WAYNE, NEW JERSEY
Just off Route 23 in Wayne at a green-shingled, maroon-sided Victorian farmhouse, SEVEN TRIBESMEN BREWERY opened for biz during springtime 2020. Owned by a dedicated Hungarian-American clan, Seven Tribesmen makes some of the most approachable brews in northern New Jersey.
The vintage wood-floored pub is bursting with antiquity, featuring a quaintly elegant side dining room (detailed by a wall-length nomadic cavalry mural) leading to a stately community-tabled barroom (with twelve draught handles at the pale green-tiled wall and a large blackboard beer list). In the back are several sterling stainless steel brew tanks.
My wife and I bring Roscoe the dog and grab a wooden bench at the mulch-grounded back patio to quaff eight easygoing suds on a sunny Saturday afternoon, March ’21.
Dry raw honeyed citrus sedation and mild pale malt spicing stayed polite for Morning Star Blonde Ale, an easygoing opener.
Crisp Czech-styled dry body, Packanack Pils, greeted citric-spiced mineral graining with musky Noble hop herbage.
Easygoing pale golden light body, Pompton Rye Lager, let subtle honeyed rye spicing drape pasty cardboard malting.
Sweet honeyed wheat breading anchored the sharp (Amarillo-Citra-hopped) yellow-orange fruiting and dainty herbal spicing of Alpenstock, a supercharged pale wheat ale.
Slightly sour yellow fruit-spicing engaged Rhineland Kolsch, a crisply clean moderation with biscuit-y pilsner malts.
Sweet red-peppered Hungarian paprika earthiness consumed transcending offbeat spice ale, Paprika Specialty Amber, a dry pale malted moderation with herbal parsley-sage-rosemary whims.
Orange-spiced lemon meringue tartness shielded candi-sugared rum spicing, sweet banana breading and white-peppered herbal licks for medium-bodied Belgian pale ale, Upshot Tripel.
Dry black malt-driven Dragan Irish Stout retained a