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First Coast Brews: Shaking it up

When First Coast Brews heard about Beer-shakes, we had to find out more

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — One Jacksonville restaurant is turning craft beer on its head by crafting a milkshake that is part brew, part dessert.

As most craft beer lovers know, Kickbacks Gastropub has one of the largest and most eclectic selections of beer and food in town. Beer taps in the hundreds, nostalgic food options such as Spaghetti-O's and hamburger helper, and a huge selection of bottled beer.

First Coast Brews was long overdue for a visit to the iconic restaurant and after we saw a Facebook post about one their latest menu additions we had to stop in for a visit.

Kickbacks' owner, Steve Flores, is the mastermind behind these beer milkshakes. About six months ago, he announced at a staff meeting that they were adding beer-shakes to the menu and they've been a hit ever since.

There are four flavors to choose from:

Hazelnut- made with Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar, vanilla ice cream and a healthy helping of Nutella.

Strawberry- made with Strawberry ice cream, cookie butter, strawberry beer, and fresh strawberries. 

Chocolate- Made with chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup and a thick chocolate stout. 

Pumpkin- made with vanilla ice cream, cookie butter, Southern Tier Pumking Pumpkin Beer with a spice mixture that includes graham crackers. 

All shakes are served in a speculoos rimmed glass covered in rainbow sprinkles and a white-chocolate drizzled bacon skewer.

Credit: Stephanie Danley
Pumpkin, Strawberry, and Hazelnut Beer-shakes ready for tasting

Here's how they're made:

Credit: Stephanie Danley
Each Beer-Shake starts with a specific beer.
Credit: Stephanie Danley
A freshly drawn draft beer is added to ice cream and blended
Credit: Stephanie Danley
After everything is added, the blender does the heavy lifting and swirls everything to a creamy milkshake consistency
Credit: Stephanie Danley
After a few minutes, the shake is ready for garnishing
Credit: Stephanie Danley
Pumpkin, Strawberry, and Hazelnut Beer-shakes ready for tasting

Kickbacks' Shakemaster Britney whipped up three of the flavors for us to sample. After much debate, we settled on the pumpkin, hazelnut, and strawberry. We knew the chocolate would be good all by itself.

Be forewarned, these babies are messy! Steph wore most of her first sip on her face! However, with temperatures near the hundred-degree mark, it really didn't matter.

What we thought:

The Strawberry and Hazelnut tasted like perfect milkshakes, full of the flavor you'd expect, but not really beer-y. The pumpkin with that Imperial Pumking tasted like a creamy beer. The spice mixture was a lovely addition, making it taste like pumpkin pie. Hands down it was Steph's favorite. 

The Hazelnut was liked by Casey and Steph's husband, Ed. If you like Nutella you definitely will like this one. It has a rich nutty flavor with just enough mocha to round it out. It almost tasted like a coffee frappucino. 

Strawberry was also very tasty, tons of strawberry flavor. 

The beer was not overpowering in any of them. 

Like a milkshake, Beer-shakes are filling and messy, but perfect as a nightcap or just a way to cool off during these hot days of summer. Kudos to Kickbacks for providing this perfect summer treat.

Credit: Stephanie Danley
Very messy, very tasty and very filling, Beer-shakes are a must do!

BONUS: Belgian Basement Tour

After our sampling, Britney took us downstairs to the Belgian Basement. This has been something Steph has wanted to see since it was under construction.

Beer. Wow! It's everywhere. Kegs and bottles of all sizes. Rare vintages and more. One entire section was nothing but Dogfish Head, another Bourbon County Brand Stout and the Belgian beers were amazing. If you are looking for a specific vintage of something, it's probably here.

Credit: Stephanie Danley
The Catacombs below Kickbacks and its sister spot Guzzlepipes and Guttyworks contain a mind-boggling assortment of beer and vintages.
Credit: Stephanie Danley
Rare and unusual beers are cellared in the basement
Credit: Stephanie Danley
This is a vast collection of rare beers with a variety of vintages

As many of you know, there is even an area with private beer lockers for rent. You can snag one for only a dollar a day or $365 a year. 

Unfortunately, there is a waiting list but new lockers are being built as we speak, so you might want to contact them soon regarding renting one.

The Belgian Basement also has a bar area that is open Thursday through Saturday and is rentable for special events.

Credit: Stephanie Danley
Individual Beer Lockers line a private members only seating area.
Credit: Stephanie Danley
The bar in the basement of Guzzlepipe and Guttyworks is specific to Belgian beers and has a cool steampunk vibe

It was a fun afternoon sampling tasty beers and exploring the Belgian Basement! Cheers y'all!

- Casey and Steph

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