worth checking out. Total Wine and More has a decent selection but the people there don't know anything so don't ask them questions.

Here is BeerAdvocates Beer Guide for Jacksonville: http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/city/70

if you are looking for a bar with good selection, Lynch's irish pub has 50 taps. they are out at Jacksonville beach.
(904) 249-5181

Kickbacks supposedly has 80-something taps...never been there

We were at a nice place back in February or March, in Atlantic Beach I believe. It was a brewpub, not a package store. They did have growlers, though! It was called Ragtime Tavern, and it was a good time. Friendly bartenders, good beer, and great food. It's about 1/2 block from the public beach, so we enjoyed having a few beers, taking a walk, and then going back for dinner.

I found that there weren't many good package stores at all, but the grocery stores all seemed to carry Sweetwater beers (made in Atlanta). Those were always good, and we found them at the Piggy Wiggly and other grocery stores at a good price.

yeast_infection said:

So I am in Florida for a week for work (Orange Park, near Jacksonville).

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Hey, what do you know? I'll be in Gainesville this week. Anyone have any suggestions around there?

billvon said:

Hey, what do you know? I'll be in Gainesville this week. Anyone have any suggestions around there?

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Stores: Gator Beverage, Tipple's, Dorn's
Bars: Stubbies & Steins(24 taps and over 500 bottles with no BMC), Alcove

1. Boldcity brewery. Awesome little place. Small little tap room and the brewery is the rest of the warehouse. They will let you walk around and check out the brew system while you are there. Make sure you tell them its your first time there. You get a free sampler of all of their beers.
2. Kickbacks is right around the corner from Bold city brewery. They do have around 80 beers on tap, although last time I went there they only had ~65. They still have an amazing selection of bottled beer.
3. If you do not have a great selection of beers where ever Aurora is then Total Wine is worth sniffing around for an hour or so. They have an amazing selection and you can buy singles, do mix 6ers etc.
4. 7 bridges is right around the corner from Total wine. Its your standard american brew pub. They have ~7 beers standard and 1-2 handpulls. They have a sweet magnolia brown ale that I think is there best. The hand pulls are hit or miss. Ragtime is out at Atlantic Beach and is the same thing as 7 bridges. 7 bridges makes the beer and sends it to Ragtime and another restaurant down in St. Augustine,
5. Lynches probably doesnt have 50 beers on tap, I would say 30-40. Decent selection, but beers that usually dont go fast (higher end beers) go stale because there is no turn over. Lynches is out at Jacksonville beach and is around a strip of other bars, its a good place for bar hopping.

PM me if you need/ have any other questions

If you are going to the beach check out Broudy's.

I'd also recommend Ward's Supermarket and even Wine and Cheese Gallery.

mullenite said:

Stores: Gator Beverage, Tipple's, Dorn's
Bars: Stubbies & Steins(24 taps and over 500 bottles with no BMC), Alcove

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Wine and Cheese cut their stock back significantly and a lot of what they do have now is OLD. (Like 2008 SN Summerfest...)

Ward's is cool but they have nothing you can't get at one of the other beer stores except delicious delicious bacon.

also this, Fri, 5/21 is a beerfest in downtown jax.