So mom gets a night off with the girls and all the ladies head to a micro-brewery and neighborhood sports bar.  Of course!  I guess we’re not the wine and cheese types.  Anyhow, you must check out Bold City Brewery.  It’s quickly becoming a local favorite in Jacksonville and is served at several bars and restaurants around town. 

After trying it at the Jazz Fest we decided to go to the source.  The brewery has a small pub in the front of the house of its warehouse brew factory on Rosselle Street.  It’s easy to miss on a street crowded with warehouses, but once you step inside you’re transported to a classy, urban bar with exposed brick walls, hi-top tables and for added ambiance the rumbling sounds of the train.  No really, it’s a part of the experience.  The bartender dings a bell when the train rolls by and everyone lets out a "woot." 

And the beer?  It’s delicious.  If you’re a first timer the generous staff will bring you a sampler - shot size tastes of each beer served tucked into a tray illustrated with descriptions of each brew.  You start from the lightest beer, like our table favorite - Starry Lights - and work you’re way up to a bold concoction made with coffee (and I swoon beer and coffee - delightful).  I settled for a pint of the Mad Manatee IPA.  So long as you order a pint, the sampler is in the house and who wouldn’t want to take in a full glass of Bold City’s Brew?