Chester's Publick House: Perfect Stop on a Perfect Riding Day

The gorgeous back roads of Somerset and Hunterdon Counties beckon motorcycle riders from April through October, and when a perfect Autumn day occurs, two-wheel time is compulsory. This past Sunday was just one of those days, and the Borough of Chester, where Rt. 206 intersects with County Rd. 513 was chock full of visitors, most using four-wheeled conveyances, however.

That would account for the fullness, at least in part, of the parking lot of Chester's Publick House. What the old building, which offers lodging, has inside would likely account for the fullness of the House itself. A decent beer list, a varied (if somewhat pricey) menu and some great ambiance attracted tourists, pumpkin pickers and day-trippers galore.

After eighty miles or so of two-lane twisty blacktop roads, it was time for a P&P stop. Already jammed with people, with more coming in, I doubted there would be space. There were, however, two seats at the bar, where the barmaid Victoria was busily trying to meet the food and beverage demands of the guests.

I ordered up a beer I had never tried--Erdinger's Oktoberfest--because, well, it's that time of the year. It did not look like any Oktoberfest beer I knew of. Pale yellow in color, with the distinctive characteristics of a classic German wheat beer, I asked Victoria if she indeed had brought the right one. She allowed that she had. It was tasty, if atypical, but it did go extremely well with my Lentil Soup. 

As would the house-made bread I ordered, had it come out with the soup--which it didn't. But Victoria explained that as it was made in house, its delivery would take a bit longer. When it did come, it was totally worth the wait. It was one of those breads that you eat so much of before your meal, that you might not finish your meal at all.

You can read the history of this old pub here. That it has some haunted history as well makes it even more appealing to those whose interest in spirits goes beyond the liquid variety.

After lunch, an Alvarez in the sunny parking lot under cloudless blue skies readied me for the second half of my perambulations. There's just something very therapeutic about motorcycle riding on blacktop roads ablaze with Fall colors that seem to permeate the senses, already primed with the comforting growl of 1300 cc's. It's called Wind Therapy for a reason, and may be why you rarely, if ever, see a motorcycle parked at a psychiatrist's office. 

Unless it belongs to the doctor.

The Publick House is a lot less crowded during the week, according to Victoria, but on this day, Yogi Berra's classic comment made perfect sense: "Nobody goes there any more; it's too crowded."

Apparently, "nobody" was not familiar with it.

Cheers!
The PubScout

Station Bar & Grill Rebirth in Garwood

Station Bar

You could be forgiven if, after walking into this bar for the first time, you thought you might have stepped into the Boston Bull and Finch—aka the “Cheers” bar. There is a large square bar area with loyal customers in the bar seats, some booths and tables around the outside and an apparently tightly-knit cadre of employees making sure it runs right.

That was my first impression after having been invited to visit by comely Kristen Kelly, who was working the 36 taps (pouring some really good beer) this night. Kristen had visited my PubScout Page on FaceBook. She had been apprised about my regular blog (the one you're reading right now) by a customer, but went to the FB page to extend the invitation: “Hey, I work at a craft beer bar in Garwood.  TheStation Bar and Grill. I was wondering if you'd be interested to come and check us out some time.”

 I had never been there, but a few of my friends had, and they recommended it, too. So off I went for a special event on October 9—a tap takeover by Flying Fish. FF was offering a slew of their great beers—Exit 4, Exit 16, Abbey Dubbel, HopFish IPA, Extra Pale Ale and the outstanding RedFish. I had heard nothing about the food, but I figured I’d find something.

With nothing to lose, the missus and I headed up to meet our friends "Yellow School Bus" Ron and "Pope" Mimsy Adamson for a bite and a brew, whose home is maybe three minutes from the place. I introduced myself to Kristen, and we took a seat at a side booth. 

That’s when the night took a decidedly serendipitous turn. Our server, a pretty bundle of energy named Carrie who looked far younger than her actual years, came and introduced herself.

After making suggestions (hers was to order “Brian’s Brother’s Wings), taking our orders and bringing us our beer I began my usual chit-chat with pretty, efficient waitstaff. She offered information about the place, the owner, Brian Cruikshank and herself.

