GLASSBORO, NEW JERSEY
In a large brown aluminum fortress near Glassboro’s Rowan University, BONESAW BREWING CO. offers bucolic splendor for the former glass manufacturing borough. Opened June 2018, this family friendly brewing lodge spreads across 20,000 square feet and its patio-benched front porch leads directly to its overhead-doored interior.
Bonesaw’s capacious A-framed high ceiling features exposed pipes and fancy overhead lighting while the windowed rear brew tanks provide sudsy fare for the 33 draught taps at the 20-stooled left bar (with two TV’s and a blackboard beer menu). Metal furnishings and lacquered wood tables fill out the right side.
As my wife and I grab seats at the patio this sunny Good Friday afternoon, April ’19, I sample twelve fine offerings.
For starters, wet-grained light body, Pummel German Pilsner, retained a musky herb-snipped lemon spritz and dry fennel snip.
Sweet Vienna malts, frisky dried fruiting and light biscuit-y breading defined Crimson Skull Vienna Lager.
Musky corn-dried moderation, Silver Queen Cream Ale, also suited blue collar thirsts with its quaint yellow fruiting and lightly sugared pale malting proving inoffensively easygoing.
A fine hybrid, Irish coffee-inspired Irish Queen Cream Ale saddled its cold-brewed coffee entry with whiskeyed vanilla sugaring to contrast the lactic milk souring and whimsical black peppering.
Better still, smoothly creamed éclair-headed Double Vanilla Cream – Nitro retained sweet orange-peeled vanilla caking and sugared pale malting for a dainty Creamsickle dessert.
Delightful Belgian witbier, Demon Blanc, laced wheat-honeyed banana sweetness thru lemony mandarin orange tartness, mild coriander-clove spicing and wispy herbal snips.
Stylishly dryer with light barnyard-leathered fungi herbage, Le Petit Demon Belgian Blonde let white-peppered lemon zest pep up its sweet banana continuance, tart mandarin orange spritz, sour guava tease and mild floral spicing.
Off-dry Amputator Doppelbock let brown-sugared dried fruiting seep into its dewy malt setting.
A juicy grapefruit-forward IPA, Swoosh maintained brisk lemon-zested orange rind bittering and slight herbal peppering to contrast tangy mango-peach-cantaloupe sweetness.
Dry cocoa nuttiness enamored Lone Squirrel Brown Ale, leaving black chocolate syruping upon its hop-charred walnut bittering.
Sweet milk chocolate gave Mr. Hanks Extra Stout a candied Milk Duds likeness embellished by coconut, bourbon and burnt caramel illusions to buttress its mildly embittered Blackstrap molasses-dipped coffee roast.
Serene espresso-milked coffee roast anchored creamy éclair-headed St. Bridget’s Dry Irish Stout, a St. Patrick’s Day favorite with a nutty reserve.
bonesawbrewing.com