OT: NJ Craft Beer Rankings
- Thread starter ElmiraExpress
- Start date
My favorite in Brooklyn is Grimm, followed by Evil Twin.
Finback in Queens near LaGuardia is very good also..
Good to know. Maybe I’ll try out some NJ breweries. I’ve been a Brooklyn snob lately and making runs to Other Half, Singlecut, Threes, and a few others.
Yes definitely one of the best in the Northeast. Treehouse & Trillium up there also.
They have some crazy stuff. Got some real smooth DDH Oat Cream IPAs the other week, took me all quarantine to understand what that all meant.
Love Kane and Cape May as well as ship bottom. During this lockdown have discovered Mud Hen in Wildwood and so far they have been pretty good. Also like Flying Fish but for me I like Dogfish the best even though it’s not in NJ.
Great bike ride we do every summer is to take the bikes on the Cape May ferry and ride through Cape Henlopen state park to Dogfish. Do some day drinking and lunch and then ride back to the ferry. Usually the bike ride and ferry ride get you sober enough to drive home
Great bike ride we do every summer is to take the bikes on the Cape May ferry and ride through Cape Henlopen state park to Dogfish. Do some day drinking and lunch and then ride back to the ferry. Usually the bike ride and ferry ride get you sober enough to drive home
I stated earlier about Dogfish Head. 60 min still one of my favorite IPAs. A great single IPA without the hazy or fruity aspect. As good as it gets.
Unless this has changed recently, they were still making Exit 4 (American tripel), which I think might be the most underrated NJ beer, Exit 16 (wild rice IPA), and occasionally Exit 13 (blueberry braggot). I visited the brewery about a year ago and the bartender said they were relieved to have finally finished the exit series. It was supposed to take them about two years but turned out to be an entire decade.
While talking to her, she made it seem like they're looking to make some changes to fit the current trends of the beer market, sounded like they're probably jumping on the hazy IPA bandwagon like everyone else. They did come out with an IPA like that around that time, I think it was called Jersey Juice or something like that, which was pretty good. I hope they at least still make Exit 4 though. Also while it is more of an old school IPA flavorwise, I thought Exit 16 was very good, and in my book was easily the best IPA made in NJ until Kane and Carton opened up. In the days of yore when the Devils would actually make the playoffs, Exits 4 and 16 were my go to beers for watching Devils playoff games--NJ brewery and you need 4 wins to win a series and 16 wins to win the Cup.
I actually found some bottled 120 minute IPA on Friday. Quite a nice surprise when you aren’t looking for it. One of the tastiest beers I have ever had
Ha. Trust me it's worth the wait.
Some fresh high ABV beers taste great but with a boozy alcohol component. However let it mellow. The boozy component is gone and intensifies vthe flavor. Had a 2 year old Westvleteren 12 at Christmas. Shared it my brother in law and my nieces husband. We were all in awe. My brother in law owns Shangy's the largest beer distributor in PA and an importer of many European beers. Impressing him is hard to do. Westy 12 is considered the best beer in the world. It was worth the wait!!
Point made. I may have to go back and see if they have any left 1 for now 1 for Christmas
I find Other Half to be overrated, as their dark beers (regular and BA) have been very inconsistent. More misses than hits for me as they're typically overly sweet to try to hide very high ABV or too many adjuncts, and I like those high ABV adjuncted beers.
Kane and Cape May for sure, but I wasn’t that impressed with Icarus. Czig Meister in Hackettstown is very good. Their Shipwright IPA is dynamite!
That is a great list. I'd add Untied out of New Providence over Cape May to this list!
South 40 Brewing Co. opening in Edison this weekend
www.south40brewingco.com
South 40 Brewing Co. opens in Edison
South 40 Brewing Co. opened in a 2,000-square-foot taproom and brewing space at 110 Newfield Avenue, Suite 2, in Edison Saturday.
www.mycentraljersey.com
South 40 Brewing Co.'s humble beginnings
South 40 Brewing Co. will open in a 2,000-square-foot taproom and brewing space at 110 Newfield Avenue, Suite 2, in Edison Saturday.
www.mycentraljersey.com
South 40 Brewing Co.
www.south40brewingco.com
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The answer is that when rating beers and breweries you should place your personal tastes aside and try to appreciate different styles than your favorites.
