Founder Dave Hoffmann started Climax after producing and sharing his highly touted homebrews. He and his father run the entire operation out of a former machine shop in Roselle Park, NJ. They brew it, bottle it, sell it and deliver it all by themselves – making it one of the smallest microbreweries that you’ll ever find. Dave’s regular lineup includes an Extra Special Bitter, India Pale Ale, Nut Brown, and Cream Ale. He also has a series of tasty seasonal German style lagers (under the Hoffmann label) including Bavarian Dark, Octoberfest, Dubbelbock, and Helles. All of the beers are bottle conditioned and only available in 64 oz. growlers. We are one of only a couple of stores in South Jersey that carry Dave’s beers
High Point Wheat Beer Company, the maker of Ramstein, is a small microbrewery in Butler, NJ. They specialize in German style wheat beers, including a Classic Dark, a Blonde, and seasonal Winter and Oktoberfests. Founder Greg Zaccardi learned his craft in Germany, and brought his expertise back home to New Jersey. He uses only authentic ingredients imported from Bavaria, including a special yeast that he found at a small brewery. The unique qualities of his beers are based on this private yeast. The name Ramstein comes from the town that surrounds the US Air Base.
Cricket Hill Brewery is located in Fairfield, NJ. Owner Rick Reed thinks of his beers as transitional beers – a good introduction into microbrews when you’re tired of drinking the usual mass–produced, flavorless stuff. At present, he offers three styles: East Coast Lager, American Amber and Hypnotic IPA. All are easy drinking – big on flavor, but not quite as big and heavy as some microbrews can be. They are definitely worth taking home and enjoying when you are in the mood for more than one.
Troegs was started in 1997 by brothers Chris and John Trogner and they have easily become one of our favorite breweries. Their year round styles include Hopback Amber (IPA), Troegenator Double Bock, Rugged Trail Ale (English Brown) and Dream Weaver Wheat, as well as some amazing seasonals. The beers are rich, big and full of flavor – some of the best examples of each style that’s available in this area. These are ales that are meant to be savored over the course of an evening and will easily stand up to many different types of food.
Hugh Sisson and a group of investors founded Clipper City Brewing Co., LP, in December 1995. Beginning in 1997, Clipper City also began contract brewing. At present, contract production represents approximately one half of all beer produced at Clipper City. In late fall of 1998, Clipper City merged/acquired the Oxford Brewing Company, Maryland’s first craft brewery, established in 1987. The largest brand acquired was the delicious Oxford Raspberry Wheat Beer, an American version of a Belgian classic. Their Heavy Seas line includes two of our favorite beers – Loose Cannon – an Imperial IPA, and Below Decks Barleywine.
Long Trail was started by Andy Pherson as a two–man operation in 1989 in Bridgewater, Vermont. Today, they are one of the largest microbreweries in New England, producing over half a million cases a year. Long Trail Brewery's own artesian wells produce the best drinking water in Vermont, and since beer is 95% water, the outstanding quality shows through in their ales. The styles include Long Trail Ale, a German Alt style; Double Bag, a double Alt strong ale; Hit the Trail, an English style Brown Ale; and an India Pale Ale. They also do delicious seasonal and limited edition beers. We are proud to be the Number 1 seller of Long Trail in South Jersey.
Lambic beers come from the town of Vlezenbeek, Belgium. The most interesting thing about Lambics is that they go through a process called “spontaneous fermentation”. The beer is top-fermented by the wild yeast strains Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Brettanomyces lambicus, whereas most ales use the cultivated yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The yeast enters through louvers in the barn’s walls that are raised during the brewing season. After fermentation, the beer is transferred into “hogsheads” (casks) for two summers of maturation. A second, slower fermentation takes place in the oak. After aging, the base lambic is treated in different ways to make different beers. Lindemans is the most popular and well–know lambic that is imported to the US, and the styles include Framboise (raspberry), Kriek (cherry), Pêche (peach) and Guezue. The Framboise is our best seller – it is amazingly rich, complex, and sweet – making it a great alternative to dessert wines or wine coolers.
Some of the best beers in the world are the Trappist Ales. The Trappists constitute the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance. This order was founded in 1098 and the name “Trappist” got its origin from the Abbey of Notre-Dame de la Trappe in Soligny (France). There is no beer style called Trappist. The term “Authentic Trappist Beer” is a designation of the brewery of origin. To use the name and the logo, the 4 rules of the International Trappist Association must be observed:
- The product must be made within the walls of a Trappist abbey or in immediate vicinity.
- The equipment necessary to the production must clearly express a dependency in regard to the monastery.
- The product must be made by or under the supervision of the monastery community.
- The largest part of the profit must be spent on social work.
