Bill Spadea of New Jersey 101.5 recently came out with a “Top 9 Craft Breweries in NJ You Need to Visit” list. To my surprise, the 101.5 list is a really good starting point for beerventuring across the state. However, with over 130 breweries in NJ, a generic “Top 9” list hardly does justice to our beer scene. If you plan on visiting any of the breweries from the 101.5 list, do yourself a favor and set aside an additional hour or two to explore other notable, local breweries.
Glasstown Brewing Company & Hammonton, NJ
Glasstown Brewing Company of Millville is arguably one of the best breweries in the State. Unfortunately for us, Glasstown is far away from Morristown, so we seldom get the chance to imbibe in their brews. However, if you’re coming from the north we recommend passing through Hammonton to visit three incredible breweries first. Three 3’s Brewing Company, Vinyl Brewing and Chimney Rustic Ales are just a short walk away from each other in the quaint town of Hammonton.
| Brewery | Untappd Average | Our Favorite Beer from them |
| Glasstown Brewing Company | 3.8 | The Big Breakfast Coffee Porter |
| Three 3’s Brewing Company | 3.8 | Watch It Man IPA |
| Vinyl Brewing | 3.78 | Get Rad Sour |
| Chimney Rustic Ales | 3.79 | Flaner Saison |
Czig Meister & Hackettstown, NJ
You may already know Czig Meister for their delicious IPA lineup as well as their world class Stout Festival (which is a must hit event!). But you may not know that Hackettstown is also home to Man Skirt Brewing and Jersey Girl Brewing. You can knock out Czig and Man Skirt with one parking space, but Jersey Girl will require a bit of a ride out to their brewery.
| Brewery | Untappd Average | Our Favorite Beer from them |
| Czig Meister | 3.79 | Brontes with Vanilla Imperial Stout |
| Man Skirt Brewing | 3.69 | Mini Wee Scottish Export Ale, but also try their Pistachio Seltzer |
| Jersey Girl Brewing | 3.64 | The Joker (Strawberry & Raspberry) Sour IPA |
Twin Elephant Brewing Company & Bull ‘n Bear & Untied Brewing Company
It’s no wonder that Twin Elephant Brewing Company of Chatham made the list. Tim and his team produce some of the highest quality beers in all of New Jersey. Across the spectrum of styles, there has never been a disappointment. Your next stops aren’t exactly walking distance apart, but after your visit to Twin Elephant be sure to hop over to Summit’s Bull ‘n Bear or New Providences Untied Brewing Company. All three breweries have a unique vibe of their own.
| Brewery | Untappd Average | Our Favorite Beer from them |
| Twin Elephant Brewing Company | 3.96 | Old Raritan Imperial Porter |
| Bull ‘n Bear | 3.76 | Better Year Bitter ESB |
| Untied Brewing Company | 3.84 | Invincible Youth IPA |
Flying Fish Brewing Co. & Lunacy Brewing Company
Flying Fish Brewing is what we would call a timeless brewery. Located in Somerdale, Flying Fish’s beers have been tantalizing taste buds since 1996. Melissa will probably tell you that their Salt and Sea series should be stocked at your pool, while I’d tell you that you haven’t had Fried Ice Cream until you’ve had theirs. Regardless of the season, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you missed Lunacy Brewing Company just five miles up the road. Over the years we’ve sampled some of their most peculiar beers, but the “Peace, Love and Pickles Gose” was by far the most uniquely delicious. It was also a collab with Peace, Love and Pickles sandwich shop.
| Brewery | Untappd Average | Our Favorite Beer from them |
| Flying Fish Brewing Co. | 3.62 | Depending on which of us you ask: Salt and Sea (Blueberry Kiwi) Gose or Fried Ice Cream Stout |
| Lunacy Brewing Company | 3.75 | Peace, Love and Pickles Gose |
Backward Flag & Oyster Creek Brewing Company
You’ve all seen a backward flag at least once in your life, and most of you are probably aware of its significance. Like the iconic symbol selected for their logo, Backward Flag Brewing beer is always moving forward. This women and veteran owned brewery down in Forked River is a shining example American made beer. After your visit to Backward Flag, travel two miles down to down to Waretown for another round. Oyster Creak Brewing makes a lot of unique tasting brews, like the PB&J ale we posted the other day.
| Brewery | Untappd Average | Our Favorite Beer from them |
| Backward Flag Brewing Co | 3.78 | X-626 Oaked Ale |
| Oyster Creek Brewing Company | 3.71 | SKYshine Honey Beer |
Ghost Hawk & Silk City Distillers
We’re no stranger to Ghost Hawk Brewing Company, and their robustly boozy brews. They continue to be one of our favorite stops in North Jersey. Now if you’re reading this blog it means you’re here for the beer but don’t let that stop you from paying a visit to Silk City Distillery. It’s literally the door on the left. The quality of their spirits is only surpassed by the expressiveness of their cocktail selection. We absolutely love sitting down for one of their seasonal cocktails after a beer from Ghost and a dog from Rutt’s.
| Brewery | Untappd Average | Our Favorite Beer from them |
| Ghost hawk Brewing Company | 3.83 | Bad Habits Belgian Dubbel |
| Silk City Distillers | N/A | Any drink involving their cask aged bourbons, or gin |
Farmers & Bankers Brewing & Swedesboro Brewing Company
Farmers & Bankers of Woodstown made the 101.5 list, and Swedesboro Brewing is only 10 minutes away by car. Unfortunately for us, these are two breweries we haven’t had the pleasure of visiting yet. I just figure if you’re going to hit one, you may as well hit the other.
| Brewery | Untappd Average | Our Favorite Beer from them |
| Farmers & Bankers Brewing | 3.7 | Haven’t had any beers yet! |
| Swedesboro Brewing Company | 3.77 | Haven’t had any beers yet! |
Kane Brewing Company & Asbury Park, NJ
Kane showing up on this list isn’t a surprise at all. Everyone knows it, most of you have been there, and there’s a reason why they are one of the most recognizable NJ beer brands. So what else is around the Ocean Township area? Well, a laundry list of other high quality brews from Twin Lights Brewing, Jughandle Brewing Company, Wild Air Beerworks, Bradley Brew Project and Little Dog Brewing Co. Seriously, there are a lot of good options in a 3 mile radius, so don’t limit yourself when visiting the shore!
| Brewery | Untappd Average | Our Favorite Beer from them |
| Kane Brewing Company | 4.11 | Mexican Brunch, or Sunday Brunch Imperial Porter |
| Twin Lights Brewing | 3.83 | Endless Glow Stout |
| Jughandle Brewing Company | 3.75 | 4057 DIPA |
| Wild Air Beerworks | 3.9 | Boundless Shade Farmhouse Saison |
| Bradley Brew Project | 3.83 | Boo Boo Friend Pumpkin Dunkel |
| Little Dog Brewing Co. | 3.65 | Duck Boy Pale Ale |
Double Tap Brewing & Morris County
It took the Morristown area a long time to get just one brewery, and now we have three great breweries in our backyard. After stopping by Double Tap Brewing in Whippany, you should also visit Glenbrook Brewery of Morristown and Fort Nonsense Brewing Company of Randolph. These aren’t as close as some other brewery options on our list, but they’re easy enough to get to.
| Brewery | Untappd Average | Our Favorite Beer from them |
| Double Tap Brewing | 3.8 | Flood Plain NEIPA |
| Glenbrook Brewery | 3.56 | Hard Winter Wheat Pale Ale |
| Fort Nonsense Brewing Company | 3.64 | Cafe Du NONde Porter |
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