Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there! I am dedicating this post to my lovely wife and mother of our wonderful son, Sean. The history of the Swedesboro area seems particularly fitting, given that my wife, Carol, is both Swedish and Native American.
Swedesboro is a small, but interesting town in Gloucester County with a population of less than 3,000 people. But it is also one of the oldest towns in New Jersey. It was settled as part of New Sweden in 1638. It was originally named Raccoon Town (named for the area’s earliest settlers, the Narraticon Indians). The raccoon lives on as a sort of mascot for the Swedesboro Brewing Co. The raccoon is part of their logo and you will find brews like Raccoon IPA and t-shirts and sweatshirts with raccoons adorning them. This wonderful brewery opened its doors in 2020 (a rather inauspicious year, but the pandemic did not deter them from making and selling some fine brews).
I love that in South Jersey you can get in your car and drive less than a half-hour in nearly any direction and arrive at your choice of dozens of wineries, breweries, or distilleries. A few weeks ago I wrote about Independence Distilling in Swedesboro. Just a couple of miles from this distillery, is Swedesboro Brewing Company, nestled among several restaurants and stores.
We arrived just after they opened (deliberately, socially distancing). Once settled in, we ordered two samplers of the available beers.
Our first sampler consisted of the following brews:
- Harker’s Glory American Pale Ale (ABV=5.5%)-A very nice Pale Ale that would be very food friendly, but quite good on its own merits. It is named after a Union Army Brigadier General who was a Swedesboro native.
- Raccoon IPA Juicy IPA (ABV=6.6%)-A hazy, but good tropical flavored brew. It is more approachable for folks that may not care for IPAs, as it does not have the typical bitterness imparted by the hops.
- Dark Piney IPA Black IPA (ABV=6.5%)-This IPA is a bit bolder and more bitter than the Raccoon IPA.
- Creek Water Brown Ale (ABV=5.5%)-An enjoyable brew that has the typical characteristics of a brown ale (hints of chocolate and caramel), with a little more bitterness.
Our second sampler consisted of:
- Three Sisters Amber Ale (ABV=5.9%)-I am not usually a fan of Amber Ales, but found this one more to my liking-more flavorful, yet very food-friendly.
- Dark Piney IPA-Described above
- Morton’s Cabin Fever Porter (ABV=5.2%)-Chocolatey, creamy, and super smooth.
- Kings Whey Milk Stout (ABV=5.5%)-My favorite among these samples. I ordered a small pour (6 ounces) to enjoy a bit more of it (even though my wife insisted on helping).
In retrospect, we wished we had doubled up on the Stout or the Porter which were our favorites. However, we were pleased with all of the beers we got to taste. My only disappointment was that there was only one brew with an ABV over 6%-their Scottish Ale, which is a style that I do not care for. Perhaps next time there will be a DIPA (Double IPA) or an Imperial Stout?
We will definitely be back and we will take advantage of one of the local shops (perhaps the pizzeria in the same shopping center) and enjoy their outdoor seating.
Cheers!
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