On tap at Shepherd & Knucklehead, resinous hop-embittered ‘double’ IPA hybrid stays mild despite exalted ‘big beer’ tag. Moderated grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering contrasts tangy nectar-mango-pineapple tropicalia and sweet-honeyed caramel malting. Minor herbal tease sneaks in.
Amiable medium-bodied amber lager stays nuttier than most stylistic contenders. Buttery chestnut-roasted pecan, praline, honey nut and walnut illusions override astringent hop toasting. Styptic sour fruiting underscores coarse nutty finish.
Richly viscous full body goes beyond stylistic mocha theme with its oaken bourbon-burgundy wining, coffee-roasted dried fruiting and cocoa-dried butterscotch notch. Creamy dark chocolate expectancy, sinewy molasses-smoked maple malting and luscious vanilla sweetness sidle prune-soured black cherry tartness. Tertiary blackberry, black grape and boysenberry illusions tilt Big Eddy towards sour end. Cedar-burnt wood tone reinforces caramelized brown sugar glaze.
CALDWELL’S CLOVERLEAF TAVERN COUPLES CRAFT BEERS WITH FRESH FOOD
A highly respected Caldwell watering hole since prohibition ended in the Thirties, CLOVERLEAF TAVERN has given multiple generations of northern Jerseyites a homey Bloomfield Avenue refuge. Never afraid to branch out and change direction when necessary, the busy pub went from a men-only establishment to a family-oriented neighborhood hangout by the Seventies. But Cloverleaf’s greatest achievement may have come when third generation grandson, Ryan Dorchak, embraced America’s craft beer renaissance in 2006.
A red-bricked, brown-shingled exterior with green and white awning welcomes patrons to the casual speakeasy rife with several shamrock logos. 25 taps at the right side bar serve a rapidly rotating oeuvre of handcrafted microbrews emulating from a cement-floored cellar kegorator. Dorchak takes great care cleaning the keg lines since it’s the key to running a successful draught system.
“Draught beers were meant to be an extension of the primary brewery sold in a timely fashion fresh to consumers,” Ryan obliges. “We don’t want to have any off-flavors. And getting the proper gas mix is crucial for a better tasting product. All our beers run on a 65/35 blend of nitrogen to carbon dioxide, except stouts and nitros, which run on a higher nitro blend.”
Joining the family business in ’97 after graduating from Fairleigh Dickinson-Madison with a marketing degree, Ryan became extremely passionate about craft beer. In fact, the tall proprietor educates his bar staff through an on-line certification to insure their general beer knowledge.
“I could make more money pushing Coors Lite, but I’d rather have people come back more frequently to enjoy better beers at a reasonable cost. We always have a featured craft beer for $3 going from Monday through Thursday,” he insists.
There’s also a fun syllabus for Masters of Beer Appreciation given to those who try 45 beers over the course of the season and anyone requiring higher education could land a PhD (professor of hops and draughts degree). A lover of Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout, Sofie Saison and Pepe Nero Farmhouse Ale, Ryan claims he has never had a bad beer from Bruery, Founders or Allagash. And he recently developed quite a taste for newfangled brettanomyces-bound sour ales.
In a way, Cloverleaf developed into a ‘beer bar’ by accident. Way back in 1976, Ryan’s father had a problem with Anheuser-Busch’s service so he simply expanded the beer menu. He immediately ditched Bud’s foamy fare for Miller, Schmidt’s, Pabst, Ballantine and imports such as Becks, Grolsch, Guinness, Harp, Heineken, Kirin, Krakus, Kronenbourg, Molson and Tuborg.
Ryan affirms, “He told the King of Beers he’d carry every other beer he could get his hands on and made sure people looking for Bud would be given suitable choices.”
Many historic photographs line the interior walls of Cloverleaf, founded by George Dorchak Jr. at the tender age of 25. He acquired Caldwell’s first post-prohibition alcohol license in 1933 and stubbornly spent 40 years holding true to the antiquated local ordinance forbidding women and children from saloons. By ’42, he purchased an antique wood bar counter (estimated at 100 years old) for what was strictly a men’s bar until ’75 when Dorchak’s son, Richard, turned the tavern into a full service public house. In ’90, a sky-lit rear atrium attached to the new outdoor patio was added.
“My grandfather told my dad he’d never make money selling hot dogs and burgers. He was wrong,” Ryan snickers. “Nowadays, 40% of our sales comes from burgers since we get fresh chopped meat daily.”
A diverse crowd of businessmen, seniors, sports fans, and couples fill out the Cloverleaf this early Tuesday evening in late January. Ryan and I settle in the intimate hearth-warmed left dining area to talk. Above this expanded first floor space is a banquet room perfect for parties, receptions and business affairs.
“There’s also a self-contained smoker that has a cleaning cycle for wood chips and this week’s special is smoked pork chiquito,” he adds before noting the majority of food is fresh and made from scratch besides the fried appetizers. “People think we’re in the food business, but we’re really in the hospitality business. 68% of people who have a bad dining experience won’t tell the staff and don’t come back. With today’s social media, customers take the experience and pass it on about the venue.”
