Southern Swells Brewing Makes Landfall in Jax Beach

The newest brewery to hit the Jacksonville craft beer scene has made landfall in Jax Beach. Word of the brewery-in-planning surfaced last April, after permits were already in place. The co-owners immediately began renovations on a space formerly occupied by a dance hall/restaurant/martini bar, and the transformation began to take shape over the course of 2016. 

Now, the lights are on, and Southern Swells Brewing Co. is bringing its beach vibe to Jax Beach with a Grand Opening of its new tap room on Saturday, January 28 at noon. 

Last Spring, this writer sat down with co-owners Corey Adams and Jay Varney a day after news of the up-and-coming brewery spread over social media like a tidal wave (check out that story here). On Thursday night, January 26, Southern Swells Brewing held a Preview Nite and soft opening for media and beer industry types, revealing the results of months of construction. When the new tap room opens to the public on Saturday, guests will be treated to a beautiful tap room that might be described as beachy-woodsy-modern-industrial. 

In total, the brewery is a 7500 square-foot facility. Upon entering the tap room, the sheer size of the space is striking. The tap room features a concrete-top bar with 20 taps positioned on a woodsy backdrop, with a large seating area and a merchandise corner. There’s also an outdoor patio at the entrance.

Just beyond the bar is the special events room, which is designed to accommodate parties, meetings and other functions. 

Turn to the right, and there’s a large, open activity area, with picnic tables, rocking chairs, and games. The 10-barrel brewhouse looms large behind an impressive floor-to-ceiling glass window that prominently displays the oceanic-inspired Southern Swells logo. Artwork that complements the beachy, laid-back style of Jax Beach adorns the walls. 

Inside the Events Room

For now, the tap room offers 20 guest taps, which run the range from light to dark, hoppy to sour. Brewer Jay Varney says that he will start brewing on the new commercial equipment within the next week. The brewery also features a reverse-osmosis water system. Look for Southern Swells house beers to roll onto the tap list sometime this Spring after the brewery has produced about 4-6 of its brews. 

When I first met Corey and Jay last April, they didn’t have Southern Swells logo shirts (see photo from original story). I think they look pretty good in their own brewery shirts this time around. 

Southern Swells Brewing Co. is located at 1312 Beach Blvd., Jax Beach.

I had a great time checking out the new Southern Swells Brewing last night. And, we're all looking forward to their house beers!  

That's a wrap this time around. Hey, keep up with all things Florida beer and Florida beer events with the "BeerSPHERE" and "Tap This" events pages right here on brewnymph.com.  

Cheers!

Til next time,

Linda

Linda Johnson, Certified Cicerone®

©2017 BrewNymph, LLC. All text and photos. All rights reserved. BrewNymph; Peace, Love, Pints; Where the Beer Meets the Beach, and Beer is my Trademark are federally-registered trademarks of BrewNymph, LLC; BeerSphere and I'm Fun; Deal With It! are trademarks of BrewNymph, LLC