Aardwolf Brewing Early Bird Beer Fest: Springing a Solid Collection in Jax

April 2, 2019: Beer geeks were in a state of "beer nirvana" on Saturday, March 30, as the inaugural Early Bird Beer Fest hosted by Aardwolf Brewing brought a rare collection of breweries from across the Eastern Seaboard to Jacksonville. In a first-of-its-kind event to land in Jax, the event featured over 30 breweries from Vermont to New York to Virginia to North Carolina to Florida. Unless involved in beer trades, locals had not seen the likes of these breweries (and their beer) in the Northeast Florida market -- which was kind of the point.  

While the beer list seemed to lean towards Imperial Stouts and Imperial and Hazy IPAs, the taps also poured barrel-aged beers, sours, and even .... gasp.... lagers! Colors ran the wheel from black and dark to hazy, pink and yellow. 

Named after Aardwolf Brewing's popular Early Bird Imperial Stout (a breakfast stout with vanilla, cinnamon and coffee), which was the base for the first barrel-aged beer produced by the brewery, the fest featured several versions of the highlighted brew, along with a few additional Aardwolf selections. The brewery also held a bottle release inside the tap room. 

The Early Bird Gets the Beer: Aardwolf Brewing (Jax) Hosts Unique Beerfest March 30

Sight seen at Aardwolf Brewing

March 7, 2019: Jacksonville will get a look -- and taste -- of beers not typically found in the local market when Aardwolf Brewing hosts its first beerfest on Saturday, March 30. The Early Bird Beer Fest takes its name from the brewery's popular seasonal "Early Bird Special" Floridian Breakfast Stout brewed with vanilla, cinnamon and Bold Bean Coffee. But why center a beerfest around it? Said Preben Olsen, Aardwolf Brewing Partner, "Early Bird Special was the first barrel-aged bottle release for us, so it has significant sentimental attachment." 

Other breweries have held beerfests around seasonal releases, and Aardwolf's staff had discussed "throwing a festival for years," added Preben. With the current management and staffing levels at the brewery, Aardwolf only recently felt comfortable enough executing "something of this scope." Planning began in November 2018. 

Jacksonville Breweries Collaborate for Springfield Neighborhood Sesquicentennial in 2019

January 5, 2019: Jacksonville's oldest existing neighborhood celebrates is Sesquicentennial in 2019, and what better way to ring in the year than by brewing a special beer!

In commemoration of Springfield's milestone achievement as a community, the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council (SPAR) will host special events throughout the year. With two breweries already dotting the landscape along Main Street, and a third on the way very soon, it only seemed fitting that the occasion called for its own beer. 

IRMA IPA Lands in Jax

IRMA IPA 
(Photo: Linda Johnson)

November 28, 2017: 
It's a name that no one in Florida will soon - if ever - forget. Irma. By the time the mammoth hurricane reached the southern part of the state in mid-September 2017, it had already inflicted severe damage to island nations. As it began and ended its this-way-and-that-way trek through the Sunshine State, all of Florida was affected in one way or another, sadly with some areas sustaining major damage and impacts never before seen. From the pre-storm warnings and computer forecasting models, evacuations, flooding and wind, caravans of out-of-state utility vehicles, water shortages, to repair and recovery, it was an experience made of historical proportions, and for some, the story still has not reached its final chapter. 

Aardwolf Brewing: Brewing Up a Third Anniversary Party in Jacksonville

Hendricks Street in the San Marco area of Jacksonville will be hoppin' on Saturday, September 10, as AARDWOLF BREWING COMPANY celebrates its 3rd Anniversary with an all-day party and special hourly tappings beginning at 2pm.

Aardwolf burst on the Florida beer scene in early 2013, and its 15-barrel brewhouse produces a wide variety of beer styles, from Belgian Ales to Sours to IPAs to Brown Ales to Imperial Stouts to Barrel-aged beers and everything in between. In that short time, the brewery has earned eight competition medals, including a Bronze Medal at GABF 2015 (Great American Beer Fest) for its Belgian Pale Ale (malty pale ale with Belgian yeast), and a Bronze at this year’s Best Florida Beer Championships for its San Marco Sour (sour blonde ale). A couple of the most unique beers you’re likely to find in Jacksonville just may be Aardwolf’s Lactic Zeppelin, a Berliner Weisse with the funk of Brettanomyces, and Hipster Popsicle, a cherry lime gose.

Of Bus Rides 'n Beer: From Bold City to Cigar City, Beer Bloggers Conference 2016 Covered It

Around this time last year, I was following the tweets from Asheville, NC as those attending the 2015 Beer Bloggers Conference energetically took to social media to report their real-time accounts of the activities. I noticed a blend of snippets about beer education and beer drinking -- not too surprising, I concluded. I thought that maybe I should attend one of these conferences in the future, and awaited the announcement of the 2016 Conference location. And, with a rising level of fanfare, there it was: TAMPA! WooHoo! That's only a 3.5 hour drive from my home base in North Florida, so I was immediately psyched. 

Let's Have a Beer .... in Jacksonville, Fla! (repeat trip)

[NOTE: I thought it was time to write about the Jacksonville breweries, and, really, it's been long overdue. I am thrilled to have written this story especially for the Beer Bloggers Conference (BBC) 2016, and it was posted recently on the Beer Bloggers Conference website as a lead story. The Conference is held in a different beer-centric city each year. This time around, it heads to Tampa July 8-10, along with a featured pre-con visit to Jacksonville. I'm excited to be a part of the BBC this year and want to say "Thanks" to the BBC for this opportunity. This is the first in a series of the Jax area breweries, so stay tuned.  And, by the way, a special "thank you" goes out to the Jax area breweries!] ....

Let's Have a Beer .... in Jacksonville, Fla! (Tour 1)

[NOTE: I thought it was time to write about the Jacksonville breweries, and, really, it's been long overdue. I am thrilled to have written this story especially for the Beer Bloggers Conference (BBC) 2016, and it was posted recently on the Beer Bloggers Conference website as a lead story. The Conference is held in a different beer-centric city each year. This time around, it heads to Tampa July 8-10, along with a featured pre-con visit to Jacksonville. I'm excited to be a part of the BBC this year and want to say "Thanks" to the BBC for this opportunity. This is the first in a series of the Jax area breweries, so stay tuned.  And, by the way, a special "thank you" goes out to the Jax area breweries!] ....

It's Jax Beer Week!

Jax Beer Week......... is here!

Jax Beer Week officially started yesterday, Nov. 7, with the "Mash In" Kickoff Event at the Engine 15 Brewing Co. Downtown Jacksonville Production Facility. Presented by the Jax Beer Society, this party set the stage for the upcoming week of beer events all around Jacksonville.  Check out some of my photos here.

Confessions of a GABF Virgin

Cover of 2015 GABF Program

Brew Bus Brewing and Aardwolf Brewing (Florida) Win Medals at GABF

If you saw my social media feed over this past weekend, you know that I headed west to the Great American Beer Festival ("GABF") presented by the Brewers Association ("BA") at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver. In its 29th year, the festival consisted of four sessions from Thursday to Saturday, and I attended two: Thursday opening night and Saturday afternoon members session.  But, first things first.  In addition to the beer tasting, there was also a behind-the-scenes beer competition going on.  In fact, 6,647 beers from 1,552 breweries in all 50 states and D.C. were judged!  The winners were announced Saturday morning, and the event was broadcast live via internet stream. All said, the judging panel of 242 beer experts from 15 countries, including the U.S.and 155 volunteers awarded 275 medals in 92 beer categories, including 145 styles.