If you’ve read Andrew R. Nicholas’s previous books or checked out some of his pieces in The Jaxson, you know he’s got a knack for finding fascinating stories and photographs about lesser known facets of local history. Now, he’s setting his sights on a part of history near and dear to us at The Jaxson: Jacksonville’s legacy of beer brewing.

Author Andrew R. Nicholas.

Brewing in Jacksonville collects historic and contemporary photographs of Jacksonville’s sudsy legacy, ranging from the late 19th century up to today’s thriving craft brewing scene. As early pictures and ads show, Jacksonville has been a beer town since its earliest days, when bars and saloons lined its dusty streets. Brewing as an industry was slower to take off, however, with only a few breweries like Eggenweiler & Co. and Bergner & Engel Brewing Co. existing in the city in the 19th century. It wasn’t until the Jax Brewing Company in 1913 that Jacksonville meant business with brewing.

Brewing in Jacksonville also highlights Jacksonville’s current scene, starting with the founding of Anheuser-Busch’s Northside plant in 1969. In the 1990s, smaller breweries like Ragtime Tavern in Atlantic Beach and River City Brewing Company on the Downtown Southbank helped kick Jaxsons’ love for beer into new directions, and since 2008 there’s been an explosion of craft breweries with Aardwolf Brewing, Intuition Ale Works, Engine 15 Brewing Company, Bold City Brewery and many others coming on the scene. Nichols’ photos document most of Jacksonville’s contemporary breweries, including those that have unfortunately closed.

Aardwolf Brewing Company.

Brewing in Jacksonville is set for release by Arcadia Press on October 14. Pre-order your copy from local bookstores San Marco Books and More and Happy Medium Books Cafe, or on websites Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Article by Bill Delaney. Contact Bill at wdelaney@moderncities.com