Looking for a great place to get a beer? Jacksonville named to Best Beer Cities in US list

Gary T. Mills, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
·3 min read

With more than two dozen craft breweries around town and dozens of restaurants serving their brews, Jacksonville’s beer scene is a source of pride for Jaxsons and one to envy by other cities.

Since the founding of Bold City Beer in 2008 and Intuition Ale Works in 2010, the city’s craft brewery scene has exploded, expanding beyond the edges of Riverside and into the heart of downtown, its historic neighborhoods, Jacksonville’s Beaches and into the suburbs.

Years before that, though, microbreweries gained a following at Atlantic Beach’s Ragtime Tavern, Tinseltown’s Seven Bridges Grille & Brewery and Tampa-based Hops Grill & Bar, which once operated two restaurants in the Jacksonville area.

And since 1969, the city has been home to one of a handful of breweries from beer giant Anheuser-Busch.

Aardwolf Brewing Co. is one of more than two dozen craft breweries in the greater Jacksonville area.
Aardwolf Brewing Co. is one of more than two dozen craft breweries in the greater Jacksonville area.

So it shouldn’t surprise Jacksonville beer drinkers that the city has been named to USA TODAY 10Best’s 10 Best Beer Cities in the U.S. for 2024, announced this month.

Ranked No. 6, Jacksonville joins Asheville, North Carolina; Fort Collins, Colorado; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and others on the list.

“Venture out to the Jax Ale Trail, which allows visitors to collect stamps at more than 20 breweries around Jacksonville. You can even earn prizes based on how many stamps you collect in your passport,” 10Best writes.

Also earning 10Best accolades is Jacksonville’s Goozlepipe & Guttyworks. The King Street bar opened in 2016 by neighboring Kickbacks Gastropub was named to 10Best’s 10 Best Beer Bars You Need to Visit Across the U.S.

Ranked No. 7, 10Best singles out the bar for its funky name and beer selection, writing: “Not only does Goozlepipe & Guttyworks have the most unique name in the beer bar world, it pretty much has all beer and pub-related bases covered. Set in Jacksonville's historic Riverside, it boasts over 1,000 bottles and more than 200 different beers on tap. Make sure to check out the basement below the bar, a ‘catacombs’ where 100,000 vintage bottles and kegs of beer are stored.

Nominees for the honors were selected by an expert panel and voted as the best in the U.S. by USA TODAY 10Best readers.

More restaurant honors: Jacksonville Beach seafood restaurant named one of best in U.S. by Yelp

More: Yelp names Jacksonville restaurant among US top romantic spots for Valentine's Day Dinner

10Best’s 10 Best Beer Bars You Need to Visit Across the U.S.

  • 10: Sleeping Village (Chicago, Illinois)

  • 9. Monk’s Cafe (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

  • 8. Brick Store Pub (Decatur, Georgia)

  • 7. Goozlepipe & Guttyworks by Kickbacks Gastropub (Jacksonville, Florida)

  • 6. Max’s Taphouse (Baltimore, Maryland)

  • 5. Pilot Project Brewing (Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

  • 4. The Whale (multiple)

  • 3. Belmont Station (Portland, Oregon)

  • 2. Hop City Beer & Wine (Birmingham, Alabama)

  • 1. O’Brien’s Pub (San Diego, California)

10Best’s 10 Best Beer Cities in the U.S.

  • 10: Santa Rosa, California

  • 9: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • 8: Asheville, North Carolina

  • 7. Indianapolis, Indiana

  • 6: Jacksonville, Florida

  • 5: Richmond, Virginia

  • 4. Fort Collins, Colorado

  • 3. Columbus, Ohio

  • 2: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

  • 1: Grand Rapids, Michigan

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville earns spot on list of 10 best beer cities in the US