 

Carrie (Center)

But we forged a lasting bond immediately when she informed us that she was a kidney transplant recipient. As my readers know, my eldest son is on dialysis and waiting for a donor in North Carolina. With my mouth and that of the missus agape, the serious forging began. She was a veritable treasure trove of information and help, and we exchanged contact info, vowing to stay in touch.

Our food came out. Brian’s Brother’s Wings were delicious--and exactly as Carrie had described. If Carrie suggests something, get it. Ron and I made short work of them, which in retrospect was probably why I couldn’t finish the gargantuan, juicy, perfectly cooked “best burger around” that Carrie had also suggested. For the record, the RedFish went perfectly with both. 

Great--but big--burger!

The missus allowed that her crabcakes were delicious, Ron exclaimed about the incredible tenderness and flavor of his Rib-Eye Steak, and Mimsy enjoyed her Filet Mignon with a big smile.

Ron and I ordered up two excellent Exit 4 Trippels, and I was pleased to meet with a few former students, Rob and Sue (who worked there, but looked the same as she did in high school), a very beer-savvy customer named Paul who designs the Friday Night Flights for Brian, and Brian Cruikshank himself.

Brian Cruikshank

 I chatted with Brian for a bit, and learned that it had taken him two years of hard work to turn the bar into a welcoming, bustling place where “everybody knows your name.” He spoke very highly of his clientele, and shared an anecdote about a day early on in the process which saw both his ice machine and his air-conditioning go on the fritz.

He came out of the back where he usually works with a dejected look on his face, and when his customers asked what was wrong, he told them. Apparently, the exasperation and frustration in his voice was clear. But his customers immediately took to their cell phones, made contacts with folks who could help and within twenty minutes, a slew of repairmen walked in to fix the problems. If they were smart, they took their compensation in food and beer, but that’s just me. “That’s the kind of people who come here. And that’s what makes me want to do right by all of them,” said Cruikshank, who trusts his front staff to handle all the beer related issues.

 

Lovely Lindsay brings an Anderson Valley Stout

In terms of his beer and beer lines, he is certainly doing right by not only his old customers, but his new ones. Assiduous about cleaning his lines and rotating his taps, his beer offerings are nothing short of excellent. Go here to see what’s available. Ron ordered a third— Anderson Valley Pinchy Jeek Barl Bourbon Barrel Pumpkin Ale, which is kept on year round due to demand—and he said it was excellent. My dessert was an Anderson Valley Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrel Stout served in an appropriate glass can. Cruikshank does things right, for sure.

 

Rob and Amanda

The Station Bar and Grill not only met, but exceeded my expectations, and it fits in perfectly with The PubScout’s motto—Good Pubs, Good Beer, Good People. 

By all means, go. It won’t be long before everybody knows your name, too.

Stop by my Facebook PubScout Page to stay current and say hello!

Sometimes you wanna go-- where everybody knows your name....

Cheers!

The PubScout

Sella Sets Sail with Cask Event

Brewer Mike Sella is back at the helm for Uno's on Rt. 1 in Metuchen, and after a short time getting readjusted to the job he did so well for nearly fifteen years, has set his first Cask Ale event since returning.

The event will be held on Saturday, October 17 from noon to "whenever, " and it will feature some very popular beers from some very popular breweries. 

On hand will be:

• Demented Brewing, featuring a brown ale made with espresso beans called "Moon Reaper."
• Biermeister Dave Hoffman from Climax will have his Baltic Porter there.
• The Biermistress, Gretchen Schmidhausler, is sending up some Pupkin from Little Dog.
• Two Ton Brewing will offer an Imperial IPA
• 902 Brewing will bring a Pale Ale
• Cypress Brewing will do a double chocolate oatmeal stout on coconut
• And Kane will send both Head High and Drift Line.

And of course, Sella will have a few surprises of his own making.

The "Regulars," recently released from confinement, in action at Uno's Bar

That's a pretty impressive list, underscoring the great respect other NJ brewers have for Sella, another of the many "good guys/gals" that populate the NJ beer scene.

Taps open at noon. Food deals will be available and plenty of hop-forward/fall backward Beer Nuts will be on hand to participate. Hope to see you there next Saturday!

Cheers!
The PubScout

New Hope's Triumph--12 Years later

The kid is now 22...

