Mould's Beer Blog

I love when a new brewery starts up and is able to get their beer in bottles.  It also makes me nervous though, because in the past I've been burned from getting bad bottles from new breweries.  My only assumptions are that there must be a higher chance for variation/contamination when filling bottles.  When bottling, you need consistency of fill volume and carbonation, and you need to make sure those bottles are clean and sanitized or else off flavors may develop in the beer.  These are all problems I've seen from bottles in the past. Let's hope that we don't have any bottle problems today! 902 Brewing entered the New Jersey beer scene a little less than 1 year ago.  Instead of starting out with their own brewery, they contract out the brewing and tank space at Climax Brewing in Roselle Park, NJ. This had me a little worried, because Climax is one of the brewers that I've had bad bottles from. Most of the business 902 Brewing does is in and around the Ho...

Bolero Snort Brewery is killing it.  I can't say it enough.  They have been sporadically releasing new beers in 22 oz. sized bomber bottles, alongside their year round beers (Longhop IPA and Ragin' Bull amber lager) and barrel aged treats.  The beers that have been released in the bombers have been stellar, and they have also been competitively priced.  I've shared my drinking of several of their new beers on all of the social media, just not on this here blog (I'm trying to rectify that!) As of this writing, some of the unique 22. oz bombers that Bolero Snort has released have been El Matador (a session ale brewed with cilantro, lime and jalapeno), Variabull 001 and 002 (an IPA and a smoked brown ale with coffee, respectively), and Explorabull (another IPA).  Coming out on 11/1 in 22 oz. bottles (and kegs of course) is Moovember Milk Stout. Bravehorn The latest bomber from Bolero Snort that I've enjoyed is Bravehorn, a scotch ale/wee heavy style beer w...

Hey folks!  Welcome to the latest batch of new beers you'll be seeing soon from NJ breweries!  Makes your mouth water a bit, doesn't it? 902 Brewing 902 Brewing started selling their beers in NJ earlier this year.  Contracting out of Roselle Park's Climax Brewing, 902 Brewing has been pumping out kegs of their IPA, Pale Ale and Black IPA.  Here we have the label for their first bottle release.  It is for their Heaven, Hell or Hoboken IPA and will be packaged in 22 oz. bottles! 902 Brewing's IPA: Heaven, Hell or Hoboken Belford Brewing keg label for Honey Hudson (Ale Brewed with NJ Honey) Boaks Beer keg label for Wooden Beanie brewed at Free Will Brewing in Perkasie, PA (Barrel Aged Belgian Style Brown Ale) Brix City Brewing Little Ferry NJ's Brix City Brewing is another one of NJ's newest breweries to open, and the below label is for their KTK Double IPA.  Like 902 Brewing's IPA, KTK will also be packaged in 22 oz. bot...

With all of the new breweries opening in NJ, there are more and more label approvals coming through the system.  To keep these "Upcoming NJ Beers" posts shorter, I am going to try and post them every two weeks instead of once a month. Let's see what new labels have come through the system since the last update! 902 Brewing   had kegs of"Black Dynomite" Black IPA approved Angry Erik saw 3 keg labels approved for the following beers: To Taste American IPA (6.0% ABV), Two Shoe Brew Copper Ale (6.0% ABV) and Fjord Crosser Belgian IPA Beach Haus Brewery Belford Brewing Bolero Snort Climax Brewing    saw approvals for Hammer and Ale Imperial IPA, Maxwell's Summer Ale, Maxwell's Pale Ale Cricket Hill   received two keg approvals for the following:  Philly Roller Derby Lager and Tiff's Limited Release Ale Cypress Brewing , gearing up for their launch event , received several more keg approvals: double chocolate imperial ...

I can't stress enough how much of an exciting time this is to be a beer fan in NJ.  The majority of NJ residents now live within a short drive of a local brewery, giving them the ability to get their beer as fresh as possible, from the source. Welcome to Conclave Brewing Conclave Brewing, opening July 11 in Raritan Twp., is making that drive a lot shorter for Hunterdon County residents  Ever since River Horse moved a little farther south down the Delaware River to Ewing, Hunterdon County has been devoid of a production brewery (there is The Ship Inn brewpub, in the northwest corner of the county). Part of Conclave's Brewhouse Conclave Brewing's thirsty customers will be able to imbibe in a farmhouse saison and an espresso milk stout.  Once hop orders are secured, a pale ale will be added to the list.  To spice things up, variants of these beers with different treatments will also be available. Conclave Brewing's Tank Farm The brewery is a 3 barre...

Get excited for another NJ brewery opening soon!  Cypress Brewing will be opening their doors in early July in a tucked away industrial park at 30 Nixon Lane in Edison, NJ.  They are currently prepping for their July 9th launch party at Hailey's Harp and Pub in Metuchen, NJ, and their fermentation and brite tanks are full to prove it.   The Barstools at Cypress Waiting to be Filled For their launch, Cypress Brewing will have 10(!) beers ready for NJ beer fans to try out.  Their idea is to have something for everyone to be able to enjoy. Hop heads can relish in three different IPAs:  a "nearly sessionable" Cypress IPA, a Cypress Double IPA and a 106 IBU "hop bomb" that is Cypress West Coast IPA.   Stout lovers will clamor over the Cypress Double Chocolate Imperial Oatmeal Stout, where at 8.8% ABV, Cypress will only sell it to you in half glasses (in their tap room, at least).   You will find a full list of their launch beers, along with...

Wow, it's been almost 2 months since my last update on upcoming NJ beers.  Get ready for lots of labels! (also, I didn't add any pictures of the keg labels.  So if there's no picture with the beer's name, it's a keg beer!) Angry Erik Brewing : American Limey (India Pale Ale brewed with lime zest and lime juice), Aloysia Citrodora (Pale Ale brewed with Lemon Verbena) Beach Haus Brewery: Beach Haus Brewery Krampus Spiced Ale, take note of the large bottle format Brix City Brewing :  Here we have the first bottle release from newly opened Brix City Brewing out of Little Falls, NJ! Brix City Brewing St. Stephen's Saison Cape May Brewing: Cape May Brewing Tower 23 Berliner Weisse  Carton Brewing : Tharsis (ale brewed with Thai chiles and saffron, 6.2% ABV) Cypress Brewing : Another new NJ brewery!  Northern English Style Nut Brown Ale and Rye Saison Ale Flounder Brewing : Cascadian Dark Ale, American Ale Flying Fish Brewing Company : Go...