For May we’re headed North, well, North Jersey that is to the Hackettstown/Long Valley area of New Jersey.
May’s Beer Crawl takes you to not 1 but 2 NEW NJ Breweries plus a long standing Brewpub. First stop Jersey Girl Brewing Company this brewery is brand spankin’ new – it just opened April 15th! They currently offer 4 beers on tap and this Gal has heard good things about the brewery and the beers they are brewing. Second stop is another relative newbie to the NJ brewery scene – Man Skirt Brewing opened since October 2015 and serving up their 3 flagship ales plus a seasonal. After visiting the latest additions to the New Jersey Brewing scene take a short ride over to the third and final stop of the May Beer Crawl, Long Valley Pub & Brewery, for some grub and, of course, beer. Hopefully you chose a nice day for you beer crawl so you can enjoy the outside patio at Long Valley. They offer a full food menu and have 5 to 6 of their own award winning beers on tap. Enjoy and let this Gal know what you think of May’s Beer Crawl.
Neshaminy Creek Brewing was the 2nd stop on the snowy day brewery tour. This gal was pretty excited to finally visit this brewery since from day one they have been hitting it out of the ball park with styles and quality of beer they’ve been brewing.
The Brewery is located in an industrial park and once you enter their is a small gift shop to the left (former tasting room) and large tasting area with brewery to the right that includes foosball, pool, air hockey and multiple arcade games (if only they had centipedes…sigh) for all to enjoy. On this particular day several families were there and the kids were happily entertained with the game tables while the parents got to sit back and relax with a beer. There’s also a large projector that plays off the wall, picnic tables and a long bar to enjoy your beer at. (a.ka. this is a cool place to hang out)
There were plenty of open picnic tables spots on this fine wintery day but my companions and I decided to take up residence at the bar. The bartender was very friendly, helpful and knowledgable about the beer – a win win in this Gal’s book. As I was trying to make my beer selection I noticed just how extremely reasonably priced the beers are ranging from $4 to $6 and they offer a large variety of styles as well.
Of course, this Gal decided to go for a taster round. I knew I wanted the Tripel and both stouts but wasn’t sure about the 4th selection so I asked the bartender to choose for me.
L to R: JAWN, Triple, Coconut Mud Stout, Mud Stout
My flight…
J.A.W.N. Juicy Ale With Nugget – American Pale Ale 5.2%
Not a style I would typically choose for myself but so glad the bartender chose this as my 4th. This a very fresh beer oozing with hop aromas and flavors accented by tropical fruit, citrus and malts. Truly a thirst quencher. I have to say the Pale Ales and IPA’s are growing on me.
Tribute Tripel – Belgian Tripel 9.3% – A tasteful blend of citrus, coriander and subtle malt undertones that is wonderfully smooth without the punch of drinking a high alcohol beer.
Coconut Mudbank Milk Stout 7.2% – This is a wonderful concoction of chocolate, coffee and coconut that resembles a chocolate coconut Easter egg without the surgery sweetness overload.
Mudbank Milk Stout 6.5% – YUM! Same wonderful chocolate, coffee & malty goodness of the Coconut Mudbank minus the coconut. Yes, this Gal loved it.
Tasted the Churchville Lager 4.9% This is a GABF Gold Medal winner and I understand why. It’s a flavorful lager that instantly transports one to the heart of Germany.
Also had a small taste of that days Hand Pump Offering – County Line IPA 6.6% – Wow, has that fresh crisp grapefruit punch that I’m really starting to appreciate and enjoy. Plus, I love trying what’s offered on a hand pump.
Concrete Pillow
After the taster round I decided to indulge with a glass of their Concrete Pillow Barleywine 12.7% – Truly a sipping beer that I would have preferred to be served more on the room temperature side of things – a bit too chilled for me. Temperature aside this is a wonderful beer that has the bourbon undertones that I just love with hints of herbal earthiness, dark fruits and hints of hops.
I find this brewery to be an exciting one to watch. They were established in 2010 and have come so far so quickly. I have enjoyed every offering I’ve tried by Neshaminy Creek Brewing whether at the brewery or off site at a bar. This Gal looks forward to seeing what’s next for this crew!
Broken Goblet
1500 Grundy Lane, Bristol, PA 19007
Keystone Industrial Park
Twitter @BrokenGobletPA
Snowy day be damed it wasn’t keeping this Gal and her crew from enjoying the local beer scene. Stop one on our mini brewery tour was Broken Goblet. The snow didn’t seem to stop anyone else either the place filled up quickly!
This brewery is small but mighty offering up 7 interesting beers on tap. My companions and I split a full tasting round that was served on a nifty goblet tray. The taster had something for everyone and even the none beer drinker found two beers to her enjoyment!
Broken Goblet has warm welcoming feeling to it that resembles hanging out in your friend’s cool basement bar turned up a notch with fairly lights, small stage for bands/movie night, a few high top tables, a small but inviting bar and towards the back of the building the brewery. They offer a small food menu as well, when a food truck isn’t out front of the establishment. The staff is friendly, knowledge and accommodating and yeah the geek in me LOVED the bartender’s Star Wars shoes! Star Wars themes shoes – seriously it doesn’t get any better!
