Cape May Brewing Co. is located at the Cape May Airport on Hornet Road. It is not IN the airport, as the airport is tiny. But the brewery is one of several businesses in an industrial building that is just down the road from where you can board a plane. I was also very pleased to discover that one of these other businesses was a satellite sales space for Auburn Road Vineyards. Unfortunately, it was closed. But with beer as good as those we were about to taste, I quickly got over my disappointment.
I’m not sure why we hadn’t visited this brewery before now, though I have enjoyed Cape May Brewing Company’s beers at restaurants like Lucky Bones and several upscale bars and taverns in South Jersey. My wife and I were glad to be able to taste more than a half dozen beers, as we wanted to try some new ones and revisit some old favorites. Below were our picks, which we shared (somewhat unevenly, I confess):
- RAD 025 Coconut Porter (RAD = Research & Development-so not available yet in a can to go)-Tasty! (6.0 ABV)
- Boughs of Barley-a barley wine (10.9% ABV)-Potent, but not one of my faves here.
- Snag & Drop-Triple IPA (10% ABV)-I haven’t tasted many TIPAs, but this was potent and pretty good.
- Coastal Evacuation-Imperial DIPA (8% ABV)-A long-time favorite of mine. This one is pretty widely available. Very nice DIPA. Not over-the-top citrusy; well-balanced.
- Mexican Coffee Stout-Hands down, the best coffee stout I have ever had! Drinking one as I type…Think Buzz Beer from the Drew Carey Show. Enough coffee flavor to wake you up and enough alcohol (7.5% ABV) to ease the jitters. Delicious!
- On the Way to Cape May Stout-A smooth, chocolatey Stout.
- Ties the Room Together (a fantastic Cream Stout-8.5% ABV) This one was a sleeper. Close your eyes and you will be surprised that it is not darker in color-a wonderful cream stout! Disappointed that they were running low and had none to go.
- Cape May Coffee Stout-Good, but pales in comparison to their Mexican Coffee Stout (6.5% ABV)
Lots of choices as you can see below. I love the Porters and Stouts and they produce some of the best in the area.
Our take aways:
Tonewood Brewing Company
Tonewood Brewing in Oaklyn has added a second brewery and tasting room in Barrington. The newer, larger version had its Grand Opening on January 22, 2022. I have not visited their Oaklyn site, but my wife and I got to visit their brand new Barrington site about a week ago. Though there was no sign on the exterior of the building, the numerous stainless steel fermenters and storage tanks visible from the parking lot, say you’re in the right place. You can even smell the sweet aroma of malt as soon as you get out of your car.
Once inside, you are greeted by hosts ready to pour you a beer, or sell you Tonewood merchandise. They will also direct you to their larger bar area and various seating options. The facility is a large, bright, and modern space, which takes advantage of the large floor to ceiling windows throughout much of the tasting room area. There are a lot of spots to enjoy your beer in this large modern facility (including an upstairs space).
Tonewood offers about 20 different beers on tap. They do not do samplers, but offer 6 ounce, 12 ounce, 16 ounce, and 20 ounce pours. My highlights from those I got to sample:
- Freshies-A very good Pale Ale
- Improv-DIPA (Double IPA) a hazy beer with tropical fruit notes (unlike the typical citrusy fruits in many IPAs)
- Revolution Porter EMD-Coffee Porter (6.5% ABV)
- Blackbird Dark Lager – Side Pour-Poured from the side rather than the top to get a better head on the beer.
- Slipstream-A very good, easy-drinking British Pub Ale (4.5 % ABV).
- Through Being Cool Brown Ale*
Our take aways from this visit:
*Note: We were not able to try their Through Being Cool Brown Ale, as it was not available on tap, but I was able to bring home a four-pack of this delicious ale.
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