2024 KLOVE Cruise USA Travel Itinerary Day 9: Checking out the Food and Craft Beers in Jacksonville!

Continuing on our exploration of Jacksonville on Day 9 of our KLOVE Cruise USA trip in 2024, we woke up at 7am this morning. We actually slept pretty well last night, with 9 hours of rest! 1 week into our stay in the USA, we had more or less adjusted to the local time. We left our Airbnb at Silver Street at about 8:30am and stumbled upon a beautiful park and the disc golf course along the park…

USA Trip 2024 Day 9 – Stroll Around Jacksonville

Warren W. Schell Jr. Memorial Park Jacksonville

Ducks at the community park and basketball court in Jacksonville

Boy on Turtle Statue near Story Walk Jacksonville

Story Walk - Jacksonville Public Library — Story Walk – Jacksonville Public Library

"Spanish Moss" seen enroute - neither "spanish" nor "moss" but an "epiphyte" that takes nutrients from the air — “Spanish Moss” seen enroute – neither “spanish” nor “moss” but an “epiphyte” that takes nutrients from the air

Story Walk Jacksonville Public Library with activities

Bethel Baptist Institutional Church Jacksonville (Rudolph W. McKissick Sr)

"Welcome to Springfield" mural in Jacksonville Florida (Historic District) — “Welcome to Springfield” mural in Jacksonville Florida (Historic District)

Along this walk, we walked along the Springfield Disc Golf Course – a sprawling public disc golf course in the heart of Jacksonville. Enroute, we also came across an ingenious children’s activity by the Jacksonville Public Library known as Story Walk. Story Walk is actually a story that is lined along a walking path (hence the name), that allows kids to go out and interact with nature with usually an activity involved. Hence, learning while exercising. An excellent idea! During this walk, we also came across Bethel Church – a very beautiful complex, the no. 2 Fire House as well as the Main Street Food Park. We then came upon Artessence Coffee Shop…

USA Trip 2024 Day 9 – Artessence Coffee Shop Jacksonville

Artessence Coffee Shop Jacksonville Review

2bearbear at Artessence Coffee Shop Jacksonville

Van Gogh art at Artessence Coffee Shop Jacksonville

Artessence Coffee Shop Jacksonville - Fuseli Sandwich — Artessence Coffee Shop Jacksonville – Fuseli Sandwich

Artessence Coffee Shop Jacksonville - Samuel's Coffee — Artessence Coffee Shop Jacksonville – Samuel’s Coffee

Artessence Coffee Shop is a casual cafe where locals pop by to get their caffeine fix each morning. Within, there are comfortable sofa seats as well as tall bar-style seats offering visitors options of chilling out or to work-from-cafe if required. After visiting Artessence, we found that there are 2 main selling points of visiting this lovely little cafe.

Firstly, the owners Jonatan and Diana are a really friendly bunch. They would interact with their customers and are really bright and cheery people. Hailing from Columbia, they are actually selling coffee from their own plantation. This time, we tried Samuel’s Coffee ($5.5) – a coffee that made it to the menu because a customer named Samuel, ordered a honey, double-shot latte, 3 times a day. It was very delicious. Never knew coffee with honey could be this good.

Secondly, Artessence, as the name suggests, have artwork from well-known artists exhibited within the restaurant. You’ll be able to find art from artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet and more. Chilling here, we felt a little more refined after a short while. 😅

During this visit, we also sat down with an Aunty who shared that her marriage had ended after 25 years and she was estranged from her grand-daughter. As we shared about Jesus, she also reminded us that we had to “open doors” before sharing more intimately about Jesus. A good reminder that as we get older, we might more opinionated. Thankful for the sharing and conversations this morning.

During breakfast, we also had the Fuseli sandwich with beef ($15) which was tasty. We especially enjoyed the home-made sauce that came with the sandwich. Tasted like a mild blue cheese and dill in it.

Checking out the waves at Jacksonville Beach

After breakfast, we headed to Jacksonville Beach (aka Jax Beach) as the sun was out this morning. We changed to our slippers and put on our sunscreen. The sand at Jacksonville Beach is so fine! Probably one of the beach with the finest sand we’ve been to. There were many surfers by the beach as well. As we strolled along the beach, we enjoyed the sounds of the waves and also watched surfers get “washed-out” as they approached the shore. After enjoying the fresh air by the beach, we headed to Walgreens along Beach Boulevard and bought a water-proof deck of playing cards ($7.99), a card scrabble ($8.99) as well as some Altoids mint, strawberry flavour ($2.99).

