Quietly, Atlantic Beach Brewing Company has made its way onto the Jacksonville craft beer landscape. The area's newest brewery opened the doors at 725 N. Atlantic Blvd in Atlantic Beach earlier this week, followed by last night's preview nite, which gave friends and family a chance to see (and taste) the finished product. Soft opening continues today (Friday, May 5) at noon, with a ribbon cutting and Grand Opening celebration slated for noon on Saturday, May 6, with music, brewery tours, growler giveaways and more. It's official ... ABBC has reached the shores of the Jacksonville area!About six weeks ago, this writer met co-owners Spencer and Linda Horn and Brewmaster Rory Malloy at the still-under-construction venue (see preview story with in-depth interview and photos). The brewhouse was already brewing up the house beers, power tools were humming in the two tap rooms (that's not a typo), and the rest of the pieces were still falling in place.
So, what's it look like now? Fast forward .... the tap rooms offer very space-efficient and guest-friendly set-ups. Plenty of bar seats, tables and chairs, with ample space to move around. One of the first things you'll notice when entering the main tap room (other than the size) is the bar with the dramatic white brick wall, black industrial tap tower, and that imposing shark logo.
And, yes, that shark takes on different colors.
Beach scene artwork lines the walls in the woodsy-industrial main tap room. The rear tap room/events room offers a view of the brewhouse, with a few comfy sofas and wall seating to complement the second bar.
Currently, nine house beers are on tap, with more on the way to round out the 20 taps in each of the two tap rooms. The brewery also offers two guest ciders on tap, along with four wines. Instead of traditional beer "flights," customers can order five-ounce pours of any beer to mix and match according to taste and to explore new styles. Want more of a good thing? Try the ten-ounce or pint pours. Take some of the beer back home with you in a growler.
Other than the ciders, all of the taps pour ABBC beers, which as of this writing are: Two Minutes Session IPA (4.4 abv); Two Many Minutes Pale Ale 4.4 abv); Duality IPA (6.4 abv); Horrid Mule Rye IPA (6.4 abv); Hop Farm French Saison (4.9 abv); Mayport Red Ale (5 abv); Bonfire Beach Brown Ale (5.2 abv); Roxy's Raspberry Porter (4.3 abv, named after family dog); and 98th Street Imperial Stout (9.8 abv).
This writer has been on shark dives before, so let's dive right into some of the beer:
Left to right:
Two Many Minutes Pale Ale: A light gold-color, very easy-drinking beer, with notes of fruit; slightly hoppier than the Two Minutes Session IPA. Both names reflect Spencer being two minutes older than twin brother and co-owner Chuck, and the pale ale boiling the hops a bit longer.
Mayport Red Ale: A hoppier red with caramel overtones, balance tipping slightly toward the hops, with a bit of a lingering bitterness on the finish.
Bonfire Beach Brown Ale: Deep brown ale with surprising chocolate notes, along with nutty and earthy characters in a very flavorful brew. This is one brown ale that will light things up, and one of my favorites of the taste test.
98th Street Imperial Stout: Dark brown color with roasty aroma and a blended chocolate and coffee flavor that comes from the malt. The name is a tribute to 98th Street in Seattle, where apparently the "aha" moment to open the brewery struck Spencer and Linda. No surprise here, given my affinity to stouts, that this one will be a definite repeat.
Duality IPA: A surprisingly lighter color and a lighter-bodied IPA that still packs enough hop-head punch at 65 IBU; citrusy, with a slight lingering bitterness, it's a repeatable IPA.
Horrid Mule IPA: Don't let the name scare you. If you like the spiciness of rye beers, this is a must-try. Balance runs toward hops, with a bitter back-end, in a 70 IBU brew.
And, just like that shark, nothing like planning the next attack: Brewmaster Rory is already preparing for the brewery's First Anniversary in 2018, as a batch of the 98th Street Imperial Stout is currently ageing in St. Augustine Distillery Bourbon Barrels, where it will reside til next year.
Atlantic Beach Brewing Company is located at the east end of a shopping center at 725 Atlantic Blvd. in Atlantic Beach, on the outskirts of Jacksonville and just north of Jax Beach. The brewery is open six days a week, closed on Mondays. Hours are Tuesday-Thursday: 4pm til midnight; Friday-Saturday: noon til midnight; Sunday: noon til 10pm. The tap rooms are family and pet friendly.
Congratulations to Atlantic Beach Brewing Company! This is one shark that beachgoers and beer enthusiasts alike will want to visit.
[Ed. Note: 5/6/2017: The Grand Opening on May 6 was rockin' all day! Take a look at a few more Photos and Video. (You made it this far, check out the rest!)] ...
Nice work on the new place! Overall, it's pretty impressive, and the beers are solid. Be sure to add ABBC to your brewery visit list.
In the meantime, stay tuned to the events pages right here on brewnymph.com for local Jacksonville area beer events and beerfest/special events all around Florida.
Thanks for reading,
Cheers!
Til next time,
Linda
Linda Johnson, Certified Cicerone®
All photos by Linda Johnson
© 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