| 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... Wayne and Parsippany, NJ ------- Hooters 25 Route 23 Wayne, New Jersey 07470 (973) 837-1876 Wait, before you ask what the heck am I doing at a Hooters looking for craft beer let me say this place might not be what you expected. Of course it pretty much looks like every other location in the long established restaurant chain, complete with the Hooters girls, but this one also has good beer and a great happy hour. In fact, it was recommended to me by a savvy beer guy who also understands how pricing of craft beer is nearly out of control. On my visit I enjoyed a Carton Boat Beer, Goose Island Ten Hills Pale, Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA and a Sam Adams Rebel IPA. Admittedly there also is some junk on tap and the bottle list was basically terrible but, and it's a big but, those four (and a couple others ) are solid offerings. At $2.50 a pint during Happy Hour they become outstanding offerings! You're not going to find any special gems here but the place is fun, the beer is good enough, and the prices will keep you from taking out a second mortgage. I'm giving them 3 stars for the beer, a bonus 1/2 star for pricing, and another bonus 1/4 star since they're, well, Hooters! I rate Hooters of Wayne 3 3/4 out of 5 engines. ……………… Grasshopper Too 26 Erie Ave Wayne, NJ 07470 (973) 696-9698 Grasshopper Too is a family style Irish pub with classic and modern Irish fare. I didn't eat since the vegetarian offerings were next to none. Decor featured dark wood which I'm a fan of. There are enough TVs around to satisfy most sports lovers but the bottom line is still the beer and at Grasshopper Too the line is really low. If you're into macro swill followed by a couple of Jager shots then this is the place for you. The adventurous here might go for some Yuengling or, gasp, Blue Moon but don't wait for the special sixtel of St. Bernardus or some such beer to be tapped. To put it simply it's a bar that's about the beer tastes of the non- discriminating beverage palates (and music tastes) of the just legal crowd. I give Grasshopper Too 1 star. ------------------------------------- Red Stone Tavern 3159 US 46 Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ 07054 (973) 917-4777 Let's get the strange part out of the way first. The Red Stone used to be a Fuddruckers (they cut it in half and made the Red Stone Tavern). So it shares a bar and a bathroom with Fuddruckers and in fact is on the FAR side of Fuddruckers. Long walk if you need the facility quickly. Decor is fairly sterile but not unwelcoming. Standard pub menu festuring pizza and grilled items. I had the nachos which was fine but could use more heat. The beer menu gives a solid nod to craft with decent offerings from Harpoon, Flying Fish, Goose Island, and Victory along with a few others. Bottle list is almost exclusively macro swill. Service was friendly and efficent but don't expect to talk craft beer with the bartenders, it's simply not a beer geek place. Still at $7 for 24 oz. of Victory Hop Devil I'm not going to complain. Places like this show you just how mainstream craft beer has become. I rate Red Stone Tavern 3 engines. ---------------------------------------------- ============== Hope you get a chance to stop in at my new location The Northside Lounge 100 Brooks Blvd, Manville, NJ 08835 (908) 722-7712 A great menu and some of the finest craft beer anywhere! Stop in if you are in the area and look for me in the kitchen or behind the taps and please 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 |
