| 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 Maloney's Pub and Grill 119 Main St Matawan NJ 732-583-4040 If you take the North Jersey Coast Line on NJ Transit to Matawan, and take a short 1/2 mile walk down Main Street you will arrive at the very impressive Maloney's Pub and Grill. And wait until you see the taps. There are now 104 of them and soon to be added four cask engines ! It was a cold and rainy October Monday when Kevin "The Linguist" Torpey and I set out on our new adventure to find the Ales along the Rails. We were in awe of the sheer number of taps and the set up the owner, Florin Lupu, had built himself. First thing we noticed were the nine different Mikeller Ales on tap. I started with a Mikeller BlackHole Stout. This one is full of flavor. Kevin began with an Ayinger Octoberfest wich is always delicious. Our Bartender Debbie was very knowledgable about the numerous offerings, and with her advice we were able to figure out what to try next. We asked for a menu and Debbie brought us the menu (very good food) and the bottle menu. The bottle menu was much bigger than the restaraunt menu and for good reason. Maloney's has over 350 different bottles available. This is when Florin introduced himself and took us on a tour of the beer cellar. Being short is a good thing once in a while, as Kevin and Florin had to duck there heads here and there I was able to stroll right through without a care. We were amazed by row after row of shelves that were arranged alphabetically. Florin grabbed us a bottle of Hitachino Espresso Stout to bring upstairs for a tasting. Then we were shown the keg storage areas that Florin is planning on expanding. He is going to make use of the cooler outside fall/winter air to reduce costs and energy use of the compressors. A great idea if you ask me. And with that many kegs on tap he will need every inch in order to change them when they kick. When we got upstairs we gave the bottle to Debbie and she pulled out a chilled one and replaced it with the cellar temperature bottle Florin had given us. Kevin asked how they could store and retrieve so many bottles available to the customer. Debbie said the secret is to keep only a few of each upstairs and restock whatever you sell as soon as you can. You don't want to fall behind and have to spend hours to refill the coolers. Florin really has a passion for providing the best ales available, and he tries to have something for everyone's taste. He also speaks directly to the breweries to make sure he knows all that is available, because sometimes distributors will want to sell what they have first, and only then try to get you something rare or new. I ordered a Mikeller Geeks Breakfast Stout and a pizza, while Kevin ordered a Dogfish Raison D'Etrea and a dozen wings. The food was excellent as was the Hitachino Stout mentioned earlier. We finished off with a Mikeller Barley Wine that was 17 % abv and very complex in flavor. This really turned out to be a fun adventure and we plan on returning soon. Due to the downpouring rain this was the only bar in Matawan we visited, and I think it is the bar we need to visit. Maloney's got it all !! Maloney's is only a few miles off the Parkway exit 120, so if you spend a day at the beach you can make an easy stop in for some good food and great beer in a wonderful setting. Maolney's deserves a Five Engines rating. *********************************** ATTENTION ALL RAILS TO ALES FANS We' delayed a bit, but don't worry, we're now planning our next unorganized open invitation Rails To Ales trip so check back here soon. All are welcome. Meet beer lovers just like you and me, enjoy some great beers, and have fun. ************************************* Here's some good info on planning your 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 |
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