J. Wakefield Brewing Celebrates Miami Madness Release

J. Wakefield Brewing (JWB) will host its annual Miami Madness release party this Saturday, and the event promises to be the usual large-scale blowout that the Wynwood brewery is known for.

Beginning at noon on September 10, beer fans can get their hands on the brewery's famous Miami Madness — a mango, guava, passionfruit Berliner weisse. The annual release of this special brew comes with a few changes, according to brewer Johnathan Wakefield.

The 2016 Miami Madness release contains more alcohol. "This year, we basically increased the ABV from 3.5 to 5.5 percent, and we also used an additional 500 pounds of fruit," Wakefield says. "I always like to screw around to see if I can make it better, and I think this version is the best."

More than 1,500 pounds of fresh fruit went into the batch — all of it local, from the Redland, the brewer says. 

The brewery will also release two new cans that day. Who's on First is an imperial IPA brewed with local saw palmetto honey from Garden of Ian ($19 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans), and Rainbow Road is a guava saison made with local fruit ($16 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans). Miami Madness will also be available in 750 ml bottles. All cans and bottles are sold on a cash-only basis, but an ATM is available onsite. 

A limit of four four-packs of each of the cans and two bottles per person will be in effect. The beers will also be available on draft in the taproom.

In addition to the above-mentioned beers, eight additional one-off treatments will be available on draft this Saturday. 

To sate your hunger, Babe Frohman will serve breakfast from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Purple People Eatery will be on hand from 2 p.m. to close.

Wakefield says this year's Miami Madness release party holds special significance because it's a way to get people to return to Wynwood after the Zika scare that left many restaurants and shops struggling to stay afloat. "We're trying to help bring people back to Wynwood, and doing an event to drive people back to the neighborhood is a good thing for everybody."