FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY
During December ’22, ARTIS BREWERY became Freehold’s first operational brewpub. Located at bustling South Street in the town where musical legend Bruce Springsteen grew up, Artis has been described by Asbury Park Press as an ‘Industrial chic’ pub. Jersey-bred homebrewer, Tim Bubser, educated at Vermont’s American Brewers Guild, spent time in Tampa Bay learning his craft, then worked at one of the Garden State’s best breweries, Kane, before hopping aboard Artis.
A beautifully marbled epoxy floor adds splendor to Artis’ uniquely cushion-seated L-shaped bar. Several seat-cushioned tables also surround the front space while the bar’s centralized tiled draught handles get sidled by two TV’s and a blackboarded beer menu. A spacious furnished balcony area adds extra seating. The white back-walled area stages the brew tanks.
Utilizing a soft water source especially benefits Artis’ worthy India Pale Ales and lagers. There’s a certain clean sparkle to each of their in-house brews.
My wife and I gathered at the back porch to down all seven available homemade suds during June ’23.
Musky grained American lager, Party Of 9, seeped dried orange and Saaz-hopped herbage into pilsner-malted flaked rice for a moderation.
Dewier Dark Horse Lager let peaty earthiness surround Saaz-hopped herbage, dried fruitiness and light chocolate.
Casual Eventide Pale Ale placed dainty citrus tanginess above mild oats-flaked creaming.
Best-selling Glory Daze Haze, an indelible NEIPA, brought zesty orange-peeled grapefruit, pineapple and mango tanginess and syrupy peach to lightly creamed oats-flaked wheat malting.
A zestful West Coast-styled IPA, The One, placed sunny Citra-hopped orange rind and grapefruit pith bittering across piney Amarillo-Chinook-Simcoe-hopped herbage atop a wispy crystal-malted wheat base.
Tart Nelson Sauvin-hopped green grape, guava and gooseberry souring stayed perky alongside lightly embittered Vic Secret-hopped yellow grapefruit and pineapple juicing for Cold Break IPA, picking up dry pine tones and minty herbal whims over honeyed pale malting.
Nitro ESB, Covenhoven House, let dewy peat soak into herb-spiced Fuggle hops and roasted caramel, retaining a mild mouthfeel.