One owner of Green Room Brewing is gearing up to open a sister company in the heart of Jacksonville’s Southside. Mark Stillman’s Bottlenose Brewing is aiming to satisfy the craft beer craze when it opens soon in Tinseltown. While he says Green Room is “beach-focused”, he says he hopes his new endeavor will take on its own identity. The main difference? Bottlenose will have food, as a brewpub, serving what Stillman calls a “short menu with high-quality food.” Patrons can expect burgers, sandwiches, flatbreads, and vegetarian options. And when it comes to the important stuff, the eventual in-house beers will be “more personal.”
“We have more flexibility, since we don’t have to worry about distribution. We’ll [of course] have the permanent taps, the IPAs, the Double IPAs, a lighter beer. But, we’ll have a lot of cool, eclectic seasonal stuff.”
That’s mostly due to Bottlenose’s smaller-volumed, 3-barrel system, which Stillman says should be up and running a few months after opening. Until then, you’ll find the 50 taps focused on craft beer from around the state, starting with local brews and working outwards. The pub will sell some bottles (think the 750ml bombers), and it will sell and fill growlers.
Taking over the space where World Of Beer occupied before it went under, Bottlenose Brewing has made some major, but mostly minor modifications to change the feel and flow of the interior. Those who remember the large stage at WOB won’t see it anymore, but instead a more open floor plan. The bar top has also been redone, as well as the kitchen. Stillman says the latter was a must, as to ensure a more efficient, better food service overall. The brewpub won’t be table service, but ‘walk-up bar service’, where you’ll order at the bar, get a number, find the perfect seat and have your food brought out to you. And no matter where you sit, you’re sure to have a TV in direct view.
General Manager Joey Guertin will be running the joint, open 7 days a week, from lunch to late night. Live music will start up right away, on Friday and Saturday nights. There will be a ping-pong table on the patio, where well-behaved dogs on a leash are always welcome. (Just like Green Room!)
Stillman says he’s been keeping his eye out to do something like Bottlenose, and found the closing of WOB to be a great opportunity for him.
“It left a gap in the Southside market.”
So what’s in a name? For starters, a whole community. Stillman looked to his already loyal patrons at the beach to help come up with the name – one of many in the running. He says Bottlenose Brewing ties together the area, with the bottlenose dolphin at the beach and in the Atlantic, which relates to the origins of the IPA crossing the Atlantic.
“And, I love animals.”
Follow Bottlenose Brewing on https://www.facebook.com/bottlenosebrewing/ for the announcement of its opening date.
Article by Sarah Gojekian
Next Page: Jordan de Lugo and Mark Stillman of Bottlenose Brewing share a little information behind the evolution and planned opening of the newest Southside microbrewery.