I however value a broad range of good beers over a menu full of several variations of the same style.
My favorite beer festival strategy is to make two rounds of the vendors. 1st visit I try the beer that's most appealing to me. Then I make a second visit and pick something I think I will not like. By then (after many beer tastes) I may not be as discerning, but I have found new favorites, this way.
BEER FESTS ARE BACK!
Join us this October 24th at Iconic Raceway Park in Englishtown NJ as we celebrate Oktoberfest! You'll be able to sample from and over 30 breweries from around the tri-state area. Lagers, IPAs, Stouts, Pilsners, wines, hard seltzers.... we will have it all for you to sample and enjoy in a safe outdoor venue
Other features include gourmet food vendors, a live band and a variety of games, including corn hole and hatchet tossing.
What you get: Pay one fee to get in, and all drinks are on the house! You will receive a five ounce souvenir glass with a two ounce pour line. You are welcome to sample any beer that our brewers have.
Must be 21 with valid photo ID to enter. Sorry, NO pets, children, infants or strollers are permitted.
nightout.com
Join us this October 24th at Iconic Raceway Park in Englishtown NJ as we celebrate Oktoberfest! You'll be able to sample from and over 30 breweries from around the tri-state area. Lagers, IPAs, Stouts, Pilsners, wines, hard seltzers.... we will have it all for you to sample and enjoy in a safe outdoor venue
Other features include gourmet food vendors, a live band and a variety of games, including corn hole and hatchet tossing.
What you get: Pay one fee to get in, and all drinks are on the house! You will receive a five ounce souvenir glass with a two ounce pour line. You are welcome to sample any beer that our brewers have.
Must be 21 with valid photo ID to enter. Sorry, NO pets, children, infants or strollers are permitted.
OKTOBERFEST at Raceway Park - Tickets - Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ - October 24, 2020
BEER FESTS ARE BACK!Join us this October 24th at Iconic Raceway Park in Englishtown NJ as we celebrate Oktoberfest! You'll be able to sample from and over 30 breweries from around the tri-state area. Lagers, IPAs, Stouts, Pilsners, wines, hard sel...
nightout.com
Carton is certainly one of the five best breweries in NJ. You also missed Brotherton in Shamong and Screamin Hill in Jackson.
Anyone been to Odd Bird Brewing in Stockton? Built in a gas station garage near the bridge to PA. Thinking about trying it next week.
Top 5 prepandemic. Need to get out and re-evaluate as much as possible for my enjoyment:
Magnify
Kane
Twin Elephant
Czig Meister
Cape May
Honorable mention: Troon, Icarus, Tonewood, Carton
Debbie Birx?
Cape May has such a great space and a bunch of flowing taps.
I was there on opening day and haven't been back since. Decent beer but definitely needed work. I hear things have been better. I should get back there soon as it's close to me.
Not worth going down that path in my opinion. Most microbreweries have pleasant owners and offer interesting stories behind their business journey and their location. It's enjoyable to visit them, drink their beer and support their business. Even the mediocre places get a pass as there is usually growing/brewing pains involved with a new opening.
Magnify
Kane
Twin Elephant
Czig Meister
Cape May
Honorable mention: Troon, Icarus, Tonewood, Carton
Debbie Birx?
Cape May has such a great space and a bunch of flowing taps.
I was there on opening day and haven't been back since. Decent beer but definitely needed work. I hear things have been better. I should get back there soon as it's close to me.
Not worth going down that path in my opinion. Most microbreweries have pleasant owners and offer interesting stories behind their business journey and their location. It's enjoyable to visit them, drink their beer and support their business. Even the mediocre places get a pass as there is usually growing/brewing pains involved with a new opening.
Thoughts on Forgotten Boardwalk?? Haven’t seen it mentioned here yet. By no means am I an expert but I liked their IPA and Funnel Cake brew. Plus their can design is pretty cool, simple and old school. I’m a sucker for anything Jersey shore themed (although they’re in cherry hill, so not quite the shore)
Anything in southern Essex Co these days, say in the Millburn/Maplewood/South Orange vicinity? I would think there's a market for craft beers and a local brewery in that area.
