| Baker Street Brewery's founder and head brewer Art Hannemann takes you on a journey to find the ales. Catch the train for Arty's ride to the New Jersey suburbs in search of, what else, great beer! It's going to be a fun trip as Arty reviews and rates a new stop each month as he takes the rails to the ales.....and beyond! |
| Take The Rails to The Ales to... Backtracks—To the Northside Lounge ------- 100 Brooks Blvd Manville NJ 908-722-7712 GPS at 40.545,-74.588 I often wonder what happens to a place after I visit it. Do they try to improve their rating, rest on their laurels, or begin to slide downhill? So in response to more than a few e-mails I decided to do just that and return to place to see just what has gone on since my first visit nearly a year ago. I selected the Northside Lounge to revisit and I found a lot of new things going on. First I was shocked to see five Carton taps, as well as three Kane taps to choose from. I can’t say enough about these two new breweries. Bruce and Bon Jovi step aside, there is a new reason to be proud to be from NJ. We have great beer! The Carton Red Rye Returning is delicious and the Kane Overhead Double IPA is awesome. So now it is time to point out the Growlers in the boxes behind the bar. Yes, Northside Lounge now offers Growlers of your favorite crafts on tap!! That's something that I wish more bars would do. I took a Red Rye and an Overhead just to check out their tapping system. After this test run I would say buying a growler at Northside is well worth the investment; But to be sure I plan to return to Northside for some refills, just to make sure of course. VERY IMPORTANT- Mark your calendars and plan your trip to support the Carton- Northside Lounge ACS Fundraiser. Beginning on April 9 through April 30th 10 % of all sales of Carton Beer will be donated to American Cancer Society. And on April 24th the gang from Carton will be on hand to meet and greet starting around 7pm. Come on out and like Matt (Head of Brewsearch and Development at Northside) says…“ Let us show people that beer can make a difference in people's lives”. You can visit Matt at Northside Lounge every Saturday and Sunday from 12-7 to discuss what’s on tap, what’s on deck, what events he has planned or just to talk beer in general. Northside has Big Bottle specials every day to enjoy at the bar or take home. Every Sunday they have Bottle Blowout Sundays with great brews at $2/$3. These include Green Flash, Rogue, Unibroue, Terrapin, Stone, Bear Republic and many more. My favorite night is Thirsty Thursday when they have two for one whiskey specials. Northside Lounge in Manville does not have a train station within walking distance. I took the train to Somerville and then got a taxi. It is definitely worth the trip, so plan for a safe driver or take the train and a taxi like I did. See my previous article on Northside Lounge for more info. Once again I rate the Northside Lounge at 5 out of 5 engines! -------------------------------------- ============== Hope you get a chance to stop in at my new restaurant in the Bradley Gardens section of Bridgewater NJ. Bring your own great beer and enjoy my great food! Neil's All American Grill, 85 Old York Road Bridgewater NJ. 908-300-8658. Chicken Specialties, Sloppy Joes, Subs, Falafels, Burgers Cheesesteaks, Salads, Vegetarian Menu, Italian Specialties and All kinds of crazy stuff. BYOB ! Stop in if you are in the area and mention you read my column! =================================== *********************************** Here's some good info on planning your own Railes To Ales trip. First step go to www.njtransit.com web site. Then click on train schedules. Next click on "use our map to plan your trip." Now select your train station on the map. And next select your destination on the map. A new page appears and you want to select weekday, holiday or weekend accordingly. A new page appears with your schedule of departing times and length of travel time. Print this up and then go to the bottom of the schedule and it will say click here for return schedule--click away. Now print this page up as well and you have all the info you need to plan your trip. Remember to allow walking and drinking time. Gotta catch my train back-- see you at my next stop! Remember to leave the car at home and......Take The Rails To The Ales !!!! Arty Hannemann |
Rails to Ales........and beyond ////////////////////////////////
by Arty Hannemann
by Arty Hannemann
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| Arty's Ratings Five engines= the very best Four engines= excellent Three engines=good Two engines= fair One engine= bad news Zero engines=stay away For Off The Rails it's Barely Sacks instead of Engines |
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