STONE & RAIL

BEER PUB,

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GLEN ROCK, NEW JERSEY

Settled into the tiny Northern Jersey town of Glen Rock alongside the railway line, STONE & RAIL RESTAURANT AND BAR is an inventive modern gastropub with an invitingly original upscale menu and a strong focus on craft beer.

Paying homage to the local railroad transit system, its vintage reclaimed wood and rustic charm offer a warm atmosphere. Three TV’s at the 20-seat wood bar provide a sports-centric feel. Left side dining tables counter the 20-draught bar and a back balcony features billiards and shuffleboard.

On my December 2018 dinner jaunt, ate Stone & Rail burger (smoked bacon, caramelized onions, muenster cheese with parmigiana fries) alongside Butternut Squash Granny Apple Bisque while wife consumed sourdough-toasted, muenster-cheesed, tomato-creamed Artichoke Grilled Cheese.

Also quaffed four previously untried suds: Newburgh Hefe’ry Hudson, Sixpoint Binary Double IPA, River Horse Craic Irish Stout and River Horse Jaysus That’s Sour (reviewed in Beer Index).

Fun for beer geeks, families and sports fans alike, Stone & Rail’s a welcome edition to this small upscale community. But their beer selection has become predictably stagnant.

stoneandrail.com

BELL’S BOURBON BARREL AGED THIRD COAST OLD ALE

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On tap at Ambulance, supersized bourbon-barreled barleywine segues syrupy caramelized bourbon vanilla warmth into molasses-sapped chocolate dalliance, leaving tingly cognac, brandy, burgundy, port and sherry tones in the deep recess. Spruce-hopped mineral graining and leathery dried fruiting of original Third Coast base hidden far beneath the surefire cherry-bruised bourbon vanilla resonance.

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GOOSE ISLAND BOURBON COUNTY VANILLA STOUT

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On tap at Plank Pizza, passionately designed Madagascar vanilla bean version of famous bourbon-aged Imperial Stout really is decadent. Creamily rich vanilla sugaring informs fudgy dark chocolate mass. Light bourbon sweetness glides into luxurious chocolate-vanilla sludging. Luscious crème brulee, milk chocolate, toasted coconut, marshmallow, hazelnut coffee and Graham Cracker illusions as well as latent burgundy licks contrast tarry hop-charred bittering at bold dessert finish.

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LEFT HAND CHAI MILK STOUT – NITRO

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Complex Christmastime hybrid way beyond stylish nitrogenated milk stout parameters.  Savory maple-syruped chocolate mousse creaminess gains immediate cardamom-spiced orange peel sweetness, ginger-leafed cinnamon minting and coniferous pine nut minerality for chai tea-inspired nitro stout. Tertiary sarsaparilla, cola nut and walnut illusions casually integrate with wintry sandalwood, sage and fern snips as well as delicate rice pudding, cherry coughdrop and gingerbread dalliances to further enrich rangy milk stout template.

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LEFT HAND WAKE UP DEAD NITRO RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT

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Fulsome nitro stout (in a can) with tremendous depth, body and overall richness. Bittersweet milk chocolate creaming leaves frothy éclair mouthfeel deepened by cocoa-powdered espresso tones and slight dried fruiting to its sweet oats-flaked barley roast base. Wood-burnt hop char and tobacco chaw bittering fill out bold nitrogenated dark ale. Retains stylishly silken smoothness of usual nitrogenated stout while being more aggressively demanding.

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HALF ACRE BIG HUGS IMPERIAL STOUT

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On tap at Plank Pizza, deeply penetrating Dark Matter black coffee bittering gains dark chocolate, cocoa and vanilla bean influence. Espresso coffee midst allows minor cola, hazelnut, walnut and Brazil nut snips to scour its beckoning woody hop char. In the can, dark-roast coffee beaning gains wood-burnt hazelnut-walnut sear, tarry molasses bittering and rum-spiced whipped cream vanilla snip.

Half Acre Big Hugs beer Label Full Size

LOUGH GILL IRISH SLOE BARLEYWINE

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Botanical sloe gin-fizzed cocktail spirit too low in the mix to perk up stylishly underwhelming barleywine. From the limited edition “Irish Punch Up Series,” caramelized citrus fruiting glides above biscuity cereal grained base, leaving subliminal orange, tangerine, peach and pineapple illusions to undermine any initial juniper berry bittering. Interesting, but inessential.

Lough Gill Brewing Co Sloe Irish Barley Wine June 2017