River Craft

For local brewers, Northeast Florida waterways offer a fount of inspiration

Marsh Sessions, the beer inspired by Marsh Fest and its audience of river devotees, was unveiled in 2024 with a release party held in the parking lot of Ink Factory’s taproom. Photo by Gunner Hughes.

As muse and metaphor, rivers have a notable history of inspiring creative output. Van Gogh’s “Starry Night over the Rhône” depicts the artist’s view of the famous European tributary, while John Everett Millais’ “Ophelia” finds Shakespeare’s famous heroine floating in an unnamed one. In literature, Mark Twain turned the mighty Mississippi into a symbol of freedom and escape. In music, from Austrian composer Johann Strauss’ “Blue Danube Waltz” to itinerant Delta bluesman Robert Johnson’s “Travelling Riverside Blues” to new wavers Talking Heads’ “Take Me to the River,” artists across centuries and genres have taken cues from inshore waterways.

While it may not be considered high art, beer making is an artisanal craft as ancient and important to civilization as any traditional medium. In A Short History of Drunkenness, author Mark Forsyth argues that humans invented agriculture and writing because, well, “we wanted booze,” citing the ancient Mesopotamian symbol “kash” (or beer) as the first written word.

Today, as craft brewers take to a process that is part chemistry and part artistry, rivers serve as creative sparks. Here in Northeast Florida, dozens of locally-brewed creations draw inspiration from the region’s waterways (Fishweir’s Lazy River pilsner) and inhabitants (Bold City Brewery’s Mad Manatee IPA). The Mud Spring oatmeal stout from Palatka’s Azalea City Brewing honors one of the St. Johns’ most pristine basins. Aardwolf Brewing Company’s Southbank IPA and Veterans United Craft Brewery’s Fish Camp pilsner name-check familiar developments on the rivers’ shores. Jon Boat – a coastal ale from Intuition Ale Works – pays homage to a popular river-faring vessel, while Reve Brewing’s Mayport Nikes (a colloquial term for the rubber boots preferred by area anglers) does the same for the most practical river-wading footwear.

Ink Factory Brewing’s Marsh Sessions lager was the product of a similar confluence of craft and veneration. The beer is a collaboration between the surf-enthused Jacksonville Beach brewery and a locally-grown celebration of river-adjacent recreational culture called Marsh Fest.

Javier Fabrega brought the first official Marsh Fest to life in 2023 with support from local retailers and some national outdoor brands. An executive at a data strategy firm by trade, Fabrega is an avid practitioner of many river-related recreational activities – he fly fishes religiously, owns a bird dog, etc. He’s partial to red drum, the game fish – frequently just called red fish – that’s abundant in Northeast Florida rivers after flood tides.

“I wanted to do something around the flood tides,” says Fabrega of the natural phenomenon, which typically happens in the fall, and often leaves game fish trapped in previously dry marshlands.

Held in January this year due to permitting issues, the 2026 iteration found the festival expanding to a multi-day format, kicking off with a sold out concert at Jacksonville Beach’s Blue Jay Listening

Room and concluding with a full day of food, music, fly-fishing demonstrations and wingshooting expositions on the grounds of the North Guana Outpost.

Marsh Fest has also grown into a mighty fundraising initiative, donating proceeds to environmental organizations, including the Northeast Florida conservation nonprofit Friends of GTM Research Reserve and the national wetlands and duck-hunting advocacy group Delta Waterfowl.

Marsh Sessions, the beer inspired by Marsh Fest and its audience of river devotees, was unveiled in 2024 with a release party held in the parking lot of Ink Factory’s taproom.

“Last year we had over 1,000 people show up,” Fabrega says of 2025’s beer release event, which now serves as a kind of auxiliary happening to the main festival. Marsh Sessions, itself, has emerged as one of Ink Factory’s most-popular offerings.

“We sold out pretty quickly last year,” Ink Factory co-brewmaster Tye Wallace says of the limited batch of Marsh Sessions the brewery canned and tapped. For the collaboration, Wallace understood the assignment. He says the brew is made to appeal to the tastes of those out stalking around the wetlands and cruising the river. “It’s as light as we can make it,” Wallace says. “You gotta have something people are going to be able to drink at dawn,” adds Fabrega. At 4.5% ABV, Marsh Sessions is, indeed, light, and, Wallace says, “pretty crisp and little fruity,” adding that the brew makes use of piney Talus hops and jackfruit. “It’s supposed to be crushable.”

Ink Factory will once again roll out its Marsh Sessions lager – in cans and on tap – at a release party event at their Jacksonville Beach headquarters on Saturday, April 18. Another opportunity to raise awareness for Marsh Fest, Wallace says Marsh Sessions is also a collision of culture, collaboration and community that is part and parcel to the ethos and business model of locally-based brewing.

“The brewery industry has always embraced collaboration. Stuff like this helps us connect to the community and raise awareness for things we’re passionate about. And, honestly, it elevates our craft, pushing us creatively.”