| 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 and beyond 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 more! |
| Take The Rails to The Ales to... New Brunswick, NJ ------- Harvest Moon Brewery & Cafe 392 George St. New Brunswick, New Jersey (732) 249-6666 Some may call this place a brewpub, others a gastro pub, and others a college town sports bar. Well, it's trying to be all three and for the most part it succeeds. As you walk in you'll pass the brewing tanks right by entrance, then you'll be struck by the attractive brick and wood decor. The bar itself is a stretched out U shape with chalkboards listing their offerings. In addition to some tables around the bar there is a dining area upstairs. So bottom line, nice looking place. But what about the beer? The beers I had were all solid but undistinguished, The Firehouse Red was nicely balanced with an appropriate malty leaning, the Imperial Stout was chewy but almost over spiced, and the Pale was solid with no flaws. All above average but no knockouts. I did get a chance to eat their vegetarian chili and found it tasty and well made. Service was weak at first as the bartender walked by me several times without acknowledging my presence. However he was knowledgeable about the beer and gladly provided samples when asked. This place seems worth a return visit when they have a few seasonals up. I rate Harvest Moon 3 & 3/4 out of 5 engines. ……………… Old Bay 61 Church St New Brunswick, New Jersey, (732) 246-3111 The bar's theme is New Orleans, Marti Gras, and Cajun which brings a certain energy and charm to the establishment. The bar itself is basic craft, with a few outstanding offerings that will satisfy some experienced beer hunters. The Old Bay has a proud history of being one of the pioneering craft beer bars in the state but now seems to be satisfied as a middle of the pack player in the craft beer bar world. Nothing wrong with that of course especially with taps pouring things like Tripel Karmeliet, Flying Dog Raging Bitch, and Morlad Old Speckled Hen. The crowd on my visit skewed to college types that were there mainly for the band and food so don't expect having a serious beer chat. Service was friendly and efficient. Good place to stop if your in the area but one that could be so much more with effort. This would be a3 star establishment but I'm giving them an extra 1/4 for their history. I give Old Bay a total of 3&1/4 engines \ ------------------------------------- Old Man Rafferty's 106 Albany St New Brunswick, New Jersey United States (732) 846-6153 Nicely appointed restaurant/bar with an upscale feel. Large food menu with a few vegetarian options. Fairly large bar that has 9 taps with multiple ones wasted on things like Coors Light, Yuengling, and Blue Moon. In addition to Guinness, best beers available were Sam Adams seasonal, Sam Adams lager, and North Coast IPA. Those plus a very weak bottle list are not enough to draw any craft beer fan here. Bartenders didn't know much about beer but were friendly and efficient, at least until it got crowded. Rafferty's seemed to be very popular with the college and business crowd. Has to be due to the food, can't be for the craft beer selection. I rate Old Man Rafferty's 1 &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
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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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For the complete listing of all Rails to Ales click HERE |