With my then pre-teen in tow, I visited and reviewed Triumph's second brewpub on its opening day back in April of 2003. With its huge silver tanks overlooking the bar, the New Hope facility was said to have cost in the $2 million range, but it was playing off the long-term success of Princeton's unique brewpub, just the second such to open in New Jersey after The Ship Inn in Milford. 

There were questions then. Would it catch on? Would it thrive in this "catchment area" and bring a good ROI? Would it be as successful as the first?

Brendan Anderson in the Princeton pub

Yes, yes and yes. According to Head Brewer Brendan Anderson, the New Hope pub produces just as much quality craft beer as the busy Princeton one, and there's even a new brewpub gestating in Red Bank which Anderson expects to be up and running within a year. His job is to oversee the brewing operations at all of them.

In the New Hope facility, he works with a Somerset County, NJ guy named Matt Suydam of the legendary Suydam Farms.

With a history dating back to 1713, the farm still provides produce for local restaurants, and it was the site of a nano-brewery experiment some years ago. Growing its own hops, the small operation originally called Great Blue Brewing actually produced a Scarlet Red Ale, but nano-sized production was not sufficient to slake the passion or the thirst of Farmer Matt, who had home brewing experience. So he applied for the spot at Triumph a few years ago; he's been there ever since. And he's loving it.

Matt Suydam and Brendan Anderson

The PubScout tried and enjoyed Matt's Oktoberfest, and sampled a Kellerbier and an Alt. Both were drinkable--maybe even sessionable--  although the alt did not have the usual darker color of the style.

The food was up to Triumph's usual high standards, and with a slight chill in the air by the river, the Potato Leek Soup warmed my cockles. The Potato Pancakes were delicious, and both paired up very nicely with the Oktoberfest.

Then Brendan told me about some beers Triumph was doing in collaboration with Dad's Hat Rye Whiskey Distillery in Bristol, PA.  They already produced an IPX, essentially their amped up (8%) Bengal Gold aged in those rye barrels. 

Barrel Aged IPX--8%

But he suggested another. Called Barrel-Aged Brunch Stout, the bottle-conditioned beer is aged in rye whiskey barrels from the distillery. Anderson added, "It's not available quite yet, but will be in the coming weeks. It was aged in Dad's Hat barrels for seven months and was bottled roughly one month ago. [It's been] conditioning ever since. It's [a] work in progress!"

I carefully transported a 750 ml bottle home in my saddlebags and assembled a topnotch, three-man tasting team for an evening evaluation. we evaluated the beer in a minimum of five categories (color, nose, mouthfeel, flavor and finish) with a total of 25 points achievable per evaluator. Two team members rated it 21 out of 25, and one gave it a 25. 

Evaluating the Barrel-Aged Brunch Stout

One, who viewed this 8.7% ABV beer looking down into the glass with light overhead, described the color as "Coca-Cola-ish," though holding it up yielded an opaque impression. A strong, high-alcohol nose-(which did not indicate how very smooth it would be on the palate) was so pleasant that this evaluator sniffed again before each sip. And, make no mistake, this is a beer to sip casually with good friends from snifters around the fireplace on a chilly Autumn night. Or you could get the same effect sitting in Triumph's comfortable outside seating area as the sun goes down and the river damp rises. 

If you're a stout-lover, you''ll enjoy Barrel-Aged Brunch Stout.
Even if you never have it at brunch.

Clearly, good things are (still) happening at Triumph.

Cheers!
The PubScout

Catch a Tiger by the Tale...

After five days of rain, wind and Joaquin-fueled angst (and after dealing with the residual effects of a 50th high school reunion weekend), the weather gods finally dealt me a nice day, so I determined to get out on the Blue Eagle for some overdue WT. (That's "wind therapy" for you four-wheelers.)

I figured I might catch some deciduous trees doing their fall foliage thing, and while the woodlands were not yet totally aflame in color, here and there patches of flora were igniting, especially along the canal in Somerset County near the villages of Griggstown and Rocky Hill.

Setting my mental GPS, I was bound for Blawenburg, headed for Hopewell and navigating to New Hope.  When I got to the intersection of 206 and 518, I noticed, for perhaps only the 250th time, a bar and grill called the Tiger's Tale. It's been there since 1985, having gone through a few iterations with other names.

