Day 4: Showers and Surprises

---

Today started off sunny but quickly turned to showers. It made for an interest looking drive through New Jersey. This was also a day of surprise tours and suprises on tours. Tracy and Justin's blog has more details on the travels.

River Horse Brewery, Lambertville, New Jersey http://www.riverhorse.com/

This place was closed for production today. Still we called to see if we could get it for a private tour or tasting. Sadly, we were stymied. We still drove up and got a picture. Then we decided to get some sandwich making ingredients. At the stop in Stockton, New Jersey, Justin found Phillip’s Fine Wines, and was able to pick up two four packs from River Horse.

1. Belgian Wheat

2. Hoppapotomus, IPA

The Ship Inn, Milford, New Jersey http://www.britishbrewpub.com/

We arrived here just thinking to get some samples. There was no information about tours given. As we were drinking in the bar, we started chatting to the bar tender and some other patrons about the place. It is New Jersey’s first micro brew. They are another that does only ales. We were planning on leaving and Justin and I went in the back to get one more picture. Surprise, the brewer asked if we wanted a tour. She took us into the production area and provided some samples of the malts and hops. One of the cool things there was that the kettle is lined in brick and the fermenters are lined with wood. The system was designed and put in by the guy from Ship Yard Brewing, in Portland, Maine. Also, they do open fermenting, which means there is no lid on the fermenters. We asked if there was a concern about contamination but she said that the amount of carbon dioxide produced was enough to keep out unwanted contaminants. This was definitely one of the best tours so far.

1. Killer Bee, Golden Ale

Brewed with honey. Sweet but not overly. A bit alcoholy taste. Almost a wine like finish

2. Muddy Waters, Brown Ale

Malty with dry finish

3. Scattergood, Wheat Ale

Definite citrus flavors and aromas. Diacetyl flavors.

4. Stormy, Porter

Not as bold as I was expecting. Similar to the brown ale

5. Best Bitter, Bitter Ale

Dry finish. A little flat from being cask conditioned. Not as bitter as I thought

Cricket Hill Brewing Company, Fairfield, New Jersey http://crickethillbrewery.com/

The “tour” here was the most unique so far. We walked into the brewery and they were finishing up production for the day. It kind of felt like we were in the way. Once we actually spoke to someone, he took us over to the tasting station and from there things went way up. We got to talk to the owner, one of the brewers, the machinist neighbor, and random guys that just walked in like us. From the tasting station we could see everything, so we got the standing tour. Everyone there was very friendly and we got to talk about a lot of aspects of the brewery, from ingredients to the machines to the marketing.

1. East Coast, Lager

Light gold color. Light body. Easy drinking.

2. Hopnotic, I.P.A.

Dark gold color. Medium body. Piney and floral.

3. Double I.P.A.

Amber color. Medium body. Piney hop flavor.

4. Noctumn, Dark Lager

Dark brown color. Medium body. Coffee aroma. Smoky finish.

5. Colonel Blide’s, Cask Ale

Amber color. Medium body. Slight bitter flavor with little after taste.

Ramstein Beer, High Point Brewing, Butler, New Jersey http://www.ramsteinbeer.com/

The guys at Cricket Hill suggested we go here but, by the time we got there it was closed.

Willimantic Brewing Company, Willimantic, Connecticut http://www.willibrew.com/

Surprised again! Just like The Ship Inn, I was going to take a picture of Justin at the fermenters. I asked one of the employees to if we could get close to the fermenters and he let us right in. And it turns out he’s the head brewer. We talked with him for around ten minutes. They don’t have many “core” beers because the brewer likes to try different things and gets bored making the same thing over and over. I like his style.

1. Certified Gold, Golden Ale

Gold color. Light body. Fruitish aroma. Like an American Pilsner.

2. Overseas Mail, Oktoberfest Lager

Copper color. Medium body. Smooth mouthfeel. Malty sweet.

3. Six Shooter, Oyster Stout

Black color. Full body. Velvety mouthfeel. Coffee aroma and finsh.

4. Small World, Session Ale

Amber color. Light body. Diacetyl flavors. Dry finish.

5. Anonymous, I.P.A.

Amber color. Medium body. Sweeter than a traditional I.P.A.

6. Willi Whammer, Barley Wine

Deep amber. Medium body. Sweet and Smooth.

7. Cask Gold & Grape, Cask Ale

Gold color. Light body. Sweetish but light on flavor. Almost tastes watered.

8. Blanch De Willi

Gold color. Light body. Sweet with bitter finish.

9. Edge of Darkness, Brown Ale

No Notes

---