This week I was able to visit a fairly new brewery in Clayton, called Core3Brewery, and revisit Cedar Rose Vineyards in Rosenhayn. Both visits reinforced the growing trend of hot spots in small towns for wineries, breweries, and distilleries. First, our visit to a great new brewery on Friday.
Core3Brewery is located on Delsea Drive in Clayton. It is a rustic, small tasting room, but with a high ceiling, giving the feeling of a larger venue. There is also a smaller outer room, which could serve an overflow of patrons, with seating available at a large church pew and a table for your brews.
The building was originally a gas station (vacant for about 20 years) and the heart pine bar came from a Philadelphia train stop that dates back to the Civil War (according to the Daily Journal, in an article in 2019). While they opened in 2019, like other businesses, they had to close during the worst of COVID.
I ordered a tasting sampler consisting of:
- The Spearhead-Rye IPA Nitro; 6.8 ABV-unique brew with a taste of anise. Kudos to the creativity behind this brew.
- Le Femelle Polie-Hazelnut Creme Porter; 7.0 ABV-delicious! A shot of this in my coffee would be interesting…
- The Coxcomb Pessimist-Black Witbier-I still am still not a fan of fruit flavors in my beer (other than citrusy flavors in West Coast IPAs).
- The Death Note & Talking Head-Red IPA 8.0 ABV-An interesting hybrid of beer and wine.
- The Barbaros Oat-Tin* (Can only);Oatmeal Milk Stout; 5.0 ABV -Not part of the four included in the tasting. My wife and I shared this (though I admit to hogging more of it).
My wife ordered two that I did (the Porter and the Red IPA). Her other two samples:
- Nevermore-Black Saison; 7.8 ABV-a bit of chocolate mixed with dark fruit.
- The River Runs Black-Black IPA; 8.0 ABV-A tasty and enjoyable version of this style which appears to be growing in popularity.
My favorites from our tasting: The Hazelnut Creme Porter, the Barbaros Oat, and the The River runs Black. I would give the Spearhead Rye IPA an honorable mention, as it was very unique and unexpectedly good.
Our barmaid was knowledgeable and friendly and gave us a good introduction to this interesting local brewery. Upon finding out it was our first visit, she even gave us each t-shirts with their logo (which were among the last of their older batch being replaced by a new design). They both fit and we both liked our thoughtful, free souvenirs.
Cedar Rose Vineyard-Wine, Food, and Music
I had made a reservation online for a table outdoors. Upon arriving, we found out that there was seating upstairs in the tasting room, overlooking the vineyards and with the live music piped in, we elected to be seated there. We were the only patrons in the entire upstairs area. We loved it there, air-conditioning and all. It also brought back memories of out first visit to Cedar Rose, before their opening. We got a tour and saw the potential for what it might look like, once finished. The current setup and ambience exceeded expectations.
We decided to do a flight of five reds and three whites. My reds consisted of:
- Kindling Edition #3-(64% Chambourcin; 15% Regent; 12% Norton; and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon). This is a very food-friendly, dry red. I love the combination of wines in this blend.
- Blaufrankisch (substituted for the Churchhill, which was sold out). One of the best Blaufrankisch wines in the state (which boasts quite a few these days).
- Chambourcin Reserve-Very nice version; more full-bodied than most
- Capelli Cab Franc-Delicious single vineyard version.
- Cabernet Sauvignon (substituted for Thundergust, which was sold out, too). Excellent rich, full-bodied Cab.
Not a bad choice among these reds.
My wife’s white flight consisted of 2017 Traminette, Quartz Edition 2, and 2019 Silica. We enjoyed each, but for this tasting, the Quartz Edition 2 was our favorite white. So we ordered a bottle of it to enjoy with our food (see below). The Quartz is an interesting and very versatile white wine that will pair nicely with many foods.
We selected an assortment of cheeses, meats, nuts, and dried fruits to enjoy with our flights. Then we selected the following to enjoy with our Chambourcin Reserve and our Quartz: A Chicken Caesar Salad (we split); crispy truffle fries; and calamari.
Music
The music was provided by John Rossi. I have seen John perform before and really enjoy his bluesy guitar playing. He has a diverse playlist, but is at his best when the song elicits his best blues licks and is in sync with his bluesy vocals. The songs ranged from the Beatles (“Dear Prudence” and “Here Comes the Sun”) to the Kinks (“Sunny Afternoon”) and Doc Watson (“Deep River Blues”) to John Prime (“Angel From Montgomery”). My favorites were the “Deep River Blues” and “Angel From Montgomery” (though his versions of the Beatles classics were good, as well).
It’s hard to beat the music, coupled with the wine, the food, and the view of the vineyards. Add this to being the sole patrons upstairs (they were sold out on the patio) and you have a recipe for a fantastic evening that is hard to beat.
What a nice week to get back to enjoying artisan wine and beer!
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