Jacksonville is known for its large acreage.  However, it is quickly becoming known for its craft beer. It seems as if a new one is opening up every year, and they are all different—that’s what makes them all so great.

Bold City Brewery is probably the most well known craft brewery in the city. Walking through the door to Bold City, you feel like you are in a very small neighborhood gathering place. There are a bunch of tables all around and a bookshelf with board games to play at your table if you choose. If you start to get hungry, you can step into the garage where they have a local grill-master cooking up some food. And if you enjoy homebrewing like I do, you can walk next door to Just Brew It, a home brewing supply store, as you leave Bold City.

Right around the corner and down the street a few blocks is another microbrewery called Intuition Ale Works.  There is a different vibe here compared to Bold City.  Large high-top tables fill the room, and once you make it past the tables you are at the long bar. No games here, just a cool place to enjoy a craft beer after work or anytime.

River City Brewing is another local brewery that has been around for a while. This is a place on its own. When you walk through the doors, you have your choice of walking to the left into a nice restaurant or walking to the right and into the more fast-paced bar area. If this type of atmosphere isn’t for you but you still want to try the beer, you can take your beer outside on the deck and enjoy the Florida weather and the St. John’s River.

Right down the road is one of the newest additions to Jacksonville’s craft brew scene. Aardwolf Brewing is a more upscale place without really being upscale. There are three different gathering rooms to choose from to sit and enjoy your brew. There is a large room where the bar is located where most of the patrons tend to sit. This room is loud so if you want a quieter, more casual space, then just walk a couple feet farther and into a smaller area separated by Plexiglas from the large room. This is pretty cool because you can be away from the loudness of the other room but still see what is going on over there. There is also a child-friendly room at the back of the building where many people just chill and eat some of the great food from one of several local food-trucks that park behind the building on the weekends. There are even picnic tables out front for an even more relaxed atmosphere.

If you’re looking for more of a fun-filled night, you can head out to Jacksonville Beach and go to Green Room Brewing. You can enjoy their great beer sitting in the front of the house talking, enjoying some local music, playing games at your table or even ping pong in the back room. Whatever your pleasure is, I am sure you will have a great time.

Engine 15 is another cool place to hang out and enjoy some great craft beer. There is a larger selection of beer on tap here than any of the others. Not a huge place, so it gets stuffy when the room is filled, but it is definitely a place not to be missed.

Finally, my personal favorite is Pinglehead Brewing. It is located inside of Brewers Pizza, which, by the way, has the best pizza hands down in the area. They have flat-screen TVs in both rooms that have a continuously scrolling menu of the beers on tap. During the weekend there are always plenty of sports being watched on the other TV. This is a great place to go and it is very kid-friendly. Great beer, great food and great people!

The best part of these breweries is that they are really not that far to get to no matter where you live around the city. Everybody who enjoys great local craft beer needs to try and visit them all at least once. However, if you are just passing through or just don’t have the time to stop into one of these great breweries, you can always stop in to the nearest ABC and pick up an offering from Bold City, Intuition or Green Room. These brews will give you great insight into the kind of craft beer the city of Jacksonville has to offer. Cheers.

Chris Brooks, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits beer consultant

Follow me on Twitter @abcbeerchrisb