OLD HIGHTS BREWING COMPANY

May 12, 2025United States BrewpubsHIGHTSTOWN NJ, OLD HIGHTS BREWINGJohn Fortunato

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HIGHTSTOWN, NEW JERSEY

Occupying a dark tan aluminum-sided warehouse facility in the Raritan Valley borough of Hightstown, OLD HIGHTS BREWING COMPANY opened its beer garden June 2020. Creating consistently interesting traditional beer styles, some with a slight offbeat twist, the pristine cement-floored tavern keeps local favorites on tap alongside a bevy of friendly one-offs.

A re-cased bookshelf centers Old Hightstown’s wood-shingled, aluminum-topped kiosk that serves as the bark-sided, Formica-topped bar (with two tap stations holding eight draughts each plus caged Edison light fixtures). An upstairs loft and silver brew tanks fill out the freshly furbished pub.

Old Hightstown’s open-air backspace includes a covered wood block deck with patio seating alongside an Adirondack-chaired bench area with string-hung bulbs.

A mellow groove ensues as Creedence Clearwater Revival fills the air with music at my sunny Sunday afternoon April ’25 sojourn.

Lo-cal Belgian table beer, Make A Racket, set candi-sugared taffy and banana chip sweetness against dry plantain starching.

Clear golden English-style pale ale, Electric Shop ESB, let honey-spiced vanilla pickup floral-daubed vanilla and roasted chestnut illusions.

Pleasant light-bodied fruited Belgian witbier, Smith House, conditioned on tart blackberry, retained lemon-licked, coriander-spiced banana respite and soapy blackberry finish.

A ‘rustic’ amped-up amber ale, Brickyard Biere De Garde, snuck desolate caramel fruiting thru wispy perfume spicing and sedate truffle-like earthiness.

Traditional Irish red ale, St. Patrick’s, merged crisp tobacco roast with nutty caramel swirl and biscuity Maris Otter malting.

Sessionable crayon-waxed tropical fruiting embraced New England IPA, Washed Away, letting nubian hops (Nectaron/ Krush) emit lemon-sugared yellow grapefruit tang, tart passionfruit-pineapple-gooseberry zing, mild floral aspect and bubblegummy smidge contrasting herbed pine resin.

Dried fruited compote sweetness and mild toffee sugaring graced the dewy peat soiling and oily hop resin of chalky dark chocolate-coated Baltic Porter, Buggy Ride, leaving dry espresso finish.

Before heading out, downed smooth 10% ABV ‘wee heavy’ Scotch Ale, Ebson’s Metal Casket, a dewy firkin aged, soft-toned medium body with dry Scotch perk, ‘nutty vanilla’ subtlety and earthen compost bottom.

DRUERY BREWERY

May 2, 2025United States BrewpubsDRUERY BREWERY, LAWRENCEVILLE NJJohn Fortunato

LAWRENCEVILLE, NEW JERSEY

At a pale red bricked strip mall in the hamlet of Lawrenceville (halfway between Princeton and Trenton), THE DRUERY BREWERY “serves as a pilot location for future larger scale brewing.’ Owned and operated by basement-brewin’ photographer Drew, and partner, Sheri, The Druery opened December ’23.

A small neighborhood nanobrewery, its cozy right side eight seat wood top bar features twelve draught handles, large central TV and cryptic caged Edison lighting. Two front windowed tables and a few round tables fill the diminutive interior. Brewtanks crowd the backspace.

Crafting a bunch of interestingly varied and unique one-offs, Druery has quickly gained plaudits as one of Jersey’s best new breweries.

I sat down for five Druery’s and brought home four (reviewed in Beer Index) during late April ’25 Sunday afternoon visit.

Truly engaging fruited tea-infused lager, Tea’d Para, soaked its black tea leaves in mild cucumber-watered mango, pineapple and watermelon perfuming.

Spritzy lemon-limed white grape esters and frisky hop-prickled herbage gathered for Karle Kolsch, a dry moderation contrasted by sweet pale malt lagering.

Sour-candied Pez-like raspberry powdering picked up lemon rhubarb tartness for Razzlewit, a briskly understated raspberry wheat ale with pallid white wheat base.

Honeyed pineapple syruping, rummy orange spicing and tangy marmalade pervaded boozy (8% ABV) New England IPA, Juicytoots, leaving hop-dried pine resin on the sweet tropical finish.

Brown-sugared molasses coated hazelnut, pecan and raisin for Brys Brown Ale, a sweet neo-English-styled full body.

