Jacksonville’s oldest existing neighborhood celebrates is Sesquicentennial in 2019, and what better way to ring in the year than by brewing a special beer! In commemoration of Springfield’s milestone achievement as a community, the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council (SPAR) will host special events throughout the year. With two breweries already dotting the landscape along Main Street, and a third on the way very soon, it only seemed fitting that the occasion called for its own beer.
On January 4, Springfield breweries Main & Six Brewing, Hyperion Brewing, and soon-to-open Strings Sports Brewery teamed up with Aardwolf Brewing and Intuition Brewing to brew the “Sesq Saison,” a Belgian style Brett Saison with an effervescent and complex flavor profile with citrus and spice, SPAR said in a statement. Aardwolf Brewing hosted the brew session.
“Springfield is Jacksonville’s original neighborhood, and we’re looking forward to honoring that with this beer,” said Kelly Rich, SPAR Executive Director. “We have a wonderful craft brewery scene in Jacksonville, and this beer embodies the collaborative spirit that I love about our urban core neighborhoods. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Champion Brands and our local breweries on this anniversary beer.”
David Rigdon, Chain Sales Manager of Champion Brands, was on hand for the brewing activities, and posed the question of what might be the “best way to share this story of a century and a half of culture” with the city of Jacksonville. His answer: “over a pint of great beer collaborated by their local breweries, of course!” Rigdon added, “Springfield is a great community that has been an integral part of North Florida for the last 150 years and continues to thrive.”
The beer will be featured at a release party at Crispy’s Springfield Gallery, 1735 N. Main St., on February 20, from 6-8pm. It will also be available at “pop-up events” throughout Northeast Florida during the year.
The participating breweries in the Sesquicentennial beer collaboration are: Main & Six Brewing Company, which celebrated its one-year anniversary in November 2018, 1636 N. Main St.; Hyperion Brewing Company, 1740 N. Main St.; Strings Sports Brewery, soon to open at 1850 N. Main St., in a 1938 building originally used as a service station; Intuition Ale Works, 929 E. Bay St.; and Aardwolf Brewing, 1461 Hendricks Ave., in the San Marco area.
It might mean “party like it’s 1869!”
Congratulations to Springfield!
Cheers, and Happy New Year!
Linda Johnson, Certified Cicerone®
(adapted from original article on www.brewnymph.com)
(cover graphic by SPAR Council)
Linda Johnson is a BUZZ Contributing Writer (beer!) and founder of the beer and travel website, BrewNymph.com, covering all things Florida beer from news to events. She is the first female Level 2 Certified Cicerone® in the Jax area (since 2015), one of seven in the metro area, and the only Level 2-certified independent beer writer in the state.
