I stopped into The Cabin for dinner one night with a few friends and I was pleasantly surprised. I assumed there was not going to be one craft beer but there were actually two and a many non craft beers to pick from. After a few questions and laughs with the bartenders and waitstaff, it turns out the Victory on tap was Hop Devil and they also had Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, my gateway craft beer. Of course, after the first pint of Hop Devil, I single handedly kicked the keg. Food’s pretty good at The Cabin too. So if you find yourself in the greater Western Monmouth County and need a cool spot in an cabin setting, check it out. They have awesome old beer signs too but they’re hidden behind the new ones.
The Cabin is located at 984 Route 33 (East) in Freehold. It’s got a HUGE parking lot so bring some friends. You can find them on Facebook too.
I, too, was happy to find Sierra Nevada on tap on The Cabin several years ago as their lone "craft" beer outside of the the ubiquitous Samuel Adams Boston Lager & seasonal. One always hopes that as the only craft choice, the beer is at least going to be fresh, but I haven't found that to be the case, sadly. Pretty sure I've seen Celebration Ale still on in early spring, Summerfest just kicked in mid-October and Tumbler (which I'd been drinking in Vermont in August) was only put on by then. Can't remember the exact circumstances of the other incident a couple of years ago – but I think the Anniversary Ale (since discontinued) was also still on a few months after it's release fall release, when I mistakenly thought the tap handle might be for Torpedo Extra IPA.
So, seeing HopDevil on tap the last time I visited was a nice addition but I do wonder if that bar sells enough craft to support 2 taps (out of, what, 2 dozen?). As much as I like HopDevil, it's becoming a sort of standard craft choice for the area – besides being an almost-permanent choice at The Court Jester, it's also on currently at the Tavern on the Lake in Hightstown (which usually also has Brooklyn Lager, besides SABL and SA seasonal). It replaced a River Horse beer there.
Yes, HopDevil is pretty much standard, but I'm trying to change that. Appreciate your feedback about the Cabin
Well, HD has come and gone several times in the past 3-4 years at the 'Jester. Pretty sure they had some Yakima Twilight on that tower for a while a few months ago, as well as DFH 60 Minute and Flower Power (that was a great find). It'd be nice to see a rotating Victory tap- some Prima Pils once in awhile, at least.
They seem very cautious and/or just let the distributors decide on new crafts- and their crafts are dominated by the ones from the A-B and Miller houses- very little draught from Hunterdon (DFH the most common). Not much in the way of anything very high ABV, dark (few porters/stouts) or otherwise "extreme" (maybe a keg of the S-N/DFH Life and Limb and FF Espresso Porter have been the most unusual offerings I can recall) – they tend to stick to "gateway" craft styles and flavored seasonals.
My favorite CJ & HD story is I'd been going for a few months and the bartender already knew one of my regular choices was HopDevil (ie. they'd just say "Victory?" when I sat down). I was sitting reading the paper, sipping my HD when two guys wandered in, checked the taps quickly and then asked "Do you have an IPA's?". The bartender said, "No." I cleared my throat, called her down to where I was sitting in front of that tower and pointed at the HopDevil tap handle and where it read "INDIA PALE ALE" on it (granted, a bit hard to read in subdued bar lighting).
love the story. i've been working with Tony @ the Jester to get him to bring on better beer. Hopefully he listens.