Best Breweries in Jacksonville: 8 Popular Taprooms in 2025

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Why Jacksonville Is a Craft Beer Hotspot

Florida, especially Tampa, has certainly exceeded expectations as a craft beer market. While the Sunshine State is more geared towards mojitos and refreshing seltzers, the number of craft breweries has exploded. Jacksonville may get overlooked, but it’s quickly becoming a go-to destination for all things craft. There are incredible food trucks and restaurants to pair with an impressive number of brewery taprooms. Here’s everything you need to know about Jacksonville craft beer:

Aardwolf Brewing Company

Address: 1461 Hendricks Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32207
Website: aardwolfbrewing.com

Must-try beers: Lactic Zeppelin Sour Ale, Space Prom Pale Ale, Southbank IPA

What makes them great: One of Jacksonville’s “hype breweries” specializes in fabulous IPAs and stouts, making them a favorite for die hard beer geeks. Their taproom menu is deep, so you can hang out there for a full afternoon and not get bored with all the options.

What to expect: If you’re gonna put in a lengthy session drinking their superb hoppy beers, you’ll want to hit Chancho King, their full-time food truck that serves wonderful Ecuadorian street food. It’s hard to argue with slow-cooked pork sammies and empanada!

Mocama Beer Company

Address: 629 S 8th St, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
Website: mocama.com

Must-try beers: Cosmico IPA, Idle Daze Sour, Dune Garden Lager

What makes them great: This taproom is located in the highly scenic coastal town of Fernandina. This provides the perfect day-trip opportunity for craft beer lovers who want to experience this charming town while also sampling some of the best beer in the region.

What to expect: The taproom has 24 beers on draft, along with cans you can take back to Jacksonville. The real draw is their proximity to the beach!

Ruby Beach Brewing

Address: 228 E Forsyth St, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Website: rubybeachbrewing.com

Must-try beers: American Garage IPA, Flying Saucer Lager, Ancla Dorada Mexican Lager, Scallywag Sour

What makes them great: One of the most popular beer destinations in Jacksonville, this centrally located brewpub has a beer garden and event space that’s perfect for larger groups and families. Their IPAs are great, but Ruby Beach really excels at lagers and sours that really hit the spot when you’re sipping on their patio.

What to expect: The location makes it the perfect pre-game spot if you’re going to an event at TIAA Bank Field, The Florida Theater, The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, Daily’s Place, or sightseeing downtown.

King Maker Brewing

Address: 1737 N Main St, Jacksonville, FL 32206
Website: kingmakerbrewing.com

Must-try beers: Florida Gold Helles, Weathercaster New England IPA, Sweet Caroline Sour Ale

What makes them great: Jacksonville’s historic King Street District should already be on your shortlist of places to hit, and one of the biggest reasons is the King Maker taproom. Their space is complete with an 18-tap bar, patio, and a three barrel brewing system that turns out specialty brews strictly for the taproom.

What to expect: Their taproom has a few different areas, so you’ll absolutely be able to find a space for the family (including the dog), and you’ll be able to nosh on deeply underrated Cuban bites as well.

Bold City Brewery

Address: 2670 Rosselle St, Jacksonville, FL 32204
Downtown Taproom: 109 E Bay St, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Website: boldcitybrewery.com

Must-try beers: Killer Whale Cream Ale, Mad Manatee IPA, DUKE’s Cold Nose Brown Ale

What makes them great: Truly an OG brewery, Jacksonville’s beer scene wouldn’t be the same without this family-owned outfit from Riverside. Since 2008, Bold City has been crafting bold flavors to convert Jacksonville locals into craft beer fiends.

What to expect: Their approachable beers are easy to drink, which makes their comfortable taproom a great place to hang when it’s too hot outside. They do have a small kitchen serving upscale bar food. This one is definitely worth the short trek from downtown.

Fishweir Brewing Company

Address: 1183 Edgewood Ave S, Jacksonville, FL 32205
Website: fishweirbrewing.com

Must-try beers: Lazy River Pils, First Block Saison, Kerle Street Pale Ale, King of the Hill Hazy IPA

What makes them great: Murray Hill doesn’t attract too many tourists, but that’s part of its charm. Another factor is the neighborhood’s brewery, which is named for the beautiful Fishweir Park. If you want “beer flavored beer,” that’s brewed to be enjoyed rather than put under a microscope, this is your place.

What to expect: Fishweir models its taproom after the beloved local pub rather than the standard brewery bar. Expect kid and pet-friendly vibes with a patio. Everything is neighborhood-focused, and they even host a weekly farmers market!

Veterans United Craft Brewery

Address: 8999 Western Way #104, Jacksonville, FL 32256
Website: vubrew.com

Must-try beers: Raging Blonde Ale, Scout Dog 44 Amber Lager, HopBanshee IPA

What makes them great: For a patriotic afternoon out in Jacksonville, there’s no better place than this comfortable Southside taproom. All of their beer is brewed on site, and you can expect impeccable quality from their mainstays, along with some truly exciting flavors from their small batch brews.

What to expect: There are 16 draft lines pouring rotating and seasonal releases with cider and seltzer options available. Admire their impressive collection of retro military posters and pictures. Like any good tap room, there are various games (including giant Jenga and cornhole) to keep you occupied when you’re hanging out for most of the day.

Legacy Ale Works

Address: 14965 Old St Augustine Rd #129, Jacksonville, FL 32258
Website: legacyaleworks.com

Must-try beers: Unbreak My Heart IPA, Front Porch Stout, Wee Shankly Scottish Ale

What makes them great: This brewery is aptly named, as their legacy can be defined by award-winning ales earning medals at the Best Florida Beer competition and the U.S. Open Beer Championship.

What to expect: If you need more than delicious beer to get you out to the brewery, they program live music every week, trivia nights, and are the best place in Jacksonville to catch Premier League games.

Jacksonville Beer Festivals & Events to Check Out

Riverside Craft Beer Festival

Hosted by the Riverside Rotary Club of Jacksonville for the Neviaser Charitable Foundation, this charity-based beer festival is held every February (not a bad time of year to get to Florida).
Dozens of craft breweries across the region pour exclusive beers, and it’s a great “one-stop shop” for trying everything Florida breweries have to offer.
Here is live music and a selection of Jacksonville’s best food trucks.

Final Thoughts: How to Plan Your Jacksonville Beer Adventure

Jacksonville does have public transit, and at least a few of these centrally located breweries can be accessed via fixed route buses. This will help ease the costs of the trip, and you won’t have to worry about parking or a designated driver. At least a few of these breweries are destinations, so plan accordingly!

Jacksonville’s breweries are just starting to hit their stride in terms of experimentation, so make sure you’re truly exploring these taplists! One-off beers often provide the most memorable experiences!

If you’re driving or checking a bag and want to bring some beer back with you, bottle shops like Bottle N Brew and Beer:30 are both great options.

Join the Craft Beer Journey

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