'Common Time,' 'Perfect Pitch': Jacksonville punk band members open new craft brewery

Offering an opening "playlist' of artisan craft beers on tap plus a bass line of refined pub grub, a new microbrewery launched by two members of a popular Jacksonville rock band aims to hit a high note.

Grace Note Brewing will hold its soft opening 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday at 4591 Lakeside Drive Suite 108 in Windward Sadler Point Marina on the banks of the Ortega River.

Nestled in an alcove next door to Hightide Burrito Co. at the marina's retail center — two doors down from The Loop Pizza Grill — Grace Note Brewing is roughly a one-minute walk south of Chamblin Bookmine.

The microbrewery from Inspection 12 bass player Jeremy Baker and guitarist James Trimble celebrates the artistry as well as the symmetry and commonalities of craft beer-making and music, be it classical or punk-influenced rock.

"The idea of you're taking a finite amount of ingredients and creating an infinite number of expressions with the final product. So whether that's the 12 notes of the scale that you can create a melody out of or whether that's the four main ingredients of beer that you can create endless styles from," Baker said.

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On tap at Grace Note Brewing

Initially, Baker plans to have nine craft beers on tap including a collaboration with Bold City Brewery. A shot of Longroad Nitro Coffee from Longroad Coffee Company will be available to be added to any beer.

"With beer and music, I've always just tried to find the good in every style and appreciate what everything is. So that's kind of my goal here, create as many styles as I can as refined as possible and as pleasing to the customer as possible," he said.

In homage to the marina, many of their offerings are described by Baker as "boat beer."

"I've tried to create a few lighter options. Beers that you can drink during the day that aren't going to be too heavy," he said.

"Common Time" is one of those options. It's a Florida common, which is a steam beer with Florida orange peel. Common Time is intended to be a "fun beer" that stands apart from any one particular style, he said.

It's a hybrid of two historic styles of beer: a California common and a Kentucky common. Using a hybrid yeast, California Common is a lighter-colored, easier-drinking beer with kind of a snappy bitterness. Kentucky Common is usually a little bit darker, involves some corn but also is easy-drinking like a common ale, he noted.

"I've taken a little bit of both those worlds. So mine is on the lighter side with that kind of snappy bitterness to it but it does use some malted corn to give it that easy-drinking creaminess to it. And then I use Florida orange peel in the process as well," Baker said.

"Perfect Pitch," he said reflects the taproom's musical spirit. It's sort of "a tropical Hazy Pale Ale with a lot of flavor and hop aroma but doesn't hit as hard as an IPA or feel as heavy as a bigger style," he said.

He also has an English bitter — "The Jam" [Session] — inspired by his family trips to England and his first pint with his uncle at a pub "just down the hill from my grandfather's house."

In addition to the craft beers, Grace Note Brewing also offers a curated selection of wines as well as seltzers, alcohol-free beer, gluten-free beer, sparkling water and other beverages such as hop-infused water.

The food menu is being finalized. Baker said they don't plan on offering full dinners. Instead, they'll have menus available from neighboring The Loop and Hightide Burrito Co. So, if guests want a full lunch or dinner they will be encouraged to bring it over from those restaurants.

"We are going to do some more snack-type items. We're leaning towards some charcuterie options," he said adding that giant pretzels and similar items will be among their offerings.

Craft beer and music harmony

A musician since childhood, Baker studied classical guitar and then gravitated toward punk rock, which led him to join Inspection 12. Recently he recorded with The Softer Side. All the while, he pursued his passion for brewing craft beer.

The relationship between craft beer making and music is infused throughout the microbrewery beginning with its name and brand logo — a Grace Note imposed over a capital "G."

A Grace Note is a rhythmic notation in music that happens just before the beat. Baker said the capital "G" represents his mother's first name, Gillian, and he chose the music notation because he's always liked it.

But taking centerstage is a vibrant and intricate hand-painted mural depicting musical instruments floating in a dream-like landscape. The mural created by artist Hunter Bougis — a longtime friend of Baker — fills one wall and is the first thing guests see when they come in the front door.

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The microbrewery, he said, has been a labor of love.

"I put everything I've got, heart, soul and mind into it … I've been working toward this a long time," he said of combining his two passions, music and craft brewing.

Initially, Grace Note Brewing is open only on weekends: 3 to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on Twitter @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Grace Note Brewing opens in Jacksonville's Ortega area