BRICK TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY

ICARUS BREWING has become one of Jersey’s largest and most successful microbreweries since its Lakewood inception, November 2015. Crafting at least 100 different beer recipes and now canning a large batch of best-known fare, Icarus moved into its capaciously monumental new digs during 2024. A dedicated glass-encased barrel aging room creates a fabulous spirits-derived lineup.

Inside a cavernous high-ceilinged freestanding building (shared with an established burger joint), Icarus’ cement-floored interior features 40-plus draughts at its expansive right side bar. There are several wood tables and seats surrounded by multiple TV’s. Exposed ducts complete the 5,000 square-foot open space. A front patio supplies another hundred seats.

On my July ’25 journey, I take my son, Chris, to discover three worthy Heaven Hill bourbon barreled elixirs and one delectably fruited Berliner Weiss.

As a delightful aperitif, lactose-free Berliner Weiss variant, Drinking Bellinis For Breakfast – Oat Fluffed, let sour lemon curd intensify lightly marshmallow-fluffed cara cara orange and toasted coconut adjuncts in heavily oated creaming.

Conditioned on Heaven Hill bourbon, barrel-aged dessert stout, Crunchy Drippie, soaked its milk chocolatey bourbon vanilla with caramelized granola and walnut as well as molasses-sapped pecan, hazelnut coffee, sweet cedar, nutmeg and pine nut illusions.

Superfine Heaven Hill bourbon-aged Baltic Porter, Eastern Horizons, a collaborative variant with Abomination, rushed mellow chocolate sweetness thru Madagascar vanilla beans, picking up molasses, glazed hazelnut, peanut butter, anise and blackcurrant snips in a dry debittered black malt setting.

Finally, luscious nightcap, Life Unraveled Barleywine, also aged in Heaven Hill bourbon, placed Maris Otter-malted rye and ‘aggressive’ Chinook hops atop subtly smoked dark chocolate, gaining sweet caramel, toffee and dried fruit serenity.