| 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... This is a first for me - I'm going to visit a few places suggest by my readers that' I've never been to before or even heard of. It should be interesting. I've got a designated driver since the places are all "off the rails". ------- South Side Grill 2-6 Main St South Bound Brook, NJ (732) 667-3727 If you expect to walk into a typical non chain local sports bar and grill you won't be disappointed. You will however be disappointed if you quickly look at some of the beers on tap and see they are the likes of Bud Light , Coors Light , Miller Light , PBR, and a few more similar suspects. Ah, but when you look again you'll see at least a dozen taps boasting top quality craft brews including a few somewhat hard to find items like Southampton Burton IPA, Hebrew Bittersweet Lenny's RIPA, Flying Dog Belgian Devil, and Left Hand Stranger. That got me to relax as I realized this trip into the unknown was going to be well worth it. I ordered the Burton IPA first, follwed by the Lenny's RIPA, then the Flying Dog, and ending with a Hofbrau Maibock. The beer was fresh while the service friendly and professional. I didn't eat this time but certainly intend to do so on my next non-working visit since the menu looked good and fairly priced. The only thing holding them back is the waste of far too many takes on macro swill. Still, there's enough here from quality beer to good staff to make me recommend it to you. I rate them 4 out of 5 engines. ……………… Salt 109 Rt 206 Byram, New Jersey (973) 347-7258 No sports bar here, this is a "gastropub". The reader who recommended this place touted the great food which always get me to worry. If they are mainly a restaurant how much would they really care about good beer. The answer is they do care though this is not a destination stop for a serious beer geek. Their craft beer list includes the usual suspects such as Kane Overhead, Troegs Pils, and Long Trial Ale but it also quietly boasts of some special items such as Corsendonk Tempelier and Brasserie Du Bocq Blanche de Namur. Impressive. By the way, I had the house made veggie burger and it was excellent! It's all a bit pricey which fits with it's NYC "hip" feel (which really isn't a problem since the service is very good and the overall vibe is still welcoming). Sadly, I'm forced to lower their rating by 1/4 engine since they proudly proclaim that "PBR is Salt's House Draft". Sorry, but you can't be a serious beer place and still say that. Oops, is my beer snobbery showing? I give them a total of 3 and 3/4 engines ------------------------------------- Brix Tapas Grill 371 S Franklin Ave Belleville, New Jersey (973) 751-7001 The nicely appointed and well kept restaurant/bar is located inside a strip mall. A look at the menu found many Italian items that seemed fairly priced and according to several people I talked to, quite good. But I'm here for the beer and that doesn't rate with the rest of the establishment. Their ten taps make a passing nod to the craft beer revolution and that's about it. My guess is people go for the food anyway and not the Bud, Bud Light, Shock Top, or Stella on tap. There were 4 decent drafts but none better than Ithaca Apricot Wheat or Southamptin Double White which should tell you something. As for the bottle list, well, it's best left unsaid. What I can say is that cocktail list looked interesting. Sorry guys, everyone there was very polite and friendly but when it comes to beer you can do much, much, more. I'd be glad to be your consultant - no charge. I rate them one and 1/2 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 Rails 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. And of course if you go off the rails like I often do but sure to have a designated driver! 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
 | |  |
| 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 the complete listing of all Rails to Ales click HERE |
