#12) Paint N’ Pints @ Intuition Ale Works ~Downtown Jacksonville, FL

I want to first start off by saying that while I am going to be discussing Intuition Ale Works in Jacksonville, FL, I do not drink any alcohol so I cannot review the beer for you here. I can, however, explain in detail my experience visiting Intuition, to attend a workshop, and I brought my husband along as well so he could enjoy the local beers offered.

I had wanted to visit Intuition Ale Works for some time. Actually, I had heard about the rooftop bar area, with views overlooking downtown Jax, and that was the main reason for my wanting to visit... I never want to miss out on a view if I can help it. And then I happened to come across a painting workshop involving painting an elephant, taking place on a Tuesday evening, and thought, that’s definitely when I’m going to plan my visit to Intuition. Painting, plus views, would be a fabulous night, I thought.

Plus, I love elephants. I firmly believe elephants are the Earth’s Gentle Giants, and very misunderstood creatures. They are family-oriented, have a heart and soul as wild and original as any human soul, and they want to be as free as we are. Any excuse to paint my beloved elephants works for me. So I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to attend a local ‘Paint N’ Pints, even if I wasn’t going to be having the pints part of the experience myself.

And, I thought I’d bring the hubby along… he could sample the local beers, while I paint. And then, I thought, afterward we can sit outside on the rooftop lounge area together and enjoy the lovely evening that consisted of perfect Florida weather. Well, things didn’t work out exactly as planned, but we did make the most of it ourselves.

After registering for the workshop, I thought I’d look up Intuition’s website ahead of time to check out what type of food and drink was available. The painting workshop began at 6:30pm, running through 8:30pm, and I thought maybe we should plan to eat dinner while there. I wanted to see the menu ahead of time and figure out what type of meal to plan for into my day. Well, the website listed beer only. No mention of any food whatsoever.

​So we ended up eating at home ahead of time, then headed out to Intuition. We parked in the free parking lot, which is located in a very industrial area, with views of the Maxwell House headquarters factory just across the way. (I do love coffee and hope to visit the headquarters for a tour someday.) Going inside I noticed the brewery had lots of massive windows open to it and I was hoping to take a tour while we were there. I then discovered tours were not available at the time. That section of the facility was closed off for the evening.

I also noticed right area after entering that there is a food window, to-go style, where customers can order some simple bar foods. As I mentioned, that fact was not on the website, so we had already eaten dinner, and weren’t up for trying anything at the food window. A couple of the people attending the painting workshop with me ordered a basket of boiled peanuts though and they looked quite tasty.

I then decided to order a club soda, to sip during the class, and to purchase something from the establishment, only to find out that beer literally was the entire drink menu. No sodas, or iced teas, etc. or anything else whatsoever. Gahh. So, I asked for an iced water, and was then instructed to go over to the wall to get some water out of the cooler housed under the big menu. No problem, but also, not very attractive.

The workshop was in a room that was set as a private meeting space, with views into the brewery area. And the instructor was local Jacksonville artist Amanda Moon of Amanda Moon Art. She was an exceptional instructor and I highly recommend her to anyone looking to attend a painting workshop. I had a most enjoyable two hours painting my elephant, while my hubby enjoyed the brewery.

This workshop was a rescheduled event that I had signed up for many weeks in advance, and then had to be canceled due to Hurricane Dorian coming through the day of the planned event. There were mandatory evacuations and curfews in place all throughout Jacksonville. And while Dorian ended up missing Jax, thank goodness, all plans during that time were completely canceled. So attendance at the event was quite low for that evening, lower than many such workshops I have attended in the past.

Afterward, I was sooo excited about my elephant! I was ready to take him with me upstairs and outside and enjoy the rest of the night with my husband. That’s when I found out that the rooftop lounge area was closed off all evening to a private event and we were not even allowed to go upstairs and take a peak. I must say I was extremely disappointed by this, and learned a valuable lesson. Maybe I need to call ahead to see if these types of areas will be open to the public before going? But, at the same time I also thought that being a main part of their establishment, that I shouldn’t have had to question its availability while I visit. I must say it was a major turnoff to me, considering the upstairs area was one of the main reasons for my wanting to visit, and it definitely acts partially as a deterrence to me from planning a future outing at Intuition any time soon.

Driving home, I was ecstatic about my painting. It was a very nice outing downtown Jax, and I learned a lot. Even though I’m deterred, I honestly would go back to Intuition, at some point, despite my so-so experience, because I liked the atmosphere and the location. I just would make sure the rooftop was available. And I would bring my own ice water, and keep the rest of my expectations in check. Because despite what is or is not being served and is not available to me that day, I can still have a wonderful outing wherever I am… perspective matters, and my company does too. ~

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Author:

Christine Pieper is an Artist and Lifestyle Blogger, living and painting in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, with her hubby and eight year old puppy. She made a major life change in 2017 by uprooting and moving from Illinois to the Sunshine State, and has been living her best life in Florida since - detailing all her many and varied adventures living and traveling the Deep South to share with you. Her mission is to help you live YOUR best life - by getting out there, going for it, and making that big change you always dreamed of. Christine will inspire you to get over yourself, show up for yourself, and get out of your own way. The only one stopping you - is YOU.

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