For its first two anniversaries, JDub’s Brewing Company threw parties in its brewery and taproom.
This year, it’ll hold the festivities at Sarasota Fairgrounds.
“It’s definitely the biggest thing we’ve ever done by a landslide,” said JDub’s founder and CEO Jeremy Joerger.
It’s fitting for the brewery, which has made large strides in the last year. It opened a second taproom called The Dub Shack at UTC in a former World of Beer location in January.
More than 40 breweries and dozens of homebrewers will participate in the event, which has a “Pros vs Joes” theme. General admission with free unlimited beer samples from 2 to 5 p.m. costs $40 in advance and $45 the day of. VIP tickets cost $100.
Attendees taste samples and vote for Best Professional Brew, Best Homebrew and Best Overall — meaning a homebrewer could take the grand prize.
“Imagine the bravado of being able to walk around and be like, ‘I beat JDub’s and Cigar City and Angry Chair,’” Joerger said.
Jim Keaveney, a consultant for JDub’s who also owned the beer-heavy Sarasota restaurant Stairway to Belgium and has homegrown since 1991, helped curate the beer and food at the event.
Keaveney said 10 JDub’s beers will be on draft and they will bring their Dubious 3 anniversary beer, with VIP attendees getting a bottle and general admission able to purchase a limited amount.
Several breweries will offer special beers at the event. Angry Chair Brewing will bring their Popinski Russian Imperial Stout with peanut butter and marshmallows, while Cigar City will have their rare 110K + OT.
Clearwater’s Southern Lights Brewing Company, which has not yet opened, will bring four of their beers.
“Everything they’re bringing is an one-off because they’re not available,” Keaveney said.
There will be additional special beers, kept under wraps, available only to VIP guests. The VIP section will also feature six different meats and cheeses from Boar’s Head, with suggested beer pairings and a Q&A between Joerger and Cigar City Brewing CEO Joey Redner.
An Army veteran-turned-longtime-government employee, Joerger said Redner offered advice when he decided to open a brewery and has served as a mentor at times. The acclaim of Cigar City and its signature releases such as Jai Alai and Hunahpu’s convinced him to move to Sarasota.
“It was really Cigar City’s success that made me take that leap from where I was at in Washington D.C. with my cushy job that I hated to come down here and go, ‘you know what, if I’m going to do it anywhere, this is the market,’” Joerger said.
Now Joerger has tried to extend the fraternal nature Redner showed him to other brewers. JDub’s collaborated with 3 Son Brewing on a coffee imperial stout that will be available at the festival and other Sarasota-Manatee breweries such as Big Top, Motorworks and Calusa will have a presence at the event.
Though Joerger said JDub’s remains competitive, there can still be a communal feeling between breweries.
“If anything, I’m going to try to help you because for someone who drinks your beer and likes it, there’s very little loyalty in craft — they’re going to drink my beer next,” Joerger said.
Once the event ends, there will be an afterparty from 6 to 10 p.m. featuring music from SoFlo and The Spazmatics at JDub’s Brewing Company and Taproom. The space holds about 300 people and Keaveney said they expect between 1,000-2,000 people at this year’s anniversary party.
Joerger said the craft beer scene has grown wildly in recent years—breweries including JDub’s, beer festivals like their anniversary party and the audience for both.
“I used to get giddy and now it’s like, ‘Oh God, another beer festival,’” Joerger said. “But this one we’re really trying to make special.”
General admission:
Unlimited beer samples from 2 to 5 p.m.
Free food samples
Third anniversary tasting glass
VIP admission:
VIP section with meats and cheeses from Boar’s Head
Unlimited beer samples from 1 to 5 p.m.
Tasting of special beers not available in general section
Bottle of JDub’s Dubious 3 anniversary beer
Third anniversary shirt and tasting glass
Q&A with JDub’s CEO Jeremy Joerger and Cigar City CEO Joey Redner
Free food samples
Free admission and two free core beers at after-party
