559895 Wed Sep 24 10:42:40 -0700 2008 11 16 Mid-Atlantic 0 4058154 Please suggest any good beer bars or brewpubs in the area. Thanks Wed Sep 24 10:42:41 -0700 2008 26180 Chinon00 1 4058291 www.harvestmoonbrewery.com Good food and good beer. Wed Sep 24 11:19:43 -0700 2008 4058154 211326 MarlboroMan 1 4058296 Harvest Moon on George St. Excellent Brewpub with really good food. just a block away is a great beer bar called the Old Bay. About 20 taps or so. the food there is more of a new orleans style Wed Sep 24 11:20:39 -0700 2008 4058154 228252 DrockNJ 1 4058501 Old Bay *was* once one of the premier beer bars in the US- but that was well over a decade ago. Since then, they lost their "beer guy", the hand pump is for decoration only, and selection and knowledge had gone downhill - take a look at the "Draft Beer" descriptions under "Beer List" and get ready to cringe- http://www.oldbayrest.com/ (turn off/down your speakers before clicking on link). For more fun, check "Holland" under bottled beers. "Atmosphere" was always lacking (tiny bar area- more taps than stools- so it didn't take much of a crowd to be cramped and noisy). I always preferred it in the early afternoon, but sadly it's no longer opened then. Some folks like the food at Harvest Moon- I've never been impressed, and once I had the absolutely worse "fish and chips" I've ever been served. The fish's breading was similar in texture to my grade school baseball glove. (The glove probably tasted better, too.) The beer is pretty typical "brewpub" quality- some good, some bland, nothing outstanding usually. Think they only have cask ale one day a week. The only other place usually noted is a stromboli restaurant called "Stuff Your Face"- I haven't stopped by in years, mostly because I wasn't impressed at all then. Reports say it's improved, but seems to concentrate on bottled selection and I prefer draught beer when drinking on-premise. NJ's pretty sad when it comes to good beer bars- cross the Delaware and you're in for a big surprise. Wed Sep 24 12:22:24 -0700 2008 4058154 11059 JessKidden 2 4058709 I looked up Old Bays list and was pleasantly surprised. Listing only the beers that I've had and enjoyed: Pilsner Urquell Hoegaarden White Ale Blue Point Blueberry Ale Climax IPA Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Troegs HopBack Amber Victory Hop Wallop Weihenstephaner Korbinian Wed Sep 24 13:21:39 -0700 2008 4058501 26180 Chinon00 3 4058922 Oh, they still have a decent enough beer selection- especially considering the dearth of good beer bars in the state. If they were open when I'm usually in the area, I'd still be stopping by for a beer or two. My point in giving the link was that their current lack of serious beer knowledge is evident in their goofy descriptions (not so hot on geo-politics, either - Czechoslovakia?). I notice the draught list is no longer dated on their website. In the past it was often not regularly updated and the existence of 3 summer beers (SA, BP and LT) and Hop Wallop (which doesn't come out until later IIRC) along with the lack of any Oktoberfests suggests to me it may not be up to date. Still, worth stopping in. Wed Sep 24 14:30:06 -0700 2008 4058709 11059 JessKidden 3 4062562 Well, so what did I tell ya? The Old Bay website draught beer list was way out of date, right? (Tho' I probably would have drank that Weihenstephaner anyway <g> but I agree, when you're expecting the doppelbock and he plopped down the light colored lager...). Good meeting you, and, oh, the Portland, Maine brewery I was thinking of that does the Belgian styles was Allagash. Thu Sep 25 19:54:36 -0700 2008 4058709 11059 JessKidden 1 4060188 Not New Brunswick, but a short drive up Rt 1 is Woodbridge and on Main St. is a brew pub, JJ Bitings, in an old train station. Went there this summer w/ my sons and we were pleasantly surprised. Why aren't there more places like this in NJ? In our county in Maine, we have 4 excellent micro breweries and many good pubs. Thu Sep 25 04:29:27 -0700 2008 4058154 93538 Passadumkeg 2 4060310 "Why aren't there more places like this in NJ?" One of the reasons is that the total number of liquor licenses in the state is very limited, and as a result, they often are sold for half a million dollars and up. The ABC law for NJ brewpubs (called a "Restricted Brewery License") is that they also must have a NJ on-premise liquor license or, as the ABC puts it, the brewpub license is only available to "...a person or entity that identically owns a Plenary Retail Consumption License...". http://www.nj.gov/oag/abc/abc-hb-eng-esp.html That's a lot of money to shell out for a brewpub (which, at best, appeals to a very small portion of the public) even before the cost of the real estate and brewing equipment is considered. It also explains why many of the NJ brewpubs aren't particularly "beer centric", are more "restaurant" (often upscale) than "pub", with full bars serving wine and liquor. (I've been the only one drinking beer at the bar at Triumph and Red Bank's Basil T's). I'd guess the cost of a brewpub and/or bar license is quite a bit less in Maine, as it is in most other states. Pretty sure I've read of Philadelphia bar licenses going for a few thousand dollars, f'r'instance. Thu Sep 25 05:57:26 -0700 2008 4060188 11059 JessKidden 1 4064244 Being from the area and spending just about every weekend in NB and considering myself a bit of a beer dork, I have some strong opinions here. Harvest Moon is fantastic with a good rotation and top notch food to boot. The menu has a few standbys that shouldnt be missed and the listings of beer always has something unique going (wheatwine, pumpkin, hefe) and their base goods (pale ale, oatmeal stout or porter, double ipa, red). Old Bay is a diamond in the rough (maybe thats a little strong) because their tap list is not something you come across often in central Jersey. I had not been around for their heyday as others describe, the atmosphere is not the best, food not my favorite, and beer descriptions nauseating... however, you can't have a selection on tap anywhere close to this quality otherwise locally. Some gems always pumping there, always. Stuff Yer Face I am partial to because we love the bolis and the bottle list (domestic craft, belgian) is impressive but doesnt change all that much. Always some good Germans and Victory on tap and there is always something in that bottle list that we havent tried. If you are only in the area and want to hit what I consider the best beer shopping experience on the East Coast, make it to Oak Tree in So Plainfield- their selection will not let you out of there without spending hours perusing the shelves and a huge credit card charge. Cheers and good luck in NB, you should have a good time. Fri Sep 26 13:15:31 -0700 2008 4058154 101707 yankeefan 1 4064326 So I was in NB Thursday and Friday afternoon. I hit Harvest Moon and Old Bay. I enjoyed them both and had the pleasure of meeting JessKidden at Old Bay. I got the sampler at Harvest Moon and thought that everything was a hit except Wheat Wine (although I'm not a fan of the style) and their DIPA (tasted a little "phenoliky" and wild). Old Bay was also good. I love Wolavers beers and had only had them in bottles. They had their IPA on draft and it was fantastic. Fri Sep 26 13:54:27 -0700 2008 4058154 26180 Chinon00 2 4064357 Im going to HM tonight for a party and noticed they had that wheatwine which I cant wait to try- gotta like the style though- looking forward to seeing their take on it. Their DIPA is a bit over the top, agreed but do some good stuff. Great to hear you had a good time in NB. I hope Old Bay had a good lineup for you- my last trip there was a bit of a let down but Im blown away sometimes but their offerings. Cheers. Fri Sep 26 14:06:34 -0700 2008 4064326 101707 yankeefan