J. Wakefield Brewing

The last stop on our Sunday Wynwood brewery tour was J. Wakefield Brewing. A bit tired and definitely getting full we ended up ordering just one flight of beers.
Quality
So we only tried four of the beers on the menu including El Jefe, Hop For Teacher, Stush, and Amber Waves. To me El Jefe and Hop For Teacher were the two standouts. El Jefe is a wheat beer that has a bit of a coconut taste that is pretty delicious. Hop For Teacher is an IPA with a citrus and hoppy taste. The other two beers just did not really stand out to me after a day of trying different beers.
Quantity
Honestly the sampling sizes for the beer may have been the same as other places, but they felt quite a bit larger.
Value
Each flight comes to $ 8, which is not bad for the opportunity to try a few beers. They also had free tours, but by this point we were pretty tired.
Ambiance
J. Wakefield Brewing is a bit east of the centralized Wynwood area. Sitting right outside of the brewery was a food truck as well as a few random benches. However, it smelled pretty bad outside as if it was too close to a dumpster and with the food truck running it was very smokey. Even with the weather getting better we could not sit outside. So we headed inside, which had a very comic book feel. Heavy amounts of Star Wars and comic book art and graffiti line the walls. Large windows let it a lot of let so you don’t have that same intimate darkness as other breweries tend to have. A long bar is found against the right wall with a blackboard over it with the beer selections for the moment. There are some tables as well as stools at the bar. Two televisions were on the walls with sports on one and then classic television on the other. The music was indie rock and it was clear the brewery knew what it wanted to be and went all out.
Crowd
The crowd was small and unlike at the other breweries most people were drinking drafts and not flights of beer. More people seemed like regulars and most people had a very hipster and nerdish style about them. It was a much less welcoming feel than the other breweries.
Service
There was only one person working behind the bar when I ordered and I felt that she was annoyed that I ordered the flight instead of just a beer. It just did not seem like she had the same stake in the brewery and belief in the beer that I often feel other brewery workers have.
Parking
It definitely is a bit of a struggle to park right near the brewery, but if you are willing to walk a block or two you will have no problem at all. It just may take a circle or two around the block.
Extra
It may have been just some fatigue from a long day, but to me I felt J. Wakefield Brewing was a bit disappointing. It faltered on the level of great beers and although they had an outside area, it was not a very pleasant environment. The crowd did not seem as jovial and even though we were tired it says a lot that we only got one flight.

Awesome brewery tucked away in Wynwood. Trekked there for a specific beer — El Jefe Hafenweizen– and it was worth the trip! Bought a few growlers and it tasted keg fresh when I opened.
Cool atmosphere inside. Great service and friendly people. Definitely a great place to stop by after work or on the weekends.

REALly bad SERVICE
Bartender not polite and the SERVICE really slow
The Beer had a funny taste

Pretty much the gold standard of Beer IMHO.

As soon as I walked in I started «geeking» out. Super awesome brewery with tons of Star Wars paraphernalia. The beers are definitely delicious! It’s large enough but not massive like other places so it still keeps a nice intimate feel.

Best brewery in south Florida.
Looking forward to not having to drive 3 hours to enjoy their beer one day.
Great sours and Weiss ales.
Cool area, cool taproom.

What can I tell you that others haven’t? This brewery is the real deal. They continually create masterfully crafted «beers» that are a delight to the discerning palate. If you are a beer lover, it is very likely that you will like this place. There is no food served here although it is not uncommon to find a food truck nearby. My recommendation is to ask for samples before you commit to buy a beer. The attendants are very down to earth people that do not mind helping you find the right beer. Ask questions, try samples, and believe me, you are going to come out with a favorite. Great place.

I applaud J Wakefield and their experimental type of beers. I’ve ended up liking the chocolate coconut hefeweizen.
Their décor is awesome, especially if you are a star wars fan, and I enjoy the music they play as well.
This is a good place for some fresh beer and to try different styles of beer that you might not find in other places.

I did not know this place existed and I am so happy I was introduced to it! They have great choices of beer and its a very causal place to hang out or pre game.
The art work is always beautiful! Right now they have a star wars theme that I think anyone would appreciate.
I had the blueberry beer and it was definitely easy to drink and still strong with an alcohol percentage of 9!
If you’re in Wynwood check this place out everything about it is pretty cool!
OH I also saw a review that mentioned they should have a food truck and they do now, just to update!

