We’ve all seen this movie before, and — usually — we know how it ends:
A hospitality business makes a social media post and/or puts up a sign outside their storefront that says something to the effect of, “CLOSED TEMPORARILY FOR RENOVATIONS, REOPENING SOON!”
Only they never do.
Instead, a second social media post — weeks or months later — explains why they ultimately closed. Or worse, they don’t do any renovations, then just pack up and you never hear another word from them.
Well, in the case of Southern Fields Brewing in Campbellton —which sits just North of Marianna and about 70 miles from Tallahassee — their “renovation” post came in late December 2025. And we would be lying if we said we weren’t afraid this was one of those cases.
It read:
“We are about a lot here at Southern Fields Brewing. It all started as a dream in 2019 as a small family venture, but it has grown to be so much more. Through the years we have met countless new people that now we like to call family. We’ve traveled to countless tastings and beer festivals and tap takeovers. We’ve raised money for our furry, four legged friends and countless other causes… and we have managed to make some great beer along the way. We believe in all of you and thank y’all for believing in us.
Everything has its’ season. And during this holiday season we want to encourage everyone to latch on to your family. Cherish each and everyone. Nothing is ever promised and we are all lucky enough to live in a time and place where we are free and can enjoy the things that those who came before us or those in other places can’t. Be kind Love each other. Do good things.
We are about to enter into a new season. This weekend will be our last open for a bit, but it’s a see you later; NOT A GOODBYE. These years have flown by and besides needing a bit to rest and regroup we have decided to renovate and make some changes. When we open again in mid/ late Spring Southern Fields will (finally) launch our complete line of spirits made right here in Jackson County. This has been a long time coming and we want to do it right.”
The post seemed genuine, and it turns out … it was. And while Southern Fields didn’t make the self-set reopening deadline of Spring 2026, the reopening IS happening — and it’s happening this week.
Reopening with bands and BBQ restaurant
But not only is it happening, Southern Fields is reopening bigger and badder than ever — with 5 bands across 3 days, the debut of their new in-house BBQ restaurant and the Southern Fields Distilling operation they promised they’d be the first to bring to Jackson County.
“A couple of different things came into play on us deciding to close temporarily,” Southern Fields founder Brian Walker told us this week. “We had waited and waited for our distilling license and then labels to get approval and I was honestly exhausted by the process. It was about to be the start of the new year and that typically is our slowest part of the year anyway. So it added up and just made sense to take a step back and breathe and wait for everything to line up and start fresh in the spring. Now spring became summer, but that’s how it always goes on projects like this, right?”
Agreed. And the renovations Southern Fields was working on were no small task.
“The main thing was loading in and learning the still,” Brian added. “Our distiller Matt Thompson and I had a lot to learn, so not being under the pressure of being open, while trying to learn our processes and refine them, was nice. Of course, we gave everything a facelift around the place — including installing a full kitchen on site.”
The debut of that kitchen AND those spirits are big news, in our eyes. It’s no secret that the craft brewery has shifted in recent years with patrons wanting more options when it comes to the drinks and beers being offered, as well as consistent food on-site.
Sweet tea vodka and lemonade
And now Southern Fields has added both.
“The spirits are excellent. Matt is very meticulous and I’ve had a great time being the taste tester,” Brian said with a laugh. “They all make me smile, but I have to say our sweet tea vodka is pretty phenomenal. That and some lemonade makes for a great afternoon. As for the restaurant, ‘Southern Fields Smokehouse’ is the name of the kitchen. Our head chef Kenny is fantastic and has built a great starting menu for us. Obviously, we will be BBQ heavy, but we will have some other offerings as well.”
Southern Fields Distilling will have four freshly produced spirits to try when they reopening, including Rum, Vodka, Sweet Tea Vodka and Satsuma Vodka — all of which we are excited to try.
The Grand Reopening technically happens on Thursday, June 25, when Southern Fields holds a ribbon cutting ceremony and hosts live music right after they open. Friday night will be pretty busy as well with two more bands playing and even a solo act to close the night. And then Saturday they welcome a band from Leesburg called “Treading Easy.”
Jackson County comeback
Brian said the hours were countless to get to this point, and he’s glad Southern Fields wasn’t one of those places that promised renos, then tucked its tail and ran. And he praised the good people of Jackson County for all their help and support to get back to this point of reopening.
“I can’t say enough good things about the support we get from everyone around here. Complete strangers message or come up on the street and press us about the goings on at SF and when are we going to reopen. The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce has been a great resource for us. Southern Fields have been members of the Chamber since we opened in 2020 and their new director Nikisha Milsap has done a great job since taking the helm and spreading the word about our progress,” Brian said.
Southern Fields, which will be open Thursday-Sunday, held a soft opening two weeks in honor of Brian’s birthday. And he said if the vibe this weekend is anything like his birthday party, you’ll see that Jackson County has been more than ready for their comeback.
“People were showing up an hour before we opened. There was a lot of excitement. We sold out of all the food in three hours!” Brian exclaimed. “The spirits were very well received as well. It has been a long journey, but it is all going to be worth it. I won’t spoil the surprise, but we followed suit with a lot of our spirits like our beers. By that, I mean in name and theme are all inspired by our area. I love Jackson County and I’m proud to show off a little bit of it to folks coming through. “
We truly applaud this news that Southern Fields is officially back, and we hope you’ll take the short ride out I-10 or Highway 90 to go visit them this weekend, or sometime soon. From spirits, to BBQ, to craft beer — they’ve now got more to offer than ever!
Danny Aller is the co-founder, along with Matthew Crumbaker, of the TLH Beer Society. Reach the Beer Society on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or email tlhbeersociety@gmail.com.
If you go
What: Southern Fields Reopening Weekend
When: noon-11 p.m. June 26-27; noon-5 p.m. June 28
Where: 2328 Highway 2, Campbellton
Visit: https://www.facebook.com/southernfieldsbrewing
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Southern Fields poised to reopen this weekend after 6-month closure
Reporting by Danny Aller, TLH Beer Society / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Danny Aller, TLH Beer Society | USA TODAY Network
