Good Times Flow at Jacksonville's Bold City Brewery

Bold City Brewery's tap room

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I have had a near obsession with craft beers for more than a decade, so when I was in Jacksonville last weekend I couldn't pass up the opportunity to stop by Bold City Brewery. Going in, I had heard good things about a couple of their brews, but had yet to taste one. What better introduction than to go directly to the source?

Since the  microbrew craze in the 1990s, I've come to love beers from smaller breweries around the world. The enthusiasm these self-starters have for creating a perfect pint — one you savor rather than slamming down one meag-brew brand after another — is apparent in the complexity and nuance in flavor once associated only with wine. From IPAs and Hefeweisens to more traditional ales, the 10 styles that Bold City Brewery has on tap in 2011 offer soemthing for just about any beer buff. "I'm a craft brew drinker," says brewmaster Brian Miller, who began homebrewing in 2002, then parlayed that passion into a business along with his mother, Susan, in 2008. And business in growing. "Last year we brewed 2,700 barrels," Miller says of the brewery's output, "and we'll do between 6,500 snd 10,000 barrels this year."

A strong showing that Bold City's brews are a hit with beer drinkers is the crowd in the adjacent tap room. Visitors and locals — many regulars — gather around tables and a red-brick bar to enjoy a different variety of ales being poured each day. A sampler helps the uninitiated pick a favorite to order in a full-size pint. For me, it was love at first sip with the 1901 Red Ale, highlighted with the flavor of roasted barley. Declicious!

Tags: Bold City Brewery | craft beer | drinks | Jacksonville