USA Trip 2024 Day 9 – Lunch at Engine 15 Brewing Co. Jacksonville

For lunch, we visited Engine 15 Brewing Co. to continue our exploration of the craft beer scene in Jacksonville.

Engine 15 Brewery & Kitchen @ Jacksonville Florida

Inside Engine 15 Brewery & Kitchen @ Jacksonville Beach Florida

During our visit, there was a lunch deal going on at Engine 15 Brewery & Kitchen, where you can order a sandwich and have a complimentary drink on the house. For the complimentary drink, we chose the house favourite – Nut Sack Double Brown, which we found to be malty with a nice bitter aftertaste. We also tried out a flight of beers where each beer was $3.25 for the sours and double IPA and $2.5 for the remaining…

Liquid Lunch at Engine 15 Brewery Jacksonville - Italian Saannnnngwich & Complimentary Nut Sack Double Brown Ale — Liquid Lunch at Engine 15 Brewery Jacksonville – Italian Saannnnngwich & Complimentary Nut Sack Double Brown Ale

Flight of Beer at Engine 15 Brewery Jacksonville - Handwritten by Kate — Flight of Beer at Engine 15 Brewery Jacksonville – Handwritten by Kate

For the flight of beers, we had the

1. Sour “Patch” Sara – A sour which had a slight strawberry tinge. Superbly refreshing.

2. Captain AHOP – A hazy IPA which was Tom’s favourite during this visit. It had a mildly citrusy yet hoppy taste.

3. The Economically Unfeasible Double IPA – It has the rich funky taste of an IPA. One you’ll probably enjoy if you’re a bitter/hoppy IPA fan.

4. Feline so Fine – A sweet and milky stout. The slight roasted coffee and chocolaty taste, makes it distinct from ales.

Our total bill came up to $27 plus tips. Within the same compound, we also visited a thrift store and bought a sleeping bag. This, we hoped would be helpful for the homeless as they sleep on the streets, fighting the biting cold at night – that could drop to 5 degrees. At Angelaid, Kate bought 2 tops that went for only $6. Originally, they cost $8 and $4 respectively but there was a 50% discount on top of the thrift store price. A really good deal!

USA Trip 2024 Day 9 – Drinks at Bold City Brewery Jacksonville

At about 3:30pm, we arrived at Bold City Brewery for some afternoon drinks…

2bearbear at Bold City Brewery Jacksonville Florida

Bold City Brewery Jacksonville Florida - Outdoor Seats — Bold City Brewery Jacksonville Florida – Outdoor Seats

Bold City Brewery Jacksonville Florida - Outdoor Seats and Onsite Brewing — Bold City Brewery Jacksonville Florida – Outdoor Seats and Onsite Brewing

Bold City Brewery Jacksonville Review - Beer Menu & Wifi Password — Bold City Brewery Jacksonville Review – Beer Menu & Wifi Password

Bold City Brewery Jacksonville Florida - Indoor Seats — Bold City Brewery Jacksonville Florida – Indoor Seats

The flight of beer at Bold City was much cheaper at $8. We had:

1. Overcast and Cloudy Hazy IPA. A bitter, hoppy and woody IPA.

2. Fritz Hefeweizen. Hefeweizen was our favourite because it was close to Blue Moon with a less citrusy taste.

3. Roxy Imperial Cream Ale. Our least favourite this time. It had the aftertaste of a cream soda but also that it was a little sweet for an ale.

4. Koku Maui Fire Relief Sessions IPA. This version of a sessions (which is usually lighter) had a nice woody flavour.

5. Bold City IPA. Just as how an IPA should be.

Bold City Brewery Jacksonville Florida Review - Beer Flights at $8 — Bold City Brewery Jacksonville Florida Review – Beer Flights at $8

Bold City Brewery Jacksonville Florida Review - Pints for $4 — Bold City Brewery Jacksonville Florida Review – Pints for $4

Duke's Cold Nose Brown Ale - Remembering Bold City's Tavern Dog Duke — Duke’s Cold Nose Brown Ale – Remembering Bold City’s Tavern Dog Duke

We also bought a Manatee IPA for $4. Cheap but not really IPA-ish. Bold City IPA was definitely better. Sessions was good as well. During our visit, we were also served ice water in a Bold City cup that featured Duke, a boxer, which used to be Bold City’s tavern dog. Hence, we bought a Duke’s Cold Nose Brown Ale for $3.2USD as a souvenir for a friend. We really enjoyed our short time at Bold City because it felt really unpretentious. There was an air of casual and friendly vibe both from guests and service staff alike. While we were taking selfies, another guest also jumped in and “photo-bombed”, which shows the relaxed atmosphere here. 😄

