8 Must-Try Beers on the Jax Ale Trail

The Jacksonville Tourism Office had a creative idea to compel tourists and locals to indulge in the Jacksonville area’s booming craft brewery market. They came up with the JAX Ale Trail, which features a bunch of breweries in downtown Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, and the nearby regions.

What’s the JAX Ale Trail?

So, what’s the JAX Ale Trail, and how does it work? The trail is a list of local craft breweries you visit on your self-guided tour. The first step is to get a JAX Ale Trail Brewery Passport, available at any of the breweries on the trail or one of the visitor centers listed on the JAX Ale Trail website.

Once you have the passport, head down the trail and sample some of the brews offered, and when you do, make sure you have the bartender stamp your passport. In addition to enjoying some tasty beers, you can also win prizes once you have a few stamps collected. If you fill out the passport, you can claim all the prizes.

Collecting Prizes

Not only will there be fantastic craft beers along the trail, but there are also prizes. Once your passport is full, go to the visitor center located in downtown Jacksonville to turn in your stamped passport and collect your prize(s). If you’re pressed for time, you can also mail in the back page of your passport, and they’ll send you the prize.

The best plan is to make sure you hit up the visitor center before you’re out of time, especially if you’re only in town for a few days. A little caveat, the website lists two visitor centers, but bear in mind that only the downtown Jacksonville visitor center has the prizes. You may also want to call ahead to ensure they have your T-shirt size because they run out from time to time, especially for popular sizes.

JAX Ale Trail Participating Breweries

Here’s a list of the various breweries, and their addresses, along the JAX Ale Trail:

Aardwolf Brewing Company	1461 Hendricks Ave., Jacksonville
Bold City Brewing	BREWERY: 2670-7 Rosselle St., Jacksonville TAPROOM: 109 E. Bay St., Jacksonville
Bottlenose Brewing	9700 Deer Lake Court #1, Jacksonville
Engine 15 Brewing Company	BEACH BREWPUB: 1500 Beach Blvd., #217, Jacksonville Beach DOWNTOWN TAPROOM: 633 Myrtle Ave. N., Jacksonville
Fishweir Brewing Company	1183 Edgewood Ave. S., Jacksonville
Green Room Brewing	228 3rd St., N., Jacksonville Beach
Hyperion Brewing Co.	1740 N. Main St., Jacksonville
Intuition Ale Works	929 E. Bay St., Jacksonville
Legacy Ale Works	14965 Old St. Augustine Road, Suite 129–130, Jacksonville
Lemonstreet Brewing Company	2100 Dennis St., Jacksonville
Main & Six Brewing Company	1636 N. Main St., Jacksonville
Pinglehead Brewing Company	12 Blanding Blvd., Orange Park
Reve Brewing Company	1237 Mayport Road, Atlantic Beach
Ruby Beach Brewing	131 First Ave. N., Jacksonville Beach
Southern Swells Brewing Co.	1312 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Beach
Strings Sports Brewery	1850 Main St., Jacksonville
Tabula Rasa Brewing	2385 Corbett St., Jacksonville
Veterans United Craft Brewery	8999 Western Way, #104, Jacksonville
Wicked Barley Brewing Company	4100 Baymeadows Road, Jacksonville

Beers You Must Try on the Jax Ale Trail

There’s a litany of different types of beer available; no matter what tickles your fancy, you’ll find a wide variety of brews to sample. There’s no way to talk about all the beers along the trail so let’s pick a few to “wet” your appetite.

Wallonian Waffle

First up, we have Wallonian Waffle, an imperial/double stout that presents hints of Belgian waffle, along with notes of blueberry and maple syrup. This brew is rather stout, checking in with an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 12.2%. Imperial and double are two terms that mean about the same thing: that this beer is really strong. It uses at least double the amount of malt and hops, adding flavor and a higher alcohol volume.

Wendy Peffercorn

Another option along the trail is an homage to everyone’s favorite lifeguard from the Sandlot, a strawberry blonde ale called Wendy Peffercorn. This brew is fruited with pureed strawberries and finds the perfect balance of bitter and sweet.

Pinglehead Red Ale

If you’re a fan of red ales, this is one of the best you’ll find on the trail and anywhere. Pinglehead Red Ale is another imperial/double that checks in at 7.8% ABV and 20 international bitterness units (IBUs). The higher the number, the more bitter it is. Any beer 45 IBUs and up is considered to be a bitter one. This red features hints of sweet caramel with undertones of floral hops.

Duke’s Cold Nose Brown Ale

As the name may imply, this mild brown ale was named after the owner’s beloved, late boxer, Duke. This one is a big favorite of the locals and has notes of caramel and chocolate and finishes off with a smooth nutty flavor. This brown ale is flavorful and well-balanced enough to be enjoyed year-round.

Hop Banshee Indian Pale Ale (IPA)

Invoking the chilling howl of the banshee, Hop Banshee IPA features a strong hop aroma and flavor. With Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Columbus hops, this hop-ladened, mystical West Coast style IPA screams for your attention.

Vishnu’s Reality

Vishnu’s Reality is a coconut curry milk stout. Yes, coconut and curry are part of the stout’s makeup, giving it an incredibly nuanced and complex flavor profile with a creamy mouth feel.

Tequila Gose

Tequila Gose is a unique version of a sour that’s been aged in tequila barrels for 13 months. And to hammer home the tequila vibe, it’s infused with roasted lime sea salt made from scratch.

Psychotic Probiotic

Here’s another golden sour that’s aged in port barrels with a healthy dose of probiotics providing a funky and delicious flavor.

If you’re ever in Jacksonville and are a fan of beer of any kind, whether a novice or a connoisseur, then you must try the Jax Ale Trail. With 20+ breweries offering every type of beer imaginable, you’ll surely find something that suits your pallet. If you’re the designated driver, you may want a new vehicle to drive from one brewery to the next. See our sales team at Keith Pierson Toyota at 6501 Youngerman Circle in Jacksonville, Florida. Complete our secure online form or call us at 888-461-3879 to get started.

Beer by Huang Chao is licensed with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Posted in Local | No Comments »