This came through from the NJ Brewers Guild. Lots of updates from many of our friends! Even a John Holl mention!
Join us on Saturday, June 23rd for The Garden State Craft Brewers Guild 16th Annual Beer Festival. New Jersey’s premier beer festival features 19 craft breweries, food and live music. Tickets available online!
Cape May Brewing Expanding
Cape May Brewing Company is pleased to announce that they are expanding their operation and shedding the nano-brewery title. They acquired a 6 barrel brewing system, six 15 barrel fermentors and all the necessary support equipment. As part of the plan they are also building a larger tasting room, which will be open for extended hours. The construction is expected to be completed by mid-June. Additionally, the brewery was awarded an Economic Development loan from Lower Township and the State of New Jersey to help aide in the expansion.
The company recently hired Mark McPherson as Assistant Brewer. The Cape May Brewery is pleased to have him as part of their small operation.
The brewery won its first blue ribbon on April 1st. The Cape May Brewing CIPA, or Centennial India Pale Ale, took first place for best IPA at the 2012 Atlantic City Beer Festival. It was a huge victory for the small brewery.
Tours and tastings are held regularly ever Saturday from 12-5. A BBQ vendor is now regularly out back with pulled pork and grilled sausages available.
Tuckahoe Tours and Growler Fills Every Other Saturday
The Guild’s newest member, Tuckahoe Brewing Company, is now doing tours and growler fills every other Saturday starting on April 14. They will also be doing a Meet the Brewers event at the Crest Tavern in Wildwood Crest on Friday, May 4 from 7-11. They will be participating in the High Street Grill’s Spring Brew Fest in Mount Holly from 2-5 on Saturday, May 5. Tuckahoe will be on tap at the Garden State Brew Fest in Berkeley Heights from 2-6 on Saturday, May 12.
Tuckahoe will be participating in the Handcrafted event at The Perkins Art Center in Collingswood from 7-10 on Saturday, May 12. Their Summer Sendoff event will be at the Deauville Inn in Strathmere on Friday, May 18 from 6-10. They will be on tap at a special event at Red, White, and Brew in the Borgota in Atlantic City from 7-9 on Thursday, May 24.
Hops on Deck for JJ Bitting
JJ Bitting Brewing Company has their outdoor deck open and their 20 hop plants have sprouted to enhance the beery ambiance. They have the “Rat Pack Pilsner” due out, which is a German-style Pils. It is light and crisp and generously hopped with Czech Saaz. Although a bit strong for the style (6%) it is an ideal sitting-on-the-deck quaffer. “Knockout Bock” will continue to pour ’til the popular “Woodbridge Light”, an American-style lager, will return. “Vintage Cherry Stout”, IPA, Amber and Golden continue to pour.
Winning Recipe at Krogh’s
Krogh’s Restaurant & Brew Pub, 23 White Deer Plaza, Sparta, is featuring the winning maibok right now from the Best of Show in the 2011 New Jersey State Fair home brew contest. Congratulations to Dave Pobutkiewicz from Pompton Lakes, the brew master behind the winning recipe. This is a refreshing, crisp beer with hints of citrus available while supplies last, and once it’s gone, they will feature an IPA as their next Seasonal. May also unveils two special cask-conditioned ales, which Krogh’s taps every two weeks on Monday nights. On May 7th they will have a Cask-de-Mayo, a wheat beer with lime, and on May 21st, they will have an Oatmeal Cookie Cask. Call ahead for availability, reservations or questions…973-729-8428! Cheers!
Flying Fish Welcomes New Fish Tanks
Flying Fish Brewing Company has announced all 13 of their new fermenters are now in place. Most of the packaging conveyor is in and now they are just starting to hook everything up. The new brewery is still in the ugly ducking stage, but it’s slowly going to grow from a dusty construction site to a shiny state of the art brewery. Looks like Flying Fish will start test brewing next month!
Full Calendar for Cricket Hill
Lots of exciting news coming from Cricket Hill:
May has arrived! With it is a full calendar of events throughout the month starting with the CBC and The Big Brew on May 4th & 5th.
Rutger’s Senior Tasting event hosted by Shore Point Distributors on May 11th. A tasting of beers(including Cricket Hill) at Big Z’s in Huntington Long Island on the 12th. We will have 6 beers on tap at the growler wall!! 1-5pm
The Garden State Brewfest in Berkley Heights also on the 12th. 2-6pm. Tasting at the Growler Station in NYC on the 13th.
As a kick-off of National Craft Beer Week we have a double header, with a Cricket Hill beer dinner at the HO-HO-KUS Inn and The Taste of Piscataway on the 14th.
The Grand Opening of the Cricket Hill Beer Garden at Newark Bears Stadium during the opening night game ! on the 17th.
To close the Beer Week we have the Hampton Brew Fest at the Phoenix Club in Feasterville PA. on the 19th. A beer tasting at The Lady on The Lake church on the 24th, and a tasting at Cool Vines in Westfield on the 27th!
Oh, don’t forget we have released our 2nd batch of the Imperial IPA !!!
Gaslight Welcomes Back Abbey Normal
Gaslight Brewing Company celebrates the annual release of Abbey Normal on Saturday, May 19th during American Craft Beer Week. The much anticipated Abbey Normal is their Belgian Dubbel brewed with the traditional double fermentation as they add Belgian Dark Candi Sugar during fermentation to add flavor, complexity and a little extra alcohol. They use a Belgian Yeast and elevated temperatures to create a spicy, fruit profile. This beer ALWAYS goes very fast so be sure to get in early for some. They will have giveaways and we will be playing Young Frankenstein on the big screen all day to help keep everyone in an ABBEY NORMAL mood.
Gaslight is having a Sierra Nevada night on Thursday, May 31st starting at 7pm. The event features Beer Camp Transport, a nitro porter brewed with the help of beer author Jon Holl. Other Sierra Nevada beers will be on tap including Celebration & Hoptimum.
Wake Up to OQ Coffee Porter at Harvest Moon
The Harvest Moon Brewery & Cafe currently has their Maibock lager and OQ Coffee Porter on tap. The OQ Coffee Porter is brewed using coffee from New Brunswick’s own OQ Coffee Company. The middle of the month will see the release of their Belgian Wit and towards the end of the month Dark Side of the Moon Black IPA will hit the taps.
My very own mention!