Desperatly need a good brew pub in or around sprinfield NJ

[burritosandbeer]

Going to be out there for work for a week or so shortly. Often when I go to Chicago, I have no problem finding a good brew pub. Springfield on the other hand....

Any suggestions? As close to the Springfield Holiday Inn on 22 as possible would be best :-). I'm not local and have no idea on my way around past 22.

Thanks in advance, for some reason whenever I'm there I REALLY need more beer than I can safely have before driving, so growlers are a MAJOR plus.

PLEASE HELP KEEP ME IN BEER WHILE IN NEW JERSEY!

[jjpm74]

Heavyweight closed down not too long ago and was the best brewery in the state. Last I'd heard, the former owner/head brewer had plans to open a buy local brewpub/restaurant. Hopefully that becomes a reality in the near future.

[jesskidden]

Originally posted by burritosandbeer


PLEASE HELP KEEP ME IN BEER WHILE IN NEW JERSEY!

Well, NJ is small but it's the quintessential suburban state, so a vehicle (and a willingness to get lost as you b*tch about traffic & highway design) is kinda mandatory, for visitors and natives alike.

Here's the map page of the NJ brewers organization
http://www.njbeer.org/members/
and as you can see, you're staying pretty much in the middle of the action, but it's not exactly walking distance from Rt. 22.

One brewer who's not a member of the GSCBG is Climax. They make some nice ales and it's a draft or growler only brewery. A good selection of their drafts (from what I hear) can be found in the town just south of Springfield, in Cranford at Antoine's (one of the better multi-taps in a state sorely lacking such establishment). Check the bar websites (Pubcrawler, RB, BA) for directions, reviews.

[jesskidden]

Originally posted by jjpm74
Heavyweight closed down not too long ago and was the best brewery in the state. Last I'd heard, the former owner/head brewer had plans to open a buy local brewpub/restaurant. Hopefully that becomes a reality in the near future.

I thought Baker pretty much implied that any brewpub was going to be in the Philadelphia area, since his beer (hell, all craft beers) seemed to be better received in PA than in NJ. (Without checking, I remember that the draft list on HBC's website actually featured more locations in MD. and VA. than in NJ).

I don't know- which comes first, an active beer bar scene or active breweries?

[jjpm74]

While not in NJ, these guys are definitely worth checking out and are just over the NJ border in Pearl River, NY:

http://www.defiantbrewing.com/

[threecb]

I second the choice of Antoine's in Cranford. Here's a link that'll get you a map, etc.:
Antoine's on Citisearch (http://national.citysearch.com/profile/6592825/?brand=smx_bar-nc)

The nearest brewpub would be Trap Rock in Berkeley Heights, which is very pricey and a restaurant-brewery, not a brewpub ( ;-) ) but the food is great and beers are solid. They have a sister restaurant in Summit (very close to the HI) called the Huntley Taverne.

Gaslight in E. Orange is kind of close, too. Average to good, includes some guest taps including NJ Brewery High Point/Ramstein.

Enjoy!

[burritosandbeer]

Originally posted by threecb
I second the choice of Antoine's in Cranford. Here's a link that'll get you a map, etc.:
Antoine's on Citisearch (http://national.citysearch.com/profile/6592825/?brand=smx_bar-nc)

The nearest brewpub would be Trap Rock in Berkeley Heights, which is very pricey and a restaurant-brewery, not a brewpub ( ;-) ) but the food is great and beers are solid. They have a sister restaurant in Summit (very close to the HI) called the Huntley Taverne.

Gaslight in E. Orange is kind of close, too. Average to good, includes some guest taps including NJ Brewery High Point/Ramstein.

Enjoy!

Do either of those do growlers? Cost isnt that much of an issue as I will be eating on expense budget :-)

Growlers are a big thing for me, I collect em :-)

[threecb]

I think they both do. I know that TR definitely used to, but I haven't been in about a year.

Others that are clustered that have growlers are JJ Bittings in Woodbridge, Pizzeria Uno in Metuchen (Great Seasonals) and Harvest Moon in New Brunswick are all good. Bittings and Uno are about 10 minutes apart and about 20-30 minutes from where you are via the Garden State Parkway.


These and Triumph in Princeton are my regular stops.