We were here for a special event. When we pulled into the neighborhood, it was interesting. Lots of graffiti and very urban. Being from Detroit, it was very reminiscent of a lot of up and coming neighborhoods in Detroit. But this is Miami! It should be flashy and nice.
We had the entire brewery to ourselves. We also had 2 food trucks outside for food for the group. The beer was good. I especially liked the Hop for Teacher IPA. Good balance of hops. Had the El Jefe. Wasn’t good. Had some weird flavor to it that wasn’t for me. Finally, had the UJP porter and that was good.
As part of the group event, we had a brief tour of the brewery. There I learned that the whole idea of a microbrew is only a couple of years old in Miami. Where have they been? It’s been going for 15 – 20 years everywhere else! The brewmaster, J Wakefield, got his start locally brewing for himself and he’s come a long way to have the brewery going strong.
Would recommend this place due to interesting neighborhood in Miami and they’re just getting established. Sample the beers first so you won’t get any surprises.

When you wander in, if you’re me, or a nerd, you’re already at 11. The whole place is covered in geekery and (at present, circa early 2016) Star Wars cantina murals. My favorite is probably the Mjolnir replica sitting on the taps. LOVE. IT.
But the service here is doing the bare minimum and nothing more. Glad you’re all so attractive and everything. Glad these hot chicks remembered where they’d put all the flannel shirts they wore in undergrad. But don’t expect anyone to try and chat you up. About the beer or anything else.
I’ve been in a handful of times now, and it seems like the beers they are known for are generally not on draft or already out. I still respect that this could be bad luck, or due to small batches. But it does still take away from the overall experience.
Still a great stop on your way through Wynwood.

Gotta say I like this spot; it’s a cute little location. However, I was a little disappointed by the lack of options the day I went since they didn’t have a ton of variety on tap.
With only about nine taps open, they have all the usual suspects, five being set aside for their typical year round line and four being for seasonal brews. I set my eyes on something a little funky so I was pleased to see they had both an apple and a strawberry version of their typical Berliner Weisse. Both beers were good; but they were super sour! I just wasn’t prepared for it — since a typical Weisse is not as sour as these were — so it caught me off guard. The apple had a nice crisp bite to it, and was definitely going for a fresh fruit type vibe. The strawberry on the other hand was super sour, and while there was a distinct taste of authentic strawberry, it was dwarfed a little bit by the sour edge.
The staff here are friendly and helpful, and like I said earlier, it’s a super cute little brewery. If you’re a nerd you will love the interior which is decked out in sci-​fi and comic décor. I would like to come back and try some of the other beers, perhaps in the hope of giving a higher rating. I liked their offerings, but due to lack of variety and the surprise factor, the beer just did not wow me.

Chill local brewery. Many different beers to try. Different taste for your palette. They offer flights which is a great way to try many beers for less.
I enjoyed the Jefe with its orange flavor and the bitter taste of sub. I was not a fan of the Hops.
There is no food, so maybe get a bite to eat elsewhere.
The guys behind the bar seem more concerned with the beer then the service, so don’t expect to be waited on.

The brewery scene in Miami is stepping up. While I’m pretty proud BPB still has the craft beer scene on lock, it’s dope to see the motherland getting some love.
J Wakefield Brewing came in with a lot of hype after being at various beer fests and winning folks over. While it took me pretty long to get here, I’m glad I finally did.
Flamingo Juice — Guava Saison: This is the first one I went for. Guava beers have been super hit or miss for me. I’ve had some that were incredible… and some that were disgusting. Actually, I’d had more disgusting than delicious, but this one is deff one more mark in the delicious column. It really is like juice!
Haterade Berlinerweiss: Ok, mainly got this for the color. I also heard JWB was killing it with berliners… I must say this tastes just like Gatorade, with a sour kick. It was good, but I couldn’t finish the whole glass. Berliners are growing on me though… as much as I hate to admit it.
Master Blaster — This is a coconut coffee vanilla porter that is potent! it’s 10%ABV but kicked a little stronger than that I felt. It was good… but I was expecting more from it unfortunately.
It’s easy to see that these folks are Star Wars fans! The murals are pretty awesome, and there’s some memorabilia around as well.
Parking here can be tricky — after all it is Wynwood — but if you can snag one of the 4 or so spots right out front you’ll be set. If not parking on the street is available.
Look forward to making it back down and trying some more stuff!

The bae and I stopped here first on our day in Miami over the holidays, just before New Year’s.
Friendly service and delicious beers, we had a fun couple of hours here.
Super cool Star Wars themed art was awesome.
Would definitely return if back in the 305. Thanks for the hospitality, J Wakefield!