Moreover, when there were only 90 brewers in the United States in ’79, it was easier to get away with watered down product. Now, there are 2,500 stateside breweries with wide-ranging choices. Originally, Ryan was introduced to Miller High Life as a youngster. But he spit it out. That’s when he determined big brewers’ stuff was inferior.
In ’99, Ryan’s father took him to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, where he noticed 85% of the beers served were not available in Jersey. They stopped by a mining town where Tommyknockers Brewery had a “cool vibe,” then headed to Colorado Springs-based New Belgium, where Ryan was amazed by their four beers – including the now-classic New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale.
That set the tone for the eager lad, whose Czech grandfather and Irish grandmother passed on a rich European heritage of gourmandizing. For St. Patrick’s Day, Cloverleaf will feature homemade Irish soda bread made from his grandmother’s recipe alongside traditional corn beef and cabbage.
In this day and age of cookie-cutter corporate establishments, drab multi-chain restaurants and compromised eateries, Cloverleaf stands out for its fertile legacy, incredible cocktail selection and appetizing American cuisine.
For St. Patrick’s Day, 2012, my wife and I took a seat at the front entrance to try homemade soda bread alongside excellent corned beef and cabbage as well as tapped versions of Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura and Ballast Point Tongue Buckler (reviewed in Beer Index). Naturally, Ireland’s Guinness Stout was the clear favorite amongst the crammed in Saturday morning crowd.
Green and white St. Patty’s Day balloons, banners and streamers crowded the entire bar and the entire semblance was attired in green shirts, pants, hats or shoes to celebrate the annual event. Ryan’s 1-year-old son, Aidan, dressed in a Celtic kilt, danced to the traditional Irish music being played by a front-windowed duo who provided bleary-eyed versions of “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” the piper-shrined “Danny Boy” and a rousing sing-along about a Belfast prostitute.
The city of Caldwell and Cloverleaf Tavern celebrate this March 17th holiday with utmost respect. Zach, our bartender, is attired in leprecaun garb. Even a few city cops were dressed in kilts. And the Allagash Wit my wife and I consumed before leaving a few hours later was colored green for good luck. A great time had by all.
Since May’s spring flowers have now bloomed, I decided to once again check out Caldwell’s historic CLOVERLEAF TAVERN. This time, it’s to experience MBA night – a Masters of Beer Appreciation program hosted every first Tuesday of the month to honor graduates from hosting owner Ryan Dorchak’s stylistically diversified 45-beer curriculum.
Seated next to Mario, a card-carrying MBA grad who’s now a three-time PhD major (having consumed the requisite 45 beers thrice over and earning a sturdy 26-ounce Cloverleaf-engraved stein for pint-priced beers), I decide to become a Clover Card member for $5. It’ll earn me Frequency Dollars and bonus points while consuming terrifically multifarious craft beers.
Today, the red-shirted Dorchak celebrates his 37th birthday and the place is packed to the hilt for Troegs Night. I grab a sampler tray of Troegs Dreamweaver (a grassy-hopped American wheat with German weiss-like banana-clove character), Nugget Nectar (a heightened amber ale showcasing honey-malted tropical fruits), Mighty Moose Mild (an English-styled session beer with mint-y herbal citrus spicing) and Spring Fest Helles Bock (a honey nut-grained and tart-fruited balm).
Cinco De Mayo’s just around the corner, so the bar area is decorated with hanging piñatas, a confetti-filled Modelo can, a papier-mâché green cactus with Jose Cuervo insignia and various red-green-white streamers. To commemorate the upcoming Mexican holiday, I dig into the special-priced Taco Salad while consuming a Jalapeno Margarita (with its immense peppery burn outlasting the sweet coconut frontage).
But soon I dabble with a few previously untried pale ales with noticeable biscuit-y malt spines. Fegley’s Always Sunny Pale Ale gathered dry-wooded tinder for sharp grapefruit-peeled lemon rind bittering and 21st Amendment Bitter American spread soft-hopped apricot fruiting across buttery almond nuances. Belgium’s Bockor Omer Traditional Blond retained sourdough and baguette illusions above delicate hop-spiced crystal malts.
As for Troegs Night, the packed minions showed major respect for spicy chocolate-fruited double bock, Troeganator. Plus, the 6:30 promotional raffle got everyone’s attention, especially since a 22-ounce bottle of Troegs’ rum-spiced, candi-sugared, pine-fruited Flying Mouflan Barleywine was one of the prizes.
There are now over 1,300 MBA graduates from Cloverleaf, each one having consumed the prerequisite pilsner-lagers, weiss beers, IPA’s, specialty and seasonal offerings alongside pale, brown and Belgian ales. But you don’t have to be a skilled craft beer denizen to relish the rotating line of brews convivial host Dorchak has picked to click. Besides, those who feel pinned in at the front bar could settle in at the sun-glazed back deck or private left side dining area for family or business occasions.
