Southern Swells Brewing Co. – Jacksonville Beach, FL (Review)

Southern Swells Brewing Co. is located in a huge shopping plaza in Jacksonville Beach and when we arrived we had no idea just how massive the tap room would be. Let this be a lesson that looks can definitely be deceiving! 

Upon entering you are greeted with a couch that has a “Be Swell” neon sign glowing above it – I felt immediately welcomed into the brewery. Once we passed the entrance, we realized that the brewery was gigantic – there is a main taproom with the bar area, a room for private events, and then another huge section of tables in the back with a projector for sports games and movie nights. 

Ollie loved the Adirondak chairs in the brewery and enjoyed the little kids section they have as well. I feel like we must also mention the outdoor beer garden that you walk by as soon as you enter the brewery. This seems like the perfect spot to enjoy a cold IPA during the brutally hot days in Florida.

Now that we’ve gone over the interior of Southern Swells Brewing Co. let’s dig into the different beers and cocktails we had during our visit:

Southern Swells Brewing Co. Beers

Southern Swells has a great variety of beers as well as hard seltzers which they aptly named “Swelltzers” – genius marketing, I know! If you are not in the mood for beer then they do make some tasty cocktails using their Swelltzers as a base.

When we visited the first time we grabbed three different beers as well as one of their Swelltzer cocktails to see what all the buzz was about – I must admit it was rather tasty. Let’s take a look at all of the beer we’ve had both in the tap room and to go – they do offer a nice selection of 4-packs to bring home if you don’t have time to have their beer on draft.

Jump The Track

• Type: West Coast IPA
• ABV: 6.1%

It’s hard to find a good West Coast IPA over here in Florida but Southern Swells really knocked it out of the park with this one – delicious and would definitely drink again!

Tim

In A Galaxy Really Really Close By

• Type: New England IPA
• ABV: 7.0%

I have to say that I put this one above Karate in the Garage and I’d definitely come back for more of this easy-to-drink hazy!

Tim

Session at Sunrise (Volume 3)

• Type: New England Session IPA in Collaboration with Sunrise Surf Shop
• ABV: 5.5%

This may be a session IPA but it still has all of its hazy IPA goodness – excellent beer!

Tim

Lavender Squeeze

• Type: Lavender Lemonade Swelltzer Cocktail
• ABV: 11%

I love a good beer but had to try this lavender hard seltzer (Swelltzer) cocktail and I am so glad that I did – this was delicious and gave me a much-needed break from IPAs for the day.

Mena

Pineapple Karate

• Type: New England IPA Blended with 100% Pineapple Juice.
• ABV: 6.3%

I had a small pour of this while waiting on my Karate Day 4-pack and it was excellent – the pineapple added a not-to-sweet flavor to an already kick-ass beer, Karate in the Garage.

Tim

Juniper Imperial Karate

• Type: Double New England IPA Treated with Juniper Berries
• ABV: 8%

I was going to leave this abomination out of the review because my mouth and this madness did not get along. I learned real quick that juniper is not my jam and this beer left my mouth traumatized for about 24 hours.

Tim

During Southern Swells’ annual event, Karate Day, an ode to their flagship IPA, Karate in the Garage, I pre-ordered a mixed 4-pack which contained variations of their ever-so-popular beer – seriously, you can find Karate in the Garage and almost any restaurant in North Florida which is not a bad thing at all! Let’s take a look at the cans below:

Karate’s Kid

• Type: Session New England IPA
• ABV: 4.8%

Enjoyed this while watching the Philadelphia Eagles almost lose to the Minnesota Vikings during Thursday night football. I’d definitely enjoy a few of these at the beach or pool any day of the week.

Tim

Karate in the Garage

• Type: New England IPA
• ABV: 6.3%

This is everywhere up here in North Florida and I think Southern Swells did a great job with their flagship IPA. If you love a smooth and hazy IPA then don’t pass this up if you see it!

Tim

Imperial Karate

• Type: Double New England IPA
• ABV: 8.0%

This is the sweet spot for me when it comes to the mixed 4-pack I bought for Karate Day. At 8% it gives you a good buzz but it tastes incredible and does not feel at all like a DIPA.

Tim

Triple Karate

• Type: Triple New England IPA
• ABV: 10%

Craziness! This 10% triple drinks almost too smooth – you’d definitely get in trouble after knocking back a few of these!

Tim

If you are looking for a brewery in Jacksonville Beach to go hang out and enjoy a great atmosphere and amazing beer then Southern Swells is the place for you. Let’s not forget that they have cocktails as well for those of you that don’t want to sip on a super hoppy IPA. 

Don’t forget that on Sunday they show the Jacksonville Jaguars football games which is a fun time to experience with fellow beer lovers and Jags fans.

About Southern Swells Brewing Co.

“Keeping things hazy in Jax Beach since 2017. We are committed to brewing only the highest quality craft beer where ingredients, creativity and taste are never compromised.”

Website: Southern Swells Brewing Co.

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Southern Swells Brewing Co. Logo

Mailing Address:

Southern Swells Brewing Co.
1312 Beach Blvd #3406
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

Phone Number: (904) 372-9289

Email: [email protected]

Thank you for checking out our review of Southern Swells Brewing Co. in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Do you have any recommendations of other breweries in the area or on the Jax Ale Trail? Comment below!