CARLSTADT, NEW JERSEY

After gypsy brewing at Jersey’s High Point, Czig Meister and Alementary since January 2013, BOLERO SNORT BREWERY entrepreneur Robert Olson finally expanded his empire to include a large, high ceilinged, 16,000 square-foot, aluminum Industrial building within the Meadowlands in Carlstadt.

Since Bolero Snort’s at the doorstep of Giants Stadium and the horse track, getting curious brewpub enthusiasts thru the door won’t be a problem. Olson’s varied, oft-experimental beer designs span the stylish spectrum as offbeat hybrids, barrel-aged endeavors, whimsical one-offs, cocktail knockoffs and sour ales with bovine taglines get interspersed with more traditional fare.

A 24-tap L-shaped serving station at the gray cement-floored, garage-doored, right side ground level featuring three TV’s, barreled tables and Edison lights is situated next to the abundant open space holding the vast brewing equipment.

An upstairs lodge (with ten draught taps and three picnic tables) overlooks the brewing operations that includes a huge grain silo, several sterling silver tanks, kettle sour barrels, a canning line and fermenters atop a silver-and-red floor seemingly dedicated to Olson’s high school, Bergen Catholic.

My wife and I perused Bolero Snort, February 1, 2020, two weeks after its snowy grand opening.

Muskily dry light body, Hooffa, a heady barnyard-leathered German-styled pilsner with herbal cologne-perfumed lemon licks and dark floral remnants.

Lemony pineapple-candied grapefruit zest crowded spicy pale malts and grassy hop astringency for IPA-tinged wheat beer, Grazer, relegating earthen dewy mossing and cellared fungi mustiness atop a delicate cracked wheat spine.

Minty watermelon tartness fortified Watermelon + Mint Grazer, a nifty spinoff with melon rind earthiness, sour lemondrop whim and recessive vodka-ginned alcohol nip.

Mild ‘hoppy ale,’ BullYum, brought lightly heated Thai chili peppering to ginger-minted lime dryness and latent green tea-like bittering.

Salty lemon-limed Margarita knockoff, Coconut BullYum, stayed mild as wispy Thai chili peppering serenaded limey coconut tartness and subtle ginger herbage.

Maple -sugared cherry and vanilla sweeten Cherry + Vanilla Bu’ll Be Bock, a lactic dessert-like confection with mildly pungent citric hop astringency rubbing against dark cherry-pureed caramel malting.

Lemon-spiced grapefruit, orange and pineapple zest fronted Hello…My Bull Pen Is…, a Citra-hopped moderation with celery watered crisping and soft dry wood tones.

Conditioned on peanut butter, amber-hazed NEIPA, Dirty SnowBull Fights, brought milk-sugared vanilla to lactic yogurt-soured pineapple tartness, yellow grapefruit rind bittering, zesty orange peel juicing and piney underbrush, leaving only a meager peanut-oiled influence.

During cold February ’22 stopover before Sunday dinner, tried two fine IPA’s, one fruited sour and a stout (three of which were interesting collaborations).

Salty candied citrus tartness gains lactic milk sugaring for Calf Life Fruited Sour, bringing sweetly soured dragonfruit, guava and pineapple adjuncts to the fore alongside vibrant yellow grapefruit and navel orange zesting.

A collab with Melovino Meadery, Hexagon Treasure NEIPA let orange blossom honey dryly saturate lemony grapefruit, clementine and mandarin briskness as its ever-present chili pepper burn spreads across the raw-honeyed citric finish.

In alliance with fellow Jersey brewer, Icarus, golden-glowed Imperial IPA, WhyKickAMooCow, placed lightly acidic lactic yeast souring inside the cleanly crisp lupulin-powdered yellow grapefruit, mandarin and tangerine zestfulness.

Partnering with Pennsylvania’s Abomination, cream-filled white chocolate cookie knockoff, Abominabull Imperial  Milk Stout, embraced sugared coffee, bourbon vanilla, marshmallow and anise sweetness above its honeyed wheat base. 

bolerosnort.com