Hittin' Up The Hype Guys in Florida - First Stop: J Wakefield!

Once you head downtown to Wynwood, you can bounce around some cool spots in Miami's beer scene, but one in the area stands out for sure.

Love comic books? Star Wars? Killer beer? Well, then you're gonna love J Wakefield Brewing. If it's not clear from the SpiderVerse mural outside, once you step in you'll catch even more comic characters, a massive Star Wars cantina mural, and a ton of J. Scott Campbell comic art above the bar. In short, I loved it. Combining comics and craft beer is right up my alley, it just makes it even better when the beer is as good as it was at JWB.

Hazys for days!

The first time I ever heard of JWB was from one of their invitationals when a few of our brewery friends got to come down to Miami and it felt like a who's who of hype beer makers. I had heard they made some of the best hazys in the Miami scene, and everything about the comic book aesthetic. Gotta say, all that checked out when we stopped by. The 90s X-Men fan in me LOVED the J. Scott Campbell artwork; when I was growing up thinking I'd become a comic book artist, his insane anatomy inspired me and definitely built some bad habits that art school had to break when I learned how to draw actual human bodies. But jumping to the beer, right off the bat there was a collab with our New York favorite Other Half (read about them here), "Jiu-jitsu Juice," a hazy DIPA that was as citrusy, tropical fruity, and smooth as you'd expect from combining two champs of the style. "Respect The Elevator" (a Mallrats inspired name which I loved again) was like drinking the beer equivalent of an Orange Julius - oats and lactose give it a creamy, silky mouthfeel and sweetness, while Mandarina Bavaria and Lemondrop Lupulin give it that rich citrus hop kick.

Grab A Sour While You're At It

While you soak in the artwork, toy models, Han Solo table, and other nerd culture around the taproom, don't sleep on the non-IPA offerings while you're here. I got down on the "Welcome To The Party, Pal" berliner weiss with cranberry, orange juice, orange zest, thyme, and a little lactose that tasted like a holiday punch. All around a fun place in a cool neighborhood that was definitely the area we'd recommend if you wanna spend time in the city. You can jet over to the really nice/new Dogfish Head taproom around the corner, or grab some killer poke and shop for records at 1-800-Lucky, or just walk around and take in the non-stop street art.

Where should we stay?

Home Depot in The Hammocks to the rescue.

Looking for a Cracker Barrel to park at in Miami? Good luck, it's impossible, they literally don't exist close to here. If you wanna be close to some of the best beer around the city though, head out to Kendall. This specific one is in The Hammocks area - 15750 SW 88th St, Miami, FL 33196 - with some grocery stores and a Planet Fitness close, you'll also be close to Strange Beast, Lincoln's Beard, Unseen Creatures, and Tripping Animals. #craftbeer #miami #jwakefield