By Tony Iocono

Welcome to the Brew Review on Jersey Beer Guys, pause for effect, The Website. This will be a reoccurring monthly segment where I highlight the best beer I drank in a certain month. I am not going to attribute a rating of the beer within the article, but the main point is going to try to highlight the beer and the brewery that makes it.  I am going to try to keep it to the local Greater Philadelphia and New Jersey area but occasionally a beer from outside our local area may be so transcendent that it makes an appearance.

(in alphabetical order by brewery)

Brewery: Ark Brewing/ Dr. Brewlittle’s Beer Co/Farm Truck Brewing

Where: Lumberton, NJ

Beer Name: Three’s A Crowd

Beer Style: Farmhouse Ale – Saison

ABV: 8%

Background and Tasting Notes: Brewed at Dr. Brewlitle’s in Maple Shade, NJ as a collaboration with Ark Brewing in Lumberton and soon to open Farm Truck Brewing in Medford. This beer was another 8% banger that was classified as a Saison that was not boozy in the least bit. This was my favorite beer of the day when we did the podcast with Ark. Three’s A Crowd had a gorgeous reddish orange glow to it. This beer had a funky, barnyard smell to it in the best possible way. The taste was that of a grapefruit rind and had a nice tartness to it. The Philly Sour Yeast was used as well as three different hops from New Zealand, Riwaka, Taiheke, and Motueka. This was an interest mix of ingredients that you do not typical see together that goes from ballroom dancing to mosh pit on the customer’s pallet with each sip.

Brewery: Carton Brewing Co.

Where: Atlantic Highlands, NJ

Beer Name: Boat Beer

Beer Style: Session India Pale Ale

ABV: 4.2%

Background and Tasting Notes: Carton is one of the founding fathers of New Jersey Craft Beer. I think because of that, I kind of ignore Carton because it is always around. When I did the Two Brewthers podcast with my brother, one question we always asked whoever we were interviewing was what is your favorite NJ beer? The answer we received about half of the time was one of Carton’s Boat Beer or Kane’s Head High. Dan Hoover of the now defunct Atco Brewing was the biggest fan of that beer. To my discredit, I had not tried it ever until this last month. What a huge mistake on my part. Boat Beer is just a smooth, easy drinking beer for all occasions. This is New Jersey’s version of Founders All Day IPA and Boat Beer is better. It has a little more bang for your buck in the grapefruit and citrus department with enough hoppiness to keep you coming back for more.

Brewery: Vinyl Brewing

Where: Hammonton, NJ

Beer Name: The Secret Parking Lot

Beer Style: Sour

ABV: 5.5%

Background and Tasting Notes: Vinyl is known throughout the state as being one of the best breweries to crank out sours (among other styles of beer). The first thing you notice with this beer is the vibrant color. The pinkish orange with a nice head of suds on it. I had a full pour of it but drank it too fast to get a picture so you the reader must settle for the 4-ounce pour. It was made with blackberry and guava and both fruits explode on your pallet. The beer style is considered a sour, but it is not overpowering to the drinker. The tartness from the guava and blackberry and the esters from the yeast give it great depth of flavor.

Brewery: Warwick Farms Brewing

Where: Jamison, PA

Beer Name: Juicy Pils

Beer Style: Pilsner

ABV: 6%

Background and Tasting Notes: This is our first beer outside the Garden State in this segment. Warwick Farms just opened their taproom to the public and the hype is real. One of my buddies visited and brought back some cans. Juicy Pils is classified as a Pilsner but from the first taste was more IPA than Pilsner. Citra is the main player here. There is a slight bitterness but the flavors that are most pronounced are citrus and lime. The beer has a medium body and a slight floral and earthiness that gives Juicy Pils a complexity that is away from your garden variety Pilsner that tends to be crisp and light. Juicy Pils is an absolute crusher and can be enjoyed all day to the wee hours of the night. I also had one of their IPAs, Fantastic Fusion, which was very good as well.