You might look at our blog, or our Instagram feed and say “wow, they hit a ton of breweries every weekend.” And while I would like to say that you’re absolutely right, we sadly do have day jobs and weekend plans outside of drinking. Like camping weekend this year, we only managed to hit one brewery in upstate NY that whole hurricane weekend! Oh, but we did squeak in a distillery on the way up with Lauren and Steezey; equal opportunity alcoholics.
Milk Street Distillery (Branchville, NJ)
Milk Street Distillery is a little craft distiller on the corner of Broad & Milk Street in Branchville, NJ that made its start a little over a year ago. The distillers/owners, are genuinely friendly people who kicked their love of fine spirits up a notch by hand crafting it themselves. Their current lineup is vodka, clear rum and a rye. Being that they just got into the game, they didn’t have any dark (barrel aged) spirits available as of yet; but they will soon! They also have a full pour bar if shots/tastings aren’t really your style. I was super impressed by their rye, so naturally we got a bottle to go.
Aside from drinking, you can BYOF and take in some live music or other events by checking out their calendar in advance (http://www.milkstreetdistillery.com/events/). But there is one event here that everyone should witness; Chicken S#*T Bingo. That’s right, they have a giant bingo board and a chicken poops on the numbers. If your number gets pooped on you can win a shirt or a drink! Needless to say we’re all super enthusiastic about this event hosted on the 2nd and 4th Sunday every month. (But it may wind down as we hit winter so please call a head).
We don’t rate distilleries, but should you be in the area; which is the north most corner of NJ, you should really stop by, play some bingo and try the rye.
Shrewd Fox Brewery (Eldred, NY)
Every year we pick a new and exciting place in the middle of nowhere to go camping. This year we ended up in Barryville, NY. But that’s not important. What is important is that 15 minutes away from the camp site is Eldred, NY and home to the Shred Fox Brewery. The brewery is owned and operated by a husband and wife team that have been crafting beer for years.
Shrewd Fox had 6 drafts available for us, but flights came in 4 so we picked the best of the best. Saison DeVanoge, 3 Dog IPA, Sandy Peach Wheat and Oak Cask Bourbon Aged Porter. DeVanoge is listed as a farmhouse saison, but it wasn’t particularly farmy. In place of the funk was a light, fruity spice. It was refreshing, but a bit too light in our opinion. There wasn’t much to say about the 3 Dog; just a hoppy, crisp IPA that was satisfying to the tongue but won’t impress any hop head. We imagine this brewery caters to the locals more so and not really to beerventurers.
Shrewd Fox did manage to make an impressive Peach Wheat beer. At the time of consumption, the keg was fresh and so were the nose and the flavor. It wasn’t nearly as peachy as previous peach beers we’ve tried; but the light hefe body wasn’t going for that candy peach ring flavor that we normally find. And we’re ok with that. Now there wasn’t really any sand nearby, so it probably should have been called Rocky Peach Wheat, or maybe Forest Peach Wheat?
The real crown jewel of the day though was the Oak Cask Porter aged in Woodford Reserve barrels! I always keep a bottle of Woodford Reserve, and Woodford Reserve Double Oaked on hand at all times and I was certainly not let down by this beer. Melissa wasn’t the biggest fan of the beverage, but if you really enjoy good bourbon you will enjoy this. The toffee and vanilla really shone through the roasted malts.
Shrewd Fox Brewing of Eldred, NY is a cozy spot for a flight or pint; but don’t expect to hang with a large group here because the taproom has limited space. The Oak Porter is something that a Beerventurer or snob will appreciate, while everything else is just well done and great for the locals or people who just happen to be passing through. Shrewd Fox earns a 3.5 out of 5.
