- Basil T's in Toms River
- Climax Brewing in Roselle Park
- High Point in Butler
- Krogh's in Sparta
- Trap Rock in Berkeley Heights
Only five left, and the last four are not that far apart. Looks like a trip just waiting to be taken, and I'll just have to get to Basil T's when I can. Ah, Tommy Dewar was right: there is no joy like work.
I like Basil T's. It's been a while since I've been their but I like their stout. They also have (or used to have) a location somewhere in Ocean County. Maybe Toms River.
ReplyDeleteI've been lucky enough to hit all the NJ Breweries and I think they are all winners. Good food and good beer.
ReplyDeleteI must say that Trap Rock is sorta snobby and Tun Tavern is AC touristy.
Honestly i don't find Trap Rock snobby... Also the food is decent, and the beer is excellent.
ReplyDeleteLike I said in my earlier post, helena, I'm intrigued by this whole Trap Rock thing. Can't wait to visit.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget about the Eastern Brewing (Beverage) Company in Hammonton, NJ
ReplyDeleteAm I the only blogger who gets comments from beyond the grave?
ReplyDeletewell, then to be fair, I will try the Trap Rock again.
ReplyDeleteTrap Rock: Valet parking, my buddy and I were turned away at the door because he was wearing (a very clean, very expensive) set of tennis warm-ups. Wouldn't let us in to try a beer.
ReplyDeleteSnobby? You decide.
Brewpub with a dress code? No thanks. I'll scratch that one off the list right now...
ReplyDeleteThat's just as bad as a brewpub with a cover charge (i.e. General Lafayette, Triumph Princeton) -- if you guys want to have crappy bands come in and play that's your business, but you're not a rock club and I'm there for beer. Attempt to charge me a cover and I go somewhere else.
I really hate cover charges when I don't give a damn about the band. Even if I pay the charge, I guarantee I won't be able to hear myself think.
ReplyDeleteOf course, that's some of that "different kind of brewpub" thing I'm always talking about, too...
I had a wonderful experience @ Trap Rock. We came at an off-time and the owner was really appreciative, gave us great service and a tour. His beer is phenomenal. And he told us what the secret hop in Hop Devil is! It has this in common with Gen. Lafayette. It is a good restaurant that brews beer, not a brewpub if you get my drift. Dinner can be expensive. Lunch is reasonable and excellent.
ReplyDeleteVisiting High Point was fun. Friendly folks. And very much upstate.
Lew, I think you're mixing up the Basil T's... Red Bank is the Original Basil T's and the Toms River location was the second one sold off to a new owner.
ReplyDeleteGood God, you're right. Told you it was confusing.
ReplyDeleteOkay: The Original Basil T's is in Red Bank. Gretchen Schmidhausler brews there. Basil T's is the second one, is now owned by different people, and Dave Hoffman brews there. I've been to The Original Basil T's (in Red Bank!), I haven't been to Basil T's in Toms River.
Whew. I'm deleting the original comment in which I confused the two...to prevent further confusion. Mostly my own. Aye-yi-yi...
You've NEVER been to Trap Rock but yet you just willingly visited Gaslight? Good god man...
ReplyDeleteYou didn't read what I said? About how I woulda gone to Trap Rock, but they weren't open?
ReplyDeleteI swear, this is why people don't understand my job. I can't just go to the high-end joints. I go everywhere. You don't pick and choose. Sheesh.
Hey, seriously: the two beers I had were perfectly good examples of style, and that reuben effin' rocked. I got no problem with good, drinkable beers and an exceptional sandwich.
Can't argue with that I guess. The lone time I visited I was pretty much insulted by the owner/brewer and the growler I actually took home sucked to boot. Maybe they've turned things around? At least they were no Ramapo Valley that's for sure!
ReplyDelete