Of course, the value-for-money craft beers were what we enjoyed as well. $8 for a flight of 5 beers was the cheapest we found during this visit to Jacksonville. As the evening came, we went to the river walk to take some photos of both bridges at Jacksonville…

Lone Sailor Statue at Jacksonville River Walk

Here, we were able to take a beautiful shots of Jacksonville City, the bridges, the stadium as well as the beautiful sunset. At the River Walk, you’ll come across the “Lone Sailor” statue as well. Do note that parking here is only for 15 minutes – perfect for a quick view of the city skyline, especially in the evenings.

USA Trip 2024 Day 9 – Winding Down at Aardwolf Brewing Company Jacksonville

As the evening progress, we continued our review of the craft beer scene in Jacksonville at Aardwolf Brewing Company…

Inside Aardwolf Brewery Jacksonville Review

Beers available at Aardwolf Brewing Company Jacksonville Florida

This evening, we ordered a flight of beers (that were individually priced):

1. Alvin’s Coffee Brown – $2. A brown ale with catbird coffee. It does have the nice coffee taste but not as robust as a stout. A good entry to the robust brown ale category.

2. Helles Other People – $2. A German-styled lager. Light beer with some semblance of Octoberfest-styled helles.

3. Icon of Sin – $4. Forders aged or large wooden oak barrel. It’s a sour with cheeries. Tasted like a cross between a port and a cider which Kate liked.

4. Hop Oddity – $3. Hazy IPA with citra and amarillo – a type of hop. Nice hoppy flavours though a little light on the texture and citrusy flavours which we had “hopped”.

We also tried the popular Belgian Pale Ale ($5) which turned out to be our favourite at Aardwolf as well. A light ale that is smooth and probably would match most food – especially spice-laden Southeast Asian foods.

USA Trip 2024 Day 9 – Our Last Craft Beer Stop at Hyperion Brewing Jacksonville

Hyperion Brewing Company was our last craft beer joint this evening…

Hyperion Brewing Company Jacksonville Florida Review

Inside Hyperion Brewing Company Jacksonville Florida

Hyperion Brewing Company Jacksonville Florida - Seats at outdoor beer garden — Hyperion Brewing Company Jacksonville Florida – Seats at outdoor beer garden

We had actually heard (or rather researched) quite alot of good things about the craft beers at Hyperion. Phoebe’s PB Porter was a must-try. We also threw in an Imperial IPA (Kronos), both at $8USD each.

Hyperion Brewing Company Kronos Imperial IPA and Phoebe's PB Porter at $8USD each — Hyperion Brewing Company Kronos Imperial IPA and Phoebe’s PB Porter at $8USD each

We found the Imperial IPA to be a little light for a Double IPA. However, we enjoyed the PB Porter which was robust. Due to its location on the main street, craft beers at Hyperion are a little pricier though there’s a nice beer garden located within.

After our last craft beer this evening, we wanted to grab some pizza. However, we mistook Springfield Scoops to have pizzas served (due to poor Google reviews and photos). Nonetheless, we did try out Springfield Scoop’s ice cream. We chose the chocolate, cheese and grape and nut flavours which were all creamy , rich and tasty.

Chocolate and Cheese / Grape and Nut Ice Cream Double Scoops at Springfield Scoops Jacksonville Review

Springfield Scoops Jacksonville Review - Chocolate and Cheese / Grape and Nut Ice Cream Double Scoop — Springfield Scoops Jacksonville Review – Chocolate and Cheese / Grape and Nut Ice Cream Double Scoop

After confirming with the staff at Springfield Scoops, we crossed the street and visited Crispy’s for their Liberty Pizza…

Inside Crispy's Springfield Gallery for Jacksonville Pizzas — Inside Crispy’s Springfield Gallery for Jacksonville Pizzas

Crispy's Springfield Liberty Street Pizza ($23) with 2bearbear — Crispy’s Springfield Liberty Street Pizza ($23) with 2bearbear

We thoroughly enjoyed the Liberty Pizza from Crispy’s which had oven-roasted chicken, spinach, feta, roasted peppers, mozzarella and roasted garlic white sauce for $24. A little expensive but totally worth it because the portion was HUGE and very delicious the pizza was chock full of grilled chicken and capsicum. Yum!

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Stay tuned for Day 10 of our post-KLOVE Cruise trip in the USA where we’ll be visiting the historic city of Charleston!

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