Must be a college kids' hangout, I thought, what with Princeton University only four miles down the road. But as I was hungry (and always up for a brew), I decided to stop for lunch.

The Tiger's Tale is decidedly NOT a college kids' hangout, and according to affable, young barman Nick, the clientele is generally 30 and up. The bar is spacious yet comfortable, and there are side rooms for table dining as well as a few booths in the bar section. Even better, Manager Manolo told me there were twenty-one imported and domestic beers on tap, and more in bottles.

I ordered a River Horse Hipp-O'Lantern, and while perusing the menu, I couldn't help but notice the gigantic sandwich platters being served to two guys next to me. I guessed they were 45-55 years old based on the topic of their conversation (business, leverage, etc.), not to mention the fact that their noses weren't buried in their smartphones and they were actually talking to each other.

So I asked them if they were regulars here, and they said yes. And they added, "because the food is phenomenal."

It sure looked good on the menu of the day, but lots of menus sound good. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, they say.

I was this close to ordering the Sautéed Calves Liver and Onions, but I ordered a cup of Shrimp and Corn Chowder Soup and a Liverwurst sandwich on rye instead. While a liverwurst sandwich (even with Boar's Head Liverwurst) is just that, the soup was absolutely the best soup I've had in many a moon, and I was sad that I hadn't ordered a complete bowl. That it paired up nicely with my Hipp-O'Lantern was an added bonus. And the bill being under $20 was nice, too.

In short, I had passed by this place many times on my many rides in search of twisty, winding, empty two-lane black top, always promising myself that I'd stop in one day. I'm glad I did. 

And I'll be back. Maybe even for this charity Stein-Hoisting Event.

 I might get the Calves Liver, too.
But I'm definitely getting a pail of the soup.

Cheers!
The PubScout

This Just In...

News from Krogh's...

Cheers!
The PubScout

Bavaria Comes to Somerville

Mike Proske

Michael Proske,  Somerville's Baron of Bier and Wunderkind of Tapastre, launched another successful beer event on the streets of Somerville over the weekend. 

This time it was a two-day Oktoberfest which featured a host of breweries pouring their best beers. As usual, there were so many beers and so little belly space, especially if one took advantage of the many food offerings around the grounds provided by the Court House Sub Shop, Blue Salt Culinary, Hansel 'n' Griddle, Division Cafe and more.

As the pictures will attest, it was a popular event, what with dirndl-clad madschens pouring marzens,  lads leaping in lederhosen, brat-eating contests and even a periodic Masskrugstemmen contest for the strong of shoulder. The beer used in the steins is a closely-guarded secret.

There were other contests to engage the fest-goers, including a "Shoot the Boot" event which saw Hofbrau Hopefuls attempt to drain a liter-boot of beer. This particular event used non-alcoholic beer for the sake of safety.The beneficiary of Proske's efforts this year was the Food Bank Network of Somerset County, and you could subtract $2 off your entry fee if you brought along some canned goods to donate.

Shot of the Fest from the Tapastre Roof

Breweries present were Weyerbacher, Hofbraukeller Munchen, Sly Fox, Troegs Flying Dog, Lancaster, Abita, Neshaminy Creek, Penn Brewery, Sierra Nevada, Left Hand, Boulevard, New Holland, Cricket Hill, Scholarly, B. Nektar Meadery and the Downeast Cider House.

The PubScout was immediately drawn to the Sierra Nevada tap, where their outstanding OTO collaboration with Brauhaus Riegele was being poured, but having had it already, he eschewed that for a pint of Penn Brewery's Oktoberfest, which was excellent. So was Left Hand's and Bob's 47/Boulevard's versions of the seasonal favorite. Flying Dog's Dogtoberfest was also there, but also previously enjoyed.

Misses Masskrugstemmen

Abita's Oktoberfest offering was also sampled (without the benefit of the pierogi/hot dog meal depicted above), but the star of the show in my opinion was Neshaminy Creek's Punkless Dunkel. If you can find it, you will not be disappointed.

The diverse clientele included singles, groups and even families with small children, and they all seemed to be enjoying the event, including the new venue, which stretched right in front of Tapastre's building.

Proske continues to do right by our favorite beverage while remaining committed to community involvement and improvement. His efforts deserve a hearty thanks and a loud "Ein Prosit!"

Cheers!
The PubScout