A rainy day before a Jags game led us to Manifest Distilling, and we're so glad we stopped in for a…read morecocktail. The atmosphere was great, the establishment was clean, and the staff was friendly and welcoming. We had the chance to try **Being Green**, one of their seasonal cocktails. It was a little sweeter than my personal preference, but still well-balanced and refreshing. We also tried their **Gold Rush**, a classic cocktail that was executed well. But what really made the experience stand out was the bartender's creativity. I usually order a **Paper Plane**--it's my go-to cocktail. They didn't carry some of the traditional ingredients, but instead of simply saying no, they created their own version using what they had. And let me tell you... **it was better than the original. Yes, I said it!** That alone made the experience memorable. A great spot for a well-crafted cocktail, especially if you appreciate creative bartenders who know how to work with their own spirits and put their own spin on a classic.

Neil is a library of knowledge and information about his products…read more We had the opportunity to sit and taste and talk with him about all of his products and it was a pleasure and privilege to meet him and learn about his craft. We had an amazing time!! Texas will remember this awaome time!

In from out of town and looking for something different to check out and found Citrus Distillers…read more Thoroughly enjoyed the tour and meeting some of the staff. Dustin's passion for distilling a quality product and his deep knowledge showed with every question he answered, and as he explained each part of the process. The marble still was sooooo cool looking! And the story behind it was, too. I was not really able to partake of the samples being tasted -- 'cause someone has to drive! -- but everyone else was very impressed. And we got a couple of bottles to take home. Looking forward to crackin' open the Peach Mango Tequila. Smelled like beautiful ripe fruit!

Ducked into Citrus Distillers from the rain on a business trip. Niki gave me a fantastic tour of…read morethe facilities and I did some tastings afterward. The lime and orange tequila was a real stand-out, as well as the blueberry, peanut butter, and and pecan whiskeys. I got to bring lots home for a very reasonable price. I highly recommend you check out this distillery!

Very chill. Great beer. I would really love it if they got some kind of food in there.read more

We were out running errands for the Jacksonville Fun, Eats & Drinks Facebook group and stopped in…read moreat Beer:30 - San Marco over in the heart of San Marco. We'd been here before but only once prior to a Michael Jackson event at Painting With A Twist nearby. First, let me say that I made my beer choice on name alone. It ended up being a great sour red though, so I'm not mad at it. Humor goes a long way with me though, so even if it wasn't great I would've dealt with it on name alone: Cherry Busey! We only hung out for a little bit (again, we need to get home for dinner) but it would he very easy to stay for longer. You can see from the photos that they have a ton...and I mean a ton of craft beers. In addition to that, they have a big room with lots of room to kick back. Our night was delayed shortly when my wife decided to take on one of those wooden barrel puzzle. You can see her dismay in the picture of us! We both took a crack at it for a while and never did solve it, but we eventually decided we needed to let it go. You win this time wooden barrel puzzle! One other thing to note is that there's parking behind it. So if you decide to go there, don't be intimidated by what looks like street only parking. Go around behind the place and you'll be all set.

If your a Whiskey/Bourbon liker than you need to stop by here..this was a great event put on by…read moreFour Fathers and a JAX Facebook group that likes to discuss Whiskey. They showed us such a great time by samples of their products like Bourbon, Rum and Vodka from their product line, fresh pulls and than to top it they made us a batch of Old Fashions we could add our fav garnish too. I helped that batch dwindle fast. :) ..To add to the event there were great horderves to soak up the sampling of high proofs we had.. after some great meet and greet discussion we received a detailed..passion filled tour of the office..the lab and of course the distillery.. They not only produce their own products lines but assist other brands in filling and packaging. I have visited alot of distillerys but I learned alot here from Tim Daniels the owner and previous Bacardi Brand distiller who is a scientist and knows alot of History of spirits and production of them. Alot of secrets shared but you will need to visit to find out what they are. :) They are located in JAX north and I have not heard of them until now and am so glad to Todd @ Riverside Liquors who planned a fun event and memorable evening for us.

I love this place! If you haven't tried the Oxbox-- stop what you're doing and go try it…read more This was hands down the best tour I've ever done. The Tim and Sandy are so passionate about what they do and it permeates throughout the building. We never wanted to leave!!

I really enjoyed my visit to Veterans United Craft Brewery. The beers were crisp, cold and nicely…read moredistinct in flavor. I love beer flights so I can taste several beers side by side. Veterans makes it easy with preset recommendations for different flights. (See my photo.) Great place. Attentive service. Lots of seating available. Nice relaxing tap room.

Really charming spot with tasteful military-themed decor that clearly honors service members…read morewithout going over the top. It's tucked into a kind of sketchy-looking industrial park, but once you're inside, it feels cozy and welcoming. They've got a great variety of craft brews on tap -- lots of flavor options if you like trying new things. Service was fast and friendly. That said, the food situation is pretty minimal. Think bar snacks -- pre-packaged pretzels (we had the bacon-flavored ones, tasty but probably something you could grab at Publix). Would've loved some fresh food or food truck action. We came out specifically to support a local cat rescue event, which was awesome. Major props to the brewery for partnering with the volunteers and even offering to help promote adoption efforts to their regulars. You can tell they care about their community. There's also a side area with extra seating and a bunch of board games -- most are donated, some missing pieces, but still a fun, low-key vibe. Makes a nice third space to hang with friends and kill a few hours.

