Champion Brands Prepares for Future with New Corporate HQ

Champion Brands Prepares for Future with New Corporate HQ

“We’re Investing in our employees and the future of Champion Brands”

Jacksonville, FL -- Champion Brands, along with close to 100 guests, will celebrate the future, as they break ground on their new corporate HQ tomorrow, April 24, 2018 at 9:00 am. “We want our employees to have pride in their workplace, and create an environment that will foster collaboration, teamwork and room to grow in the future. When I purchased Champion Brands in 1985, there were 80 employees – we now have 300+,” said Earl Benton, CEO Champion Brands.

Notable Project Facts:

•         36,000 SF Tilt Wall Construction
•        Solar Rooftop and LED Lighting Throughout
•         Full Service Gym with Locker Rooms
•         State of the Art On-site Meeting Space for 250 In-door and Out-door Tap Rooms

Once the new HQ is completed (estimated Feb 2019), the vacated office space will eventually be demolished, for a 40,000 SF warehouse expansion. “We’re excited to be a part of Jacksonville’s continued growth,” said Benton.

The groundbreaking will be held at 5520 Florida Mining Boulevard South, Jacksonville, FL 32257 (off Shad Rd. and Florida Mining Blvd just past Champion’s existing facility on the left). The event begins at 8:30 am with guest registration and a light breakfast. The program will begin at 9:00 am. The event will conclude with the ceremonial “turning of the dirt” at approximately 9:30 a.m.

About Champion Brands

Champion Brands, Inc. is a Jacksonville based malt beverage distributor servicing six Northeast Florida counties. They currently represent 62 domestic and foreign breweries, several local craft breweries and Red Bull (Northeast Florida and 32 counties surrounding Savannah, Ga). They are celebrating 33 years in business www.championbrands.net

Contractor: SauerIncorporate Jacksonville

Architect: HHC

Follow Champion Brands on social media: Facebook @championbrandsinc Twitter @ChampionBrands Instagram @championbrands

Related: Earl Benton: A Green Champion for Beer

Jacksonville's First Mead and Cider Bar is Now Open

Jacksonville's first mead and cider bar is now open.

The Mazer, owned by Ed and Beth Stansel and Whit and Regina Heffington is located at 1508 King St. Jacksonville, FL 32204. The Mazer opened for the Jax By Jax literary festival a few weeks back on Saturday, Nov. 12.

The Mazer features mead, cider, boutique wines and champagnes, craft beers and light fare.

Once federal and state licensing has been obtained by its wholly owned production arm, East Florida Fermentology LLC, The Mazer will be serving meads and ciders brewed in the bar’s in-house winery, with production estimated to start by mid-2017.Until then, the folks at The Mazer will be pouring a variety of hand-crafted meads, ciders and beers from across the country and abroad.

Co-owner, Ed Stansel, posing in front of brewing kettles

Ed Stansel, an award-winning home brewer and mead-maker whose beer recipes have been commercially brewed by several Jacksonville craft breweries, will be the creative genius of production, concocting mead and cider to be served in The Mazer’s taproom. Beth, his wife, serves as his muse and motivator.

Regina and Whit have owned and operated the Silver Cow for almost three years, bringing tap house management experience to the group.

The Mazer team’s goal is to provide Jacksonville with new tasteadventures in adult libations. Although mead – or honey wine --is believed to be the most ancient of alcoholic beverages and is the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. craft beverage industry, Ed says many people are not familiar with it.

“The biggest misconception is that all mead is sweet,” he said. “Customers who come into the Mazer often are surprised to learn that mead can be dry, semi-sweet or sweet, still or sparkling, just like fine wine, and can be made with a variety of fruits, spices and herbs. There really are no limits to what you can do with mead.” He said some of his favorite meads are traditional – made only with raw honey, water and yeast. “Those really let the honey character shine through,” he said. Another favorite is cyser – a hybrid of honey wine and apple cider.

Meadmaking supports beekeepers, who in turn ensure a healthy population of these pollinators that are so essential to our food supply. The Mazer and East Florida Fermentology plan to partner with area beekeepers and source honey and other ingredients locally and regionally.

The Mazer gets its name from a Medieval drinking cuptraditionally used to serve honey wine and other alcoholic beverages, and also from the fact that meadmakers often are called mazers.

Hours of operation at The Mazer are:

Monday – Thursday: 5 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday:  4 p.m. - 1 a.m.

Closed Sundays

The Mazer will feature various events from tastings, food and dessert pairings; educational classes for mead, cider and wine;art classes; homebrew sharing events; and pollinatorconservation and awareness programs. 

The Mazer will be adding retail items to its menu featuring local honey, honey soap, candles, and bottled mead, cider and wine that will be available for purchase to go. Growler fills of select meads and ciders will be offered as well.