CHATHAM BLITZKRIEK

May 2, 2025Beers A-ZCHATHAM BREWING, cherry quad, kriek lambicJohn Fortunato

Medicinal candy-glazed red cherry sweetness gains slight hard-candied orange tartness and tangy tangerine tease for rummy kriek-derived Belgian quadrupel. Quad-like dried fruit spicing knocked back by kriek-ish sweet ‘n sour cherry abundance coating richly creamed wheat malt base. Anyone for cherry rhubarb pie?

CONCENTRIC WOOKIE COOKIE IMPERIAL BARREL-AGED STOUT

May 2, 2025Beers A-Zbourbon stout, CONCENTRIC BREWINGJohn Fortunato

Dark cocoa syrup drapes bourbon vanilla warmth as burgundy-brandy subtleties soak into Black Forest caking, pureed black cherry twang, dry oaken cherry swerve, stewed prune swoon and cookie dough fudging.

CONCENTRIC DARTH MALT IMPERIAL STOUT

May 2, 2025Beers A-ZCONCENTRIC BREWING, imperial stout, PORTLAND CTJohn Fortunato

Fudgy Black Forest caking consumes muted Peppermint Patty-candied minting. Along the way, black cherry, raspberry jelly and blueberry jam illusions softly emerge at rich rummy-whiskeyed chocolate cake finish.

CONCENTRIC BRIDGE TRAFFIC IMPERIAL IPA

May 2, 2025Beers A-ZCONCENTRIC BREWING, milkshake india pale ale, PORTLAND CTJohn Fortunato

Well-designed milkshake-styled IPA (with less appropriate ‘Imperial’ labeling) brings lactic powder-sugared marshmallow vanilla sweetness to zestful lemony orange-peeled grapefruit tang, tart guava-gooseberry swipe and peachy pineapple zing, becoming bitterer as lemon-seeded grapefruit rind sharpness rises way above its creamily oated wheat base.

CONCENTRIC OKTOBERFEST

May 2, 2025Beers A-ZCONCENTRIC BREWING, oktoberfest, PORTLAND CTJohn Fortunato

Unspecific off-dry festbier with stinging pop rock-like sugared corn malts trailing leafy hop oiling given muted lemony orange spritz.

CONCENTRIC FINS UP! MEXICAN LAGER

May 2, 2025Beers A-ZCONCENTRIC BREWING, light lager, PORTLAND CTJohn Fortunato

Dry maize-parched mineral graining banks zestful lemon lime spritz and salty agave-like tequila twist for liable white bread-bottomed Mexican lager.

HOP CULTURE FARMS ECLIPSE BOURBON AGED IMPERIAL STOUT

May 2, 2025Beers A-Zbourbon stout, COLCHESTER CT, HOP CULTURE FARMSJohn Fortunato

On tap at Concentric Brewing, elegantly smooth bourbon vanilla warmth gains dry burgundy and sweet brandy influence for dried-fruited dark mocha molasses resonance. Fudgy dark chocolate center invites figgy black cherry and plummy red grape merriment. Mellow bourbonized stout (with unassuming 11% ABV) makes for desirable fireplace nightcap.

HUBBARD’S CAVE HAZELNUT COFFEE & CAKE

May 2, 2025Beers A-ZHUBBARD'S CAVE, imperial stoutJohn Fortunato

On tap at Ambulance, decadent pastry stout variant regales rich Madagascar vanilla bean persistence and hazelnut coffee-bound maple syruping given fudgy caramelized chocolate pudding top. At the midst, lovely bourbon vanilla warmth coats milk-sugared coffee persistence, gaining caffe mocha espresso dirge, mild macchiato remnant and teasing burgundy wining. An overabundance of treacly mocha-vanilla richness.

TIMBER ALES / FIDENS I ASSURE YOU WE MAKE STOUTS

May 2, 2025Beers A-ZFIDENS BREWING, imperial stout, TIMBER ALESJohn Fortunato

Nearly exquisite milk stout treated with Swiss chocolate, almond coffee and less prominent toasted coconut picks up viscous bourbon vanilla spicing topped by syrupy brown chocolate. Sticky mocha goo coats tongue. Fidens, a mighty fine IPA maker, scores pretty big with stout-oriented Timber Ales collaboration.

TIMBER ALES FRENCH TOAST BY CAMPFIRE COFFEE STOUT

May 2, 2025Beers A-Zcoffee stout, TIMBER ALESJohn Fortunato

Thick obsidian motor oil pour welcomes maple syrupy milk-sugared cinnamon coffee creaming of pastry-like breakfast stout. Below the maple cinnamon coffee richness lies fudged brownie, rum-glazed pecan, cappuccino, black cherry, rummy Swisher cigar, chocolate cookie and cola nut illusions. A hearty full-bodied nightcap in the AM.

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