Instead of trying to reinvent what has become an institution for the affluent Ridgewood community, the new owners of THE OFFICE BEER BAR & GRILL simply refined an outmoded menu while continuing to bring fantastic craft beers to local minions. A veritable sportsbar (previously home to the long-gone Brass Lamp), The Office quickly earned its stripes as a reliable downtown hotspot since opening in 1995.
Located one block away from the train station, a black and red awning welcomes patrons to the green-walled, mahogany-wooded Chestnut Street landmark. Montreal-bred General Manager Hugh Cohen, who came aboard in ’99, constantly revamps and upgrades the craft beer lineup while making sure cocktail selections stay topnotch. Presently, six to eight dedicated tap handles serve standard fare and the other fifteen to seventeen tender a rotating surfeit of choice suds. Fifty bottled beers add further versatility.
Recently, The Office purchased a state-of-the-art NuCo system that makes its own oxygen and maintains perfect gas pressure for draught beer. One carbon dioxide tank is used for pilsners, lagers and light ales while another is used for heavier porters and stouts. The last one is strictly for sodas.
“The NuCo system is clean, efficient and low maintenance,” Cohen insists. “It adds more freshness, creaminess and consistency to the beers.”
Since Mardi Gras is just around the corner during my early February visitation, several Creole flags and danglers decorate the bar area. In a few weeks, it’ll be March Madness and basketball tournament brackets will inundate the interior. Next, Cinco De Mayo will be celebrated. Year round seasonal rejoicing is a top priority for this busy locale. And the ongoing party is centered around fine brews poured from the three solid brass mushroom-like wells at the bar.
“All of the seven Office’s in Jersey are known for craft beer,” Villa Enterprises Marketing Manager Kathleen Janssen claims as we quaff pints of The Office Amber Ale, specially made by High Point Brewery for the Ridgewood pub. “Being a beer bar and grill is our calling card. And we made it more centric towards local craft beer. There’s usually only two international beers on tap, Guinness and Corona, and we have Coors and Bud Lite for the masses. Every location has at least nineteen taps. We dedicate four to seasonals and the rest to local or national favorites picked by our customers.”
Now family-owned by Villa Enterprises’ Bioggio and Antonio Scotto since 2011, The Office offers ridiculously cheap Happy Hour specials such as $3 craft beer draughts, $2 domestic macrobrews and $4 margaritas from 4 to 7 PM Monday through Friday. In business for fifty years, Villa began as a pizzeria chain, Villa Fresh Time Kitchens – a string of highly frequented eateries at airports, malls, casinos and arenas. They also own the Green Leaf chain and recently purchased Jersey’s oldest restaurant, the Black Horse Tavern, built in 1740 as a stage house.
“We take pride in our food,” Janssen says. “We’ve revamped the outdated ’90s menu the defunct Charlie Brown owners used to have. It didn’t represent what the food really was supposed to be. Every item on the menu is cooked in the back. Everything’s fresh. The meat’s brought in raw and fresh fish comes daily. We implemented new items like Lettuce Wraps and sauteed chicken and shrimp.”
I chow down the Tuna Tower, a crisp tuna tartar with avocado and arugula in a wasabi and balsamic glaze, while sipping Saranac White India Pale Ale, a new brew with bright citric overtones and lilting herbal spices.
“In northern Jersey, the market available to us in nearby Manhattan boasts an amazing variety of restaurants. There’s a higher level of expectation since much of Ridgewood’s populace works in the city. We can’t just shovel food out of the kitchen and expect people to enjoy it. That happened beforehand. The Office had become an antiquated steak house,” the Philly-born Janssen says.
Since the coolest new trend is matching craft beer to artisanal foods, The Office hopes to educate their customer base with exciting pairings. But it’s just one of the steps Villa has taken to help customers appreciate a transitional upgraded menu.
“The Office is beer focused and family friendly. Villa’s not a huge corporation operating restaurants in an uncaring, profit-taking manner. We appreciate everything that goes into being a successful venture. The Ridgewood-based Office, comparable to the Montclair and Morristown franchises, has the best character and largest sales,” Janssen concludes.
I stopped by The Office once more four days hence to try the smoothly vanilla-buttered, cocoa-draped dessert treat, Breckenridge Vanilla Porter (perfect for chocolate lovers). Stacy, christened by the surrounding Happy Hour customers as the ‘best bartender in Ridgewood,’ shows off her handiwork by making the couple next to me a few highly distinctive Bloody Mary’s.
so don’t settle on slick corporate giants such as Bennigans, TGIFriday or Applebees for average food and limited beer selections. For maybe a few bucks more, The Office will offer better cuisine, finer brews and nicer ambience.
On tap at Mason Jar, creamy crystal malt eloquence pervades soft-toned mineral graining and subtle grassy-hopped bittering of soothing moderation. Corn sugared citric easement receives salted buttering. Don’t expect as much from lesser red bottled or canned version.