Brewer crafting bold venture
He and his mother – his business partner – have been busy renovating a Riverside warehouse into Bold City Brewery
By LIZ FLAISIG, The Times-Union
A train roars by the open door on Rosselle Street, bringing a smile to Susan Miller’s face.
Talking above the sound is difficult now, but when the Bold City Brewery opens this fall patrons won’t be encouraged to try.
“We’re going to ring a bell when the train comes by to signal you should finish your pint,” her 26-year-old son and business partner, Brian Miller, says.
They exchange a grin.
“We wanted to make the most of those kinds of things.”
The Millers hope it’s those unique touches and Brian Miller’s seven years of home brewing experience that will attract beer drinkers to the Riverside spot and allow the newly launched company to sell its beers by the keg to local bars and restaurants.
They work at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida by day, Susan Miller as an IT Development manager and Brian Miller as a systems programmer. They have invested $100,000 of their own money on the venture and have not decided yet whether they will work full time at it.
Since May, evenings and weekends have found the two and an assortment of family and friends renovating the 7,200-square-foot space from an empty warehouse to a microbrewery and small taproom.
A microbrewery produces less than 15,000 barrels of beer annually, with 75 percent or more beer sold off site, according to the Brewers Association, a national group. Like most microbreweries, Bold City will also be considered a craft brewery, meaning they produce less than 2 million barrels annually of beers made with traditional ingredients but in unique styles that also use nontraditional ingredients.
Bold City will make only ales, including its own version of India Pale Ale, known as IPA, a white ale similar to the popular Blue Moon brand, and a strong English ale. Twelve beers will be brewed throughout the year, producing 750 to 900 barrels annually. The style will be a combination of East Coast hoppy and West Coast malty, Brian Miller said, referring to the stronger taste of the malt or hops ingredients in each style of beer. To comply with state law, the taproom won’t serve food because it will sell growlers, gallon-glass jugs of Bold City beers for takeout. Customers will be able to have food delivered, likely through partnerships with local restaurants, Susan Miller said.
Opening is expected by the end of September to coincide with Oktoberfest, Germany’s annual beer festival.
Though fall will arrive quickly, Brian Miller plans to use the time wisely, crafting the product that will make or break the business.
“This is just like a piece of artwork,” he said. “You don’t want to rush it and be under pressure to produce more until you’re ready.”
The heady 1990s
As technology began fueling the individual art of beer-making and American tastes matured, microbreweries were springing up across the country, often with restaurants.
These endeavors in the 1990s were undertaken by both private and corporate owners, showing that what mattered most about brewing the stuff now called craft beer was giving drinkers locally made, distinct choices.
Around Jacksonville the story was the same, though on a smaller scale, with some breweries and brew pubs lasting only a short time, others making it until the 2000s and the majority surviving.
That’s because tastes have shifted toward more full-flavored beers, particularly those brewed locally, said Julia Herz, craft beer program director for the Brewers Association.
River City Brewing Co. is one of those survivors, operating in its location along the St. Johns River on downtown’s Southbank since 1993.
Brewmaster Bob Grandstaff, a former quality assurance manager at Anheuser-Busch in Jacksonville, has made the brew pub’s craft beer for the last four years.
Every 10 days, Grandstaff makes a batch of beer, most recently a nut brown to replace the white ale that was nearly gone.
Last year, River City made 240 barrels, a 25 percent increase over 2006. The demand also rose 15 percent from 2005 to 2006.
Grandstaff credits a goal to reach “consistent taste and quality” and the restaurant’s increased marketing efforts.
“I think consumers have become exposed or had the opportunity to taste products that are always fresh because of the process and they like to explore that taste,” Grandstaff said. “They’ve come to appreciate there are a lot of good craft beers out there.”
Three other brew pubs now owned by Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group Inc. have enjoyed similar longevity. The Chattanooga-based company opened Jacksonville’s Seven Bridges Grille & Brewery in 1998, the same year it purchased Ragtime Tavern & Seafood Grill in Atlantic Beach and A1A Aleworks in St. Augustine.
The company hasn’t been disappointed in its investment in the Jacksonville area, though it declined to comment on how much sales have grown.
“We’re seeing year-over-year increases, but I don’t want to get into hard numbers,” said Mike Curtis, vice president of marketing for Gordon Biersch.
Tapping parties and rewards programs for regulars have helped the company keep and grow its patrons, he said.
“The Jacksonville market is a place where as long as you’re good to them, they’re going to be good to you,” Curtis said. “It’s a tremendously loyal customer base.”
The ‘Bold City’ flavor
Though Jacksonville has its share of brew pubs, it doesn’t have a microbrewery operation like Bold City.
The Millers are counting on the loyal customers drawn to other local brews giving theirs a chance, especially considering the name.
The “Bold New City of the South” references the step voters took in 1968 to consolidate the city of Jacksonville and Duval County.
The Bold City Brewery also harkens to a time in Jacksonville’s history that these natives want patrons to remember. Hotels, bars and restaurants, stores and other businesses populated the city’s downtown, making it well known and a popular spot for visitors, filmmakers and others.
Those years, roughly from the early 1900s through 1970s, will be chronicled on the walls of Bold City’s taproom.
Mother and son hope patrons find the throwback as important as they do.
“We want this to be a place residents of Jacksonville can be proud of,” Brian Miller said. “It’s about Jacksonville because we love it here. We could have done this anywhere, but we wanted to do it here.”
liz.flaisig@jacksonville.com
(904) 359-4640