Ruby Beach Brewing Company is located in downtown Jacksonville across from Yates Municipal…read morebuilding. It is reasonable paid parking, about $2 and hour. Inside is a little tight, but it is an old building with naked bricks, historic decor, a good sized bar and tables inside. Outside is a deck with covered tables, another area for corn hole and a food truck which has all the major bar food groups including churros. Sean was my beertender and he really was the best. They have a policy of holding your card for tabs which I really hate, but he made me feel comfortable about leaving my life in his hands. When I first walked in on a weekday during happy hour, it was pretty light, but around 4:30p the place started filling up. Happy hour is Monday - Friday until 6pm and they have 18 taps which qualify for happy hour. Plus they had 3 guest taps, both ciders. Ruby Beach has a mug club, it is about $80 for the year. You get a free beer on Tuesday as well as your own numbered mug. It is limited. So exclusive in fact that they do a raffle every August. The BEER: Crown Jewel Belgian Tripel 11.4% ABV... easy drinking, not boozy and quite delicious, this one will sneak up on you Return of the Mac Daddy Pale Ale 5.5% ABV... the description is "rye pale ale hopped with Amarillo. On the first sip I thought one note, but boy was I wrong. As it warms it has layers. And in my opinion the layers are all good, like a good lasagna. Over the Ditch 15.0 NEIPA 6% ABV... if I was in front of a firing and they gave me a last request, I might choose this beer. Sweet grapefruit and stars... love this! Grit & Glow Lager 5.2% ABV... if you have ever smelled fabuloso that is what I first smelled when I put the beer to my lips, the beer itself is just as perfumey, not for me... but if you like those type of flavors in beer, you might like this one Rosemary In the Rye Pale Ale 5.5% ABV... all day crushable pale ale, with a slight hint of rosemary, basically the Mac Daddy plus rosemary O'Ruby's Irish Stout 5.5% ABV... smooth coffee with hints of toffee, so ver crushable, but it is way better warm Didn't get to try the food on this visit, but on a side note... the bathrooms are both unisex and CLEAN. Ruby Beach has great beer, great service and personality, everything I want in a brewery. Come visit and see for yourself.

Always consistent. We had our wedding reception here (upstairs). We hang out here on occaision. We…read morebring out of towners here. We bring friends here. The service is good. The beer is good. What's not to like?

My new obsession- this place felt like a mother European Wine bar. It's cozy in the best way, while…read moremaintaining a decent selection of wines. Both individuals working there that night we're friendly and helpful. Their cheeseboard is perfection, and they had a few good red wines available by the glass. They have whites and bubbles too, but that's not what I was looking for. I want to go here once a week.

The coziest wine bar! My family and I visited Cork Thyme for a yap session and really enjoyed our…read moretime. The wine was delicious, the charcuterie board was good, but the best part of all was the service! The staff there were so kind, told us all about their history and all the cool events they had going on, checked on us frequently, and even let my sister charge her phone using their charger. I will 100% be back!

This is my first wine tasting event and it exceeded my expectations and then some. It was a…read morebeautiful sultry summer day with not a rain cloud in the sky. V+C's noticeable attention to detail (marble table tops, miniature variegated Scheffleras and etc.) made it extra special and stress free for me right off the bat, and my first note to myself was, "This is going to be a wonderful experience that I got for a song." I have a deep appreciation and admiration for all things done well and purposefully and this was it. The event was like a three-hour next-level Food and Wine Festival specific to a stream of glorified apéros. It was V+C's inaugural event and here's how it went down. There were five stops at premium restaurants on the V+C: Taste of the Town Center Walking Tour. The participants consisted of two co-producers of the event, 12 tour mates (more like team mates), one photographer, one videographer, five toasts, and we shared five delicious appetizers paired with five mystery bottles of wine. The blind wine tasting concept they used was multi-dimensional and offered an unbiased sampling session. We discovered our taste preferences and the characteristics of the wine individually. Everyone was fully engaged trying to figure out the elements of what we were tasting and what we liked and didn't like about the wine's structure. V+C shared interesting fun facts about each mystery bottle of wine after it was revealed which I enjoyed very much. There were no stingy pours. As a matter of fact, V+C was very generous during the entire event with the pours, the pairings, and an adorable cookie favor for everyone and plenty of good vibes. They provided pens to jot down notes on their brand's stationery notecard which also acted as a fan. By the end of the second stop I was gliding gracefully through the walking tour without a care in the world. It was so much fun hanging out with a new circle of groovy people exploring and just being in the moment. The time for this walking tour flew by. I'm looking forward to doing this again in the very near future.

Wow! I just can't even begin to express the amount of fun I had with these ladies! They are very…read morefun upbeat and knowledgeable. I learned about multiple places that I had no idea about in Jacksonville that I can now go to with my friends and family I feel like I have a better understanding about wine now also. Easily a date night worth having with them or even with a large group of friends. I'm looking forward to all their new events and I can't wait for the next adventure in San Marco!