Island Hop Craft Beer Fest Recap

Looking Back at the 3rd Annual Festivities

Looking out over the lawn of Central Park in Fernandina Beach, Florida last Saturday, October 7th, it was clear that the party had arrived. The third iteration of the Island Hop Craft Beer Fest, hosted by Fernandina Beach Main Street, was an absolute success with locals and tourists alike sipping on brews, noshing on local snacks and jamming out to live music all afternoon. 

The good folks at Fernandina Beach Main Street are already famous for their Dickens on Centre event every December (soon to be in its 8th year) and it seems like they have another hit on their hands. Before we get ahead of ourselves and start planning out next year’s festival, let’s take a look back at some of the highlights from this year.

The Beer

We’ll start off by saying, hats off to all of the brewers who came. We tried valiantly to get around to every tent, but, well, even with the VIP hour we fell short of our goal. The entire park was abuzz with attendees recommending their favorite samples to friends, old and new. Three of the biggest hits of the day were local favorite Mocama Beer Company, who brought out some of their lesser-known, yet rather strong IPAs, Southern Swells Brewing Company with their ‘This Is Not a Pumpkin Beer’ spiced ale, and home brewers The Brew Shed. You could tell The Brew Shed was a popular vendor due to a bell at their tent; patrons rang it every time they thought the home brew was better than the professional beers. Believe us, that bell was ringing a lot.

For those looking for an adult beverage of a different variety, Long Drink, Bluechair Bay Rum and local distillery Marlin & Barrel had long lines all day. Similarly, San Sebastian Winery might have been the only vineyard present, but was the talk of the park.

The Food

It’s no surprise people were famished after a few hours sampling brews in the hot sun. Luckily, some of the finest purveyors of food this side of the Florida-Georgia line were on hand to fill all the hungry stomachs.

We were busy slinging Lobster Rolls from the get-go alongside the tasty Strawberry & Elderflower Lemonade with our friends from Duck Pinz. The grill was fired up, prepping all those tasty, toasty buns.

Taking a little break from our stand, we sampled some delicious Mexican street food at Jax Taco and cooled off with a sweet dessert at Kona Ice. Highly recommend stopping if you see either of these food trucks parked on the side of the road.

The Music

Walking into Central Park at noon on the dot, you knew it was going to be a good time. Local shredders The Honeybadgers played a request-heavy set from noon ‘til two which featured multiple sing-a-longs, but none as loud as their rocking cover of “I Won’t Back Down” by Florida’s own Tom Petty. 

VOX took the stage for the back half of the afternoon and brought the house down with an epic rendition of “Hotel California”. Unfortunately, the final chords of the song meant it was time to head home, despite what the lyrics said.

The Fun

In addition to the drinks, food, and a little light shopping, we had a blast playing corn hole and other lawn games with Villa Villekulla Toys at the “Hoppy Hangout”.

The joyful, yet respectful crowd was filled with people of all ages. It’s hard to put into words, but there was an air of camaraderie and just down right good times all afternoon long. Heck, the weather even decided to cooperate for once. Make no mistake, this was one Saturday to remember in Fernandina.

See you all next year!

The Party Keeps Rolling with Timoti’s and Duck Pinz

Feeling FOMO? No worries! Stop by Timoti’s Seafood Shak for a taste of our famous New England-style Lobster Rolls and stroll next door for a sip of Duck Pinz’ signature Strawberry & Elderflower Lemonade.