USA, FL: Myrtle Avenue Brewing already open in downtown Jacksonville

Myrtle Avenue Brewing with 11 craft beers on tap, rustic community tables plus a children's play area amid a plant-filled outdoor beer garden, invites friends, families and neighbors to gather together, relax and have a good time, the Florida Times-Union reported on September 8.

The community-focused brewpub recently opened at 633 N. Myrtle Ave. in the Jax Rail Yard Exchange retail and restaurant building at the heart of the Rail Yard District near downtown Jacksonville.

Myrtle Avenue Brewing fills the former Engine 15 Brewing production facility. Veteran craft brewer Sean Bielman co-founded Engine 15, which was among the first microbreweries in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.

Bielman opened Myrtle Avenue Brewing on Aug. 14 in partnership with James Menker, owner and operations director of King Maker Brewing in Riverside.

Family-friendly and community-oriented is the focus for their new craft brewery, Bielman told the Times-Union.

"You're not coming out to get drunk here. You're coming out to be part of the community and have a couple of beers with friends. Let the kids play with their friends, have a bite to eat and go home on a Wednesday night," he said.

Myrtle Avenue is a mom-and-pop-style brewpub similar to the European model.

"That's the model we're looking for versus bucket specials or pitchers, you know, anything that would encourage over-consumption," Bielman said. "I'm vested in this area and I want to try to help create a community space that is inviting and inclusive any which way I can."

Myrtle Avenue Brewing has 11 craft beers on tap. Five of them are from Bielman's own recipes. They were brewed at King Maker Brewing for Myrtle Avenue.

"The beers of my creation are styles that I think most people will like. There's nothing too out of the ordinary," Bielman said.

Those include: Silver Dollar Lager is an easy-drinking beer created in honor of the Bielman family bar in Detroit during the late 1800s; MAB Special Dry Cider, made from apples, water and white wine yeast; Steve's Brown Ale, which has low alcohol and high flavor; Steve's College Brown Ale, made with in-house roasted Longroad Coffee Cold Brew; and Silver Lining's IPA, a West Coast-style beer brewed with El Dorado and Warrior Hops with Citra Filtered AF.

Those beers range from $6 to $6.50, the menu shows.

Bielman plans to add about a half dozen more of his original recipe beers to the rotation.

The other six craft beers on tap are collaborations with his local microbrewery colleagues, including King Maker, Historically Hoppy Brewing Company, Intuition Ale Works, Reve Brewing, Ruby Beach Brewing and Strings Sports Brewery.

They came to his aid when a series of obstacles delayed the opening of Myrtle Avenue Brewing, Bielman said.

Essential equipment was damaged in shipping and supply chain disruptions delayed the replacement equipment. Material shortages and a sluggish licensing process were among the challenges, he said.

Myrtle Avenue just recently got its fermenter tank and Bielman estimated it would be about a month to hook up everything on site and begin brewing on site.

They also have three non-alcoholic beer options, including two that are craft beers. In addition, they have nitro cold brew coffee on draft from neighboring Longroad Coffee.

Also available are kombucha, sparkling waters, craft sodas and wine, he said.

To eat, nearby Hillary’s Chicago Pizza is available on Wednesday and Friday. Route 90 BBQ is available on Thursday and Saturday.

Even when they're able to brew onsite, Bielman plans to continue collaborating with other local microbreweries.

The way he sees the business, it's not about competition. It's about coming together to make the best beer possible, Bielman said.

"I think the majority of us in the community look at it as a rising tide raises all ships," said Bielman who's been in the craft beer community for 15 years. His second business — Bielman Brewery Services — is in the same 15,000-square-foot building that is the Jax Rail Yard Exchange.

"You end up becoming friends with everybody. For me, it's important to try to make sure that everybody else sees us as the tight-knit community that we are," he said.

Collaborating with his friends, Bielman said, "is one of the things that I love the most" about craft brewing.

Bielman worked for a civil engineering firm doing infrastructure drafting for building projects before becoming a professional brewer. His beer-making hobby turned into his profession when he decided to become his own boss.

The brewpub's location, he conceded, is somewhat tucked away off the beaten path. While that can be a challenge, it also makes Myrtle Avenue a destination. Rather than stumble upon it or walk there from their homes, customers have to seek it out.

"I respect every person who walks in the door even more because I know what they had to do to come here," Bielman said.

Myrtle Avenue Brewing taproom is open 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 pm. Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. It's closed Monday and Tuesday.

Its indoor seating capacity is 80. The outdoor beer garden is a quarter-acre with plenty of space for seating as well as a children's play area.

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