I cannot believe it’s been almost five years since I wrote about Bonesaw Brewery (shortly after they opened). I have been back a couple of times since then, but felt an update was in order. Located in Glassboro, Bonesaw Brewery is a thriving example of how well the craft brewing business is doing in New Jersey! Besides serving great brews, this is a very attractive venue. They have enclosed the patio that goes around two sides of the building, giving even more space in colder weather. The large tasting room has a nice choice of seating (large tables seating the whole gang, to smaller more intimate tables, and even sofas and comfy chairs near their fireplace). The result is a super ambiance and vibe.
My Sampler
- Self Awareness (Cold Fermentation IPA)-Love the name and love the beer- a cross between an IPA and a lager. ABV=7.4%.
- Swoosh-IPA-An excellent IPA that is always on tap and is one of their best sellers. ABV=7.1%. Delicious hybrid style (NEIPA & West Coast IPA).
- Mr. Hanks (Extra Stout)-Nice export strength stout with notes of coffee and chocolate. ABV=8.1%.
- All Blacked Out (Oatmeal Stout)-Dark stout, brewed with oats, with coffee and molasses notes. ABV=6.2%.
My Wife’s Sampler
- Crimson Skull (Vienna Lager)-Not the more common straw color, lager. This is a red-amber lager (ABV=5.8%) with tasty, toasty malt notes.
- Stagger Bock (ABV=6.8%)-A lighter color, but interesting mix of almost a dozen different imported German specialty malts!
- Black & Tan-(A Cream Ale with coffee). Not your father’s Black & Tan. ABV=4.7%.
- Dark Tower (Munich Style Dunkel)-A dark lager with a light body and notes of coffee and chocolate. ABV=4.9%.
The Best was Yet to Come
I had to try two of their barrel aged Stouts:
- Call Me Chris (a barrel aged Imperial Stout)-ABV=12.7%. This is an extremely rich and full-bodied Stout, aged in Kentucky Bourbon barrels for two years. Decadent and delicious!
- Le Déjeuner (a barrel-aged Canadian Breakfast Stout)-ABV=13.3%. An Imperial Stout, aged for two years in Heaven Hills Bourbon barrels. Organic Vermont Maple Syrup and Mexican Chiapas coffee beans were added to the mix, just to kick it up a notch. Breakfast or dessert in a glass. Amazing!
These two were so good that we decided to take home a bottle of Call me Chris and a “Crowler” of Le Dejeunier.
New Jersey Wine of the Week
This week, I chose the 2019 Signature Series Cab Franc from Hawk Haven Vineyards. Hawk Haven has always made a great Cab Franc and it is one of my perennial favorites there. Also remember from by post about vintage years. You can read more here: https://wp.me/p74VSa-dzl 2019 was an excellent vintage year in New Jersey. Given all of this, I was excited to open this bottle. It did not disappoint. This wine scored 91 points from Tastings.com. It is a medium to medium+ bodied dry red with lots of cherry, rounded tannins, and a long finish.
You can still buy my handbook on New Jersey wine, New Jersey Uncorked: A Snob-Free Taste of NJ Wine. It’s available at Amazon.com. The better buy, however, is the ebook, available ONLY at the Apple iBooks app and only using an iOS (Mac, iPad, or iPhone). The ebook is only $7.99 if you use the coupon code: Winter2022
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