Sorry, this place was terrible. I was treated like some kind of idiot when I sent back a beer we didn’t like (everyone at the table agreed it was bad). Unfortunate, considering we had been to the 2 other breweries before this place and loved them. The setting is nice with the Star Wars theme but the way I was treated was unacceptable! I will never be coming back. The strawberry beer was very bitter like it had gone bad and el jefe tasted like a sour dirty rag.
Maybe it’s because they had just come back from vacation, but they had a selection of about 9 beers and 3 of them were sold out. Don’t expect to get a decent beer or service here.

After being lucky enough to experience an amazing event at J Wakefield with superb beer and accommodating, warm hospitality, the «bar» was set fairly high (pun intended).
Perhaps that is part of the reason why I wasn’t blown away on my second visit. I love me a good sour, and thankfully I was able to enjoy one the second time around. Although a little lighter than I prefer, it hit the spot for what I was craving.
I wasn’t as thrilled with my second selection, but I didn’t really get the guidance and taste testing I was hoping for. With only one couple, a single guy, and myself in there I figured the service at the bar would be impeccable. For me, it left something to be desired. The young woman was a tad aloof and too busy on the phone to greet me when I walked in.
Love the décor and clean feel of the taproom especially the high ceilings. A couple spots of parking in the front, but they were taken by employees when I last visited
Bottom line: excellent selection of delicious beers brewed on premises. Bring back haterade — what an innovate and fun treat!

This hipster brewery in Wynwood was recommended by a friend, so I thought I’d check it out. I’d have to say the neighborhood is cool, but sketchy. While there’s a lot of graffiti art on the outside of the local buildings and that in an of itself warrants a visit to the area, you don’t have to get out of the car to view the spectacular murals on the warehouse buildings housing many galleries. I hope this doesn’t sound like an unconscious veil of suburban privilege I wear, but I was kinda worried in the neighborhood about a drive-​by shooting.
The brewery has a great deal for flights of their interesting and adventurous beers. Alas, two flights of eight different beers yielded nothing I deemed noteworthy. Perhaps I should have tried some of their house regulars, but we ended up with a mishmash of interesting sounding, but strange tasting flavored beers. There was a pumpkin one, a peanut butter and jelly one, a marshmallow one, and some other odd one. The flavors were all vaguely sweet with artificial undertones. The effervesence was negligible and the temperature was tepid.
Maybe next time I’d try an El Jefe, a Hefeweizen or a Stush Berliner Weisse. I like a decent pilsner, lager, a Belgian Saison, or even an amber ale. Alas, there was none to be had.
Oh, and the interior designer has a Star Wars fetish. I’m way over that.

How can I not go to this place when I am in Wynwood. I love beers, I like to support local business, also its just a few doors down the street from Gramps. And I am so sorry I didn’t come here sooner.
This place is cool. They brew their own beers on site just like Funky Buddha but in a more intimate setting. A typical bar on one side and a few tables on the other side. I am not familiar with their beers so I asked the bartender to surprise me with one of the most popular beers there, and it turned out to be great.
One thing I notice was that giant wall painting by the bar. Being in Wynwood and all, I expect every stores/​restaurants in the are be artistry/​hippy. I look forward to try some of their other beers, maybe even sour beers!

I finally made it to J Wakefield, woohoo! I discovered, not too long ago, I like beer (ok not really true, I only like a small subset of beer — Berliner Weisses) and J Wakefield has been on my radar ever since, as it seems they also enjoy Berliners and often have a few different flavors available.
After hitting up the Sud Swap near by and declaring the day an unofficial beer crawl, it only made sense to check out J Wakefield.
1^st impression — wow this place is small.
2^nd impression — wow this place is cleaner and less divey than I expected.
Truth be told I haven’t really been to a lot of breweries, so my expectations are pretty much based around the huge brewery we’ve all come to love in Broward, so yes this place is small compared to that. Also seemed pretty busy and we eventually hung around the windows with counter seating.
Since the place was packed and ordering flights for a large group seemed impossible we all went ahead and picked one beer each. Total bill for ~7 people was cheaper than I expected, so I personally was happy with the price.
I opted to try their Lychee Rose Berliner which was great, though could have had a little more sweetness to it.
I made sure to try some of their popcorn and the bartender suggested the Maple Bacon flavor which I loved! Also, seemed less messy that the people eating a cheese flavor who had cheese all over their fingers lol.
Personally, I can’t wait to come back, but that’s truly due to the fact that I know they’ll always have a Berliner to keep me happy. I loved the theme (lots of Star Wars) and loved the playful naming of some of the beers (definitely caught an Office Space joke). There was a food truck parked outside and another pop up tent cooking up some sausages, so it seems like a great spot to hang with friends.