I hope you had a great St. Patrick’s Day and are able to ambulate by now, without a pounding headache or any other lingering affliction. My site (not me) was down yesterday for maintenance, so without further ado…This is another in a series of digressions and occasional detours from the wonderful wine trails in New Jersey. The wineries are great, but sometimes I get a thirst for a good brew. So…
13th Child Brewery is a New Brewery in Williamstown (actually one of two new ones opening within the same week). Judging by their crowd the day we were there (Opening Day) this joint is going to be a roaring success. The building, pictured above, was formerly a quaint old bank on 345 South Main Street. My wife and I were unable to get a seat to do our tasting with the curious and thirsty crowd on hand. Consequently we may have had a briefer and less relaxed tasting than we had hoped for. At the same time, I am glad to see that this new business in Williamstown is being supported by the locals. The beer offerings are certainly good enough and diverse enough to please most craft beer lovers.
As you can see from the selection above, there is pretty much something for everyone. I chose two of their IPAs: Water Pig IPA (ABV=6.5%) and Tara’s Golden Gift (ABV=7.52%). My preference here was the Water Pig IPA. My other selections were their Schoko Bliss Stout (ABV=7.0%) and King Teefy Imperial Red (ABV=8.0%). The Stout was probably my favorite, though not as chocolatey as I was expecting, and the Imperial Red was surprising good. I don’t usually care as much for Red Ales, but was intrigued by the Imperial version, with higher alcohol and more malt. I was also able to try a taste of my wife’s Little Blonde Brau (ABV=5.8%). It did not change my order of favorites as I was not enthralled with that one. I must say that, unlike some craft beer breweries, they are doing two basics very well: proper amounts of carbonation (no flat beers or exploding pints) and creating nice balances between their malts and their hops.
I would definitely come back after the initial grand opening hoopla has died down a bit and I can get a pint and be seated. The place has a nice vibe and if seated near the windows, you can carry on a conversation. Worse case scenario, you can watch a sporting event on one of their large screen TVs and enjoy a good brew while enjoying the game. They also have a number of board games and card games around the periphery of the bar for those so inclined. They are open Thursday 5-9 PM; Friday 5-10 PM; Saturday 12-10 PM; and Sunday 12-7 PM.
Incredibly, the following day another brewery opened in Williamstown (Cross Keys Brewing Company). I hope to report on that one in the near future.
Cheers!
Book Update: I’ll be sending the above manuscript for copyright registration this week!
Coming Attractions
- Another South Jersey Brewery
- Wagonhouse Winery Revisited
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