Atlantic Beach- The month of July marks more than just fireworks and the Fourth of July holiday for one of Jacksonville’s oldest craft breweries. For Ragtime Tavern, an anchor of a pub on Jacksonville’s eastern seashore, July 2013 marks 30 years of business and 20 years of brewing.

The years have been kind to Ragtime. The restaurant began under the ownership of the Morton family who had the revolutionary idea to begin brewing beer on the restaurant premises to serve to thirsty patrons. At the time Ragtime began brewing, there were only a handful of breweries in Florida as compared to the current eruption of craft breweries throughout the Sunshine State.

The idea to brew in a restaurant did not go unnoticed– the many tourists and locals of Jacksonville took notice, and so did a restaurant chain looking at the same concept. In 1997, the Big River Group (now called Craft Works) bought the establishment from the Morton family and has run the beach pub ever since.

The brewery at Ragtime is run by Scott Bannester who keeps the taps full and the patrons happy. Bannester makes sure that Dolphin’s Breath Lager is always fresh and the Sweet Magnolia Brown is always in season.

Ragtime is running specials throughout the month of July to celebrate their anniversary.

For more information, see the article in the Jacksonville Times-Union.