Summer vacation in Philly and NJ

[Wolf359]

The wife and I are heading back east for ten days and of course I'll be seeking good beer. I'm totally unfamiliar with the area, but have been doing quite a bit of web based research. Hopefully some of you locals can point me in the right direction. Here's what I have so far -
King of Prussia - Rock Bottom and Michael's deli
Philly - Standard Tap, Eulogy Belgian bar, Nodding Head, Ludwigs, Independence Brewpub
Toms River - Basil Ts
Milford - Ship Inn
Long Valley - Long valley Brewpub
Sparta - Krogh's
If anyone's been to these places perhaps you could report in, thanks.

[MeridianFC]

Monk's Cafe in Philly is a must.

[chazwicke]

The Ship Inn is very out of the way but is worth the trip. Likely to have several cask conditioned beers both their own and from England. Basil T's is just OK.

[threecb]

There are a lot more places on the outskirts of Philly that you can visit before King Of Prussia, unless you're going to be there anyway. The RB is decent though for the chain. Another 20 minutes west is Downington, home of Victory. Other's abound...Iron Hill is another good one with 3 locations in the Philly burbs.

Monk's is better than Eulogy, IMHO. Go to the back bar for additional tap selections. I've been to Nodding Head and Independence, too. They're both good, though most reviews are mixed on Independence. I liked it though.

By the looks of things, you're going to be in Northwest NJ. Krogh's is decent, but I haven't been there in a while. Ship Inn is a good English Pub with excellent beers. Long Valley is in a cool building, but a bit pricey. Beers are ok though. A little south of Milford and the Ship Inn is Lambertville/New Hope. New Hope has a recently opened Triumph Brewing location. Cool place. Lambertville is the home of River Horse Brewing -- friendly people, ok beer. I could go through the rest of NJ if ya want...;)

And Chaz, since the new brewer came on board, Basil T's Tom's River location has greatly improved. Expensive, but good food, too.

[Jaimo]

If you are a Belgian beer fan, you MUST go to Monk's Cafe. One of the, if not the, best pubs in the US.

Also if you like Belgian's and would love to find a great variety of them for home consumption, stop at Shangy's beer distributor in Emmaus, PA. They have an incredible supply of Belgian Beer.

If you are anywhere near South Orange, NJ, stop by the Gaslight Brewery. I was there at Christmas and they served some great beer, some of their own and some guest beers.

If you are near the Jersey Shore, look for products from Heavyweight Brewing Company (http://www.heavyweight-brewing.com/). They make awesome big beers, and their website lists places that distribute or serve it.

Cheers!

[Steve16823]

Not that i'm saying it's the best beer in the world, but if you're in PA you almost have to drink significant quantities of Yuengling. In fact, the Brewery in Pottsville would be an easy day trip from Philly.

(www.yuengling.com)

[Wolf359]

Now that I look at the map Downingtown isn't that far from King of Prussia. I'll be traveling with my 81 year old father, 70 year old mother, and my wife. I can't indulge too much, but I can see myself definately in need of some good (strong) brews. I also see there's a place called the Drafting Room in Exton, not far from Downingtown. They look to have a pretty good beer selection, with cask beer available, even saw some 3 Floyds on their menu.

[chazwicke]

If your heading in the direction of Downingtown, in nearby Phoenixville is
The Sly Fox Brewpub.
http://www.slyfoxbrew.com/
In NJ I forgot to mention Harvest Moon Brewpub http://www.harvestmoonbrewery.com/
and The Old Bay Restraunt http://www.oldbay.com/fast1024.html in Brunswick NJ. Good food and beer selection.

[threecb]

Old Bay isn't what it used to be...
Harvest Moon is my local, though, and worth the stop.

[Wolf359]

Thanks for all the help guys, it's much appreciated. I've spent the last ten years drinking almost nothing but west coast brews, I'm excited to be able to try so many new beers in such a short time. Thanks

[chazwicke]

Consider it a mission. That is my usual approach when traveling. last trip to London I consumed the equivalent of 92.5 12 oz beers. Of course I was drinking Imperial pints and halfs.

[threecb]

Nice job of consuming on that UK trip, Chazwicke!

Cool new avatar, too.

Rival's Tweek's stick-pokes-eye one.