Taster Round consisted of: Bubba’s Tea Bag 5.9% – This is an interesting beer with some earthy hints to it but too sweet for this Gal’s taste. However, my sis enjoyed it and, well, I really never see her enjoy a beer. Score one for B.G.
Cream Ale – extremely light body with a mix of citrus and yeast that finished clean. Again, Sis, finished it off. Score two for B.G.
Angry Troll Amber 7.1%
I’ve always been one to enjoy a good amber and this was no exception – well done with a good balance of roasted malts and subtle hops.
The Fall of Ryesengard Black Rye 6.6%
Right off the bat – love the name. Me and rye beers have a tricky relationship. I appreciate them but rarely want to drink them. However, this rye was tasty. You certainly taste the rye but it doesn’t overpower the roasted malts, hints of pine or the hops.
Old Toby Belgium Pale Ale with Basil 5.5% – I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this one but it works. The basil helps to balance and compliment the hops without being overpowering.
Russian Imperial Stout – Of course this was my favorite Broken Goblet selection but not only did I enjoy it but my none stout buddy enjoyed it as well. It has everything I love about a stout – roasted malts, cocoa, caramel and dark fruit but with a bit lighter mouth feel to it.
Deep Impact IPA 9.6%
I enjoyed this Imperial IPA but that’s because there wasn’t the usual abudance of hops one associates with an IPA. I’d be curious for a true Hop Head’s opinion of this beer.
Side note: As a strong believer in giving back/lending a helping hand to our fellow humans and fur friends I strongly appreciate when breweries do the same. I found these guys to do just that which adds to the whole beer experience. Thanks guys!
Back in April I suddenly found myself with a free Saturday, which is rare occurrence in this Gal’s life as of late, so I decided to take full advantage of the day, a beauty at that, and get caught up on some overdue chores and errands. As a reward I treated myself with a jaunt to Philly. I had been feeling the pull to revisit Provenance Architecturals and see if anything inspired this Gal. Provenance is a great salvage place that inspires one to be creative. Oh and it also happens to be located right across the street from Yards Brewing.
Love Stout
So once I had my fill of inspiration I walked, really ran for dear life after all its Delaware Avenue, across the street to Yards. It was later in afternoon and I had figured a nice beer or two would complete this wonderful day. I had planned that the brewery would be hopping but I did not expect the crowd that was there. Holy Cow the place was packed. At first I thought maybe there was some sort of event going on but I came to find out that every Saturday it’s a jumping. Even with the crowd I managed to make my way up to the bar pretty easily. Normally, I would prefer a taster round but didn’t feel like balancing a taster paddle while standing in my little corner of the world. Since the taster was out of the question I decided to go for a pint of one of my favorites…Love Stout. Yum! While enjoying my little piece of roasted malty goodness I noticed a free bar stool on the other side of the room and was able to weasel my way over. Score!
Tasting Room
Since I had planted myself on a stool I figured I might as well stay and enjoy some more delish beer. I noticed they offered two different taster rounds/flights. Revolutionary Flight: George Washington Tavern Porter, Thomas Jefferson Tavern Ale, Poor Richards Tavern Spruce & Love Stout the other flight was the Signature Flight: Brawler (my go to beer for sitting out on my deck), Extra Special Ale, Philadelphia Pale Ale and IPA. Both nice flights but not really what I was in the mood for so I asked one of the many bartenders working if I could make up a flight – Sure Thing!Geeky Beer Gal Flight: Saison, La Colombe Corsica Coffee Love Stout, Swartzbier and the Special Belgian Triple.
Yards offers tours of the brewery, which I enjoyed on a past visit, and the tasting room has picnic and regular tables for hanging at, a nice size bar and pool tables plus a menu that is meat and vegetarian friendly. Also, every Saturday is Food Truck Saturday featuring a local food truck right outside the Tasting Room. Yards really is a place where a group of friends can chill for an afternoon or evening.
Tasting Room
I have to give a shout out to the staff and their exceptional service. I can’t emphasis enough how busy this place was and yet they kept up with everyone’s drink and food orders, kept the place clean and things moving smoothly plus were accommodating to everyone. High fives all around!
Love Stout 5% – Sometimes I forget how much I enjoy this beer. This is a really smooth stout that has a nice balance of coffee, chocolate, roasted malts and just a tinge of earthy hops.
Saison 6.5% – Nice fruity presence with hints of pepper and coriander that pours a hazy golden color and finishes with just a touch of bitterness. Would go nicely with Indian or Thai cuisine.
La Colombe Corsica Coffee Love Stout 5.5% – Wow, wow, wow. Upon drinking this I felt like I stuck an IV of coffee in my body. Very nice but the coffee was a bit overpowering for me and usually I love a strong coffee taste to my stouts. Nice dark body but really couldn’t taste much but the coffee. This Gal is staying with the regular Love Stout.
Swartzbier 6% – Nice medium body German style beer that pours a nice reddish/brown color with a slight roasted chicory taste and bittersweet tones that linger in the mouth.
Special Belgian Triple 8% – Oh how I love a Tripel! Not much of a nose by very smooth with a nice clear body. Not one particular over powering flavor, very balanced and easy to drink which could be a bit dangerous coming in at 8%.
Southern English Brown 5.3% (small taste) – nice nutty nose, very smooth and delish. Overall a very well down brown.
geekybeergal 