Our first MKUntapped Beer Blog of 2019 is here and we are so excited to share two new breweries with you! The last few months of 2018 were so incredibly busy that we didn’t get out too many breweries, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t thinking about our next brewery trip.
We headed out on January 26th to two breweries in Northern NJ that we have yet not visited. And to our surprise, one of them was hosting their grand opening on the day we decided to visit, so it was exciting to be a part of their Day One!
Two Ton Brewing
Our first stop was in Kenilworth, New Jersey at Two Ton Brewing. Two Ton Brewing opened their doors in October 2018 to their awesome tasting room. When we pulled up, it looked like a little house on a side street, but once you walk around the back, you realize it’s a large garage which now hosts their tasting room.
There were 10 beers on tap – so of course we tried them all. They offer flights of 4, but if you ask nicely, they will allow a 5th tasting for a small cost! We love when we can try everything they offer so we have a real understanding of what they are brewing.
Our absolute favorite was the first beer we tried, their Hammer & Al IPA coming in at 9.1%. Our second favorite was Do What’s in your Heart IPA, with an ABV of 5.8%.
We were super excited to try their Sour Intentions Berliner but it was not our favorite – I think if they work on it, it can become a really great sour though.
If you stop by, be sure to also try their Stay Awake Milk Stout. I love a good stout and this one came in at 6.6% and I could see myself sipping it next to a fire on a cold evening this winter.
Two Ton Brewing allows you to bring in food, so pack a picnic or order a pizza and enjoy some good, local beer.
Untied Brewing Company
Our next stop was Untied Brewing Company in New Providence, New Jersey, less than 10 miles from Two Ton Brewing. Untied Brewing Company was hosting their grand opening, which we found out about that very morning as we were researching on where to go! We’ve never been to a grand opening of a brewery so we were excited to be a part of their big day.
When we walked in, the place was packed! We were greeted right when we walked in and received a quick visual tour of the brewery. We then headed our way over to the tasting bar and had some time to check out their large selection of beers as we waited on line. I was excited to see so many people came out to support their local brewery!
We found a spot to sit, in one of the back rooms, and started with our first tasting. We got two tastings of 4 beers each (which were pretty big) as they had over 20+ beers to choose from. This is when you can’t try them all so you have to narrow them down!
We really enjoyed their Mayor Stout which was surprising a very low ABV of 3.2%. We also tried it on cask, but I have to say, I like it better on draught.
I liked their Coffee Stout which tasted at first like a cup of coffee that had been left out for a few hours, but boy did it grow on me. By the end of my tasting, I was looking for more.
Matt enjoyed their Milkshake IPA as it reminded him of a creamsicle. I on the other hand do not like creamsicles, so it was not one of my favorites. Matt also liked the East Coast IPA!
Can you see a pattern here, I like stouts and Matt likes IPA’s!
Overall, we had a good experience but we’d love to go back when it’s not so busy, so we could relax and maybe chat with one of the brewers. We do wish them much success as one of the newest breweries in New Jersey!
And if you feel up to it, head on over to Twin Elephant Brewing. We didn’t make it there as we were heading out to dinner at the Huntley Taverne in Summit (highly recommend) but if you were out and about for the day, Twin Elephant is in Chatham, NJ, just miles from New Providence.
Our next brewery tour will be this coming weekend in South Jersey & Baltimore, Maryland and then we are heading out to Brooklyn on February 19th. If you have any suggestions, please let us know!
Until next time, Cheers!