The Mazer's Happy Hour is daily until 7 pm with $4 wines by the glass and $1 off all meads, ciders and beers on tap and $2 off mead and cider flights.

Contact: info@mazerjax.com or the Mazer himself, Ed, at ed@mazerjax.com

You can also visit www.mazerjax.com or follow mazerjax onFacebook, Instagram and Twitter for all their upcoming events and classes.

Fill My Cup: Abram and Intuition

Fill My Cup is a weekly Bible and Beer review where I share notes from a Scripture passage and a critical review of a featured beer. May this series spark discourse, reflection, and promote new learning about craft beer and the Bible. I invite you to engage with me--share your thoughts, comments, and your musings!

Good News

Last week, I talked about how much we are a culture of people who value directions and "how-to" instructions. Genesis 12 begins with God telling Abram to leave everything and everyone he knows and go to a place that God will eventually show Abram. Can you imagine the conversation that must have taken place between Abram and every other rational person around? Abram is about to set out towards a destination that hasn't even been revealed to him yet!

God provides a great promise to Abram, but demands faith and obedience in return. It would have been easy for Abram to be talked out of going. He could have easily talked himself out of going! If nothing else, it certainly would have been a whole lot less inconvenient for Abram to simply stay put where he was settled and comfortable.

Stepping out in faith is uncomfortable. It's risky. Yet it's also rewarding. In this scenario, God not only promises Abram a great nation and a blessing upon his name, but God goes as far to say, "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." God's promises and His blessings have a broad reach. and often have an overflowing impact that extends beyond us. When we are willing to listen to God's direction for our lives and take steps in our faith, we can be assured that God will honor our faithful obedience.

In what way is God calling you to step out in faith?

Craft Brews

I took a trip back to Jacksonville this past week and picked up a can of Easy on the Eyes from Intuition Ale Works. This is a session IPA which simply mostly means it's a lighter IPA with a lower ABV (4.7%). Often, session IPAs (and session beers in general) are made for easy drinkin'.

There's a big aroma that comes with this beer--bright citrus notes and a slight dankness. Easy on the Eyes is also easy on the palate. There are flavors of bitter orange peel, melon, and a nice tropical juiciness that I enjoyed. It's a medium bodied beer--a bit more than I expected--that ends with a very crisp and slightly cloying finish.

Easy on the Eyes is no chump. While it is a session IPA, Intuition did not skimp on the hop flavors, but it's balanced just enough to make this a nice summer-time IPA. The aroma oversells the beer just a tad and was definitely my favorite part about the beer, but it's still a nice choice and lighter alternative to Intuition's flagship I-10 IPA.

Five Must-Try Jacksonville Beers for Summer

Summer is around the corner, and that means you’re going to need local beers to keep your thirst quenched and palate satisfied. With eight distributing breweries in Jacksonville, there are plenty of beers to choose from. But the beers on this list stand above the rest in their ability to provide crisp refreshment without skimping on the flavor.

5) Buzzin Bee Honey Rye Wheat, Veterans United Craft Brewery.

Buzzin Bee is unfiltered and brewed with local honey which provides a balanced sweetness to counter the rye and wheat flavors. Hints of citrus fruits make this an enjoyable summer beer.
Notes: Honey, orange, and hints of rye.

4) I-10 IPA, Intuition Ale Works.

This highly drinkable IPA packs a hop-forward punch without being too aggressive for summer. Zesty citrus and resinous pine make this a flavorful IPA that’ll quench your thirst when you need it the most.
Notes:  Citrus, pine, grapefruit, and pineapple.

3) Big John’s Apricot Wheat Ale, Bold City Brewery

Light, drinkable, and refreshing, this is a gratifying beer that’ll please the palate. Complex layers of wheat, tart fruits, and sweet malts make this a refreshing companion to those sweltering summer months.
Notes: Wheat, biscuits, apricot, and apples.

2) Endless Summer Blonde Ale, Pinglehead Brewing Company.

Endless Summer laughs in the face of naysayers who believe Blonde Ales don’t have flavor. This beer starts with an inviting malt profile and finishes with a crisp, clean, and slightly dry finish.
Notes: Biscuity malt sweetness, honey, and an earthy-dry finish.

1) J’Ville Lager, Engine 15 Brewing Company.

Brewed to commemorate their anniversary, J’Ville is an American lager done right. It’s a clean and refreshing beer that will keep you comfortable during the dog days of summer.
Notes: pale malts, bready yeast, honey, and lemon zest.

From Left to Right: Carolyn Graham, Brian Little, Sean Bielman
celebrating the launch of Engine 15's J'Ville Lager

 

Jax Beer Society Launches in North Florida

Jacksonville, FL – Jax Beer Society, a nonprofit trade association committed to developing and preserving an active beer culture throughout Northeast Florida, launched earlier this year and made its debut at the Riverside Craft Beer Fest in late February.

“Our beer community has always been very supportive of each other. So, it was only natural that we come together to elevate Northeast Florida’s beer culture and make a focused effort on Jax Beer Week. The interest and support the community has shown for Jax Beer Society has already been overwhelming -- and we’ve only just begun,” said Kara Scremin, President of Jax Beer Society.

Jax Beer Society founding members are: Aardwolf Brewing Co., Bold City Brewery, Engine 15 Brewing Co., Green Room Brewing, Intuition Ale Works, PingleheadBrewing Company, Veterans United Craft Brewery, Zeta Brewing, BrownDistributing, Champion Brands and North Florida Sales.

Membership is open to brewers, wholesalers, associate members (e.g. retail outlets, brew pubs) and craft beer enthusiasts who are interested in working together to advance the emerging craft and specialty beer scene in Jacksonville and to promote regional events and festivals that support the industry.

Memberships can be purchased at www.JaxBeerSociety.com/members or by visiting the Jax Beer Society table at GastroFest on March 21st outside the Visit Jacksonville offices on Laura Street or the Cathedral Arts Project CAPtivators “Economic Hopportunity” brewers’ panel on March 26th at St. John’s Cathedral. Jax Beer Society will also be a creator at this year’s One Spark festival and will be hosted by Visit Jacksonville.

JBS Officially Launched at the Riverside Craft Beer Fest in February

The organization’s main focus will be the coordination of Jax Beer Week which will take place November 8th through 14th. Jax Beer Society will organize a number of events across the city that focus on promoting the area’s craft and specialty beer scene. Jax Beer Week will culminate in a two-day grand tasting event at Hemming Park in downtown Jacksonville on November 13th and 14th.

Follow Jax Beer Society on Twitter: @JaxBeerSociety

For more information, please visit www.JaxBeerSociety.com or contact Cari Sánchez-Potter at (904) 540-6390 or jaxbeersociety@gmail.com.

Zardoz Imperial Russian Stout

Brewery: Aardwolf Brewing Co.
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.1%


The setting is a post-apocalyptic world in which Sean Connery strolls around in tight spandex (or is that a cloth diaper held up by suspenders?) and tries to save the world in a cinematic expression of good versus evil. The movie, Zardoz, is terrible. It’s a mockery of acting and should have ruined Connery’s career.

Seriously. Check out this trailer from 1974.

Thanks to the creative genius’ behind the brewing doors of Aardwolf Brewing Co., Zardoz has been resuscitated. Only this time, Zardoz is a Russian Imperial Stout. Those hoping to see 70s style spandex shorts should stay home and dust off the old LaserDisc.

Zardoz Russian Imperial Stout is a sci-fi thriller in your mouth. It’s James Bond meets Chewbacca meets that chick from The Fifth Element. It’s fun and enjoyable.

Jest aside, this beer is the real deal. Zardoz brings rich flavors of chocolate and smoked malts. There’s bits of oak that run throughout the palate, finishing with a subtle bitterness. Zardoz goes down surprisingly well for a RIS that weighs in at 10% ABV. There’s a sweet vanilla flavor that eloquently strings the smoked malts, charred oak, and bittering flavors together into something that is complex and quite enjoyable.

Beer Apostle's Final Grade: B

Aardwolf Brewing Company is located at 1461 Hendricks Ave. Jacksonville FL, 32207. I highly recommend visiting their taproom on Wednesdays as they release a new and unique pilot batch each week. 

Check out www.aardwolfbrewing.com for more details on their beer and upcoming events. And as always, support craft beer and drink local!

Champion Brands brings first Public Access CNG Station

Champion Brands is known in the area for distributing some of the most recognizable brands in Jacksonville's craft beer scene. Aardwolf, Intuition, and Pinglehead are just a few of the local brands of beer that Champion Brands moves across the city and state.

On February 26, the first public access CNG (compressed natural gas) station will launch its grand opening, thanks to the partnership between Champion Brands and Trillium CNG. This station will be the first of several potential stations across the First Coast, and could put Jacksonville on the map as a leading hub for clean, natural gas operations.

Champion Brands piloted its first wave of CNG Trucks in October 2014. I interviewed Earl Benton, CEO of Champion Brands, in September 2014, and Benton talked in detail about his commitment to running his business efficiently. Benton explained that he wants nothing more than to "leave this world at least in as good a shape as when we found it." The launch of this CNG Station is evidence of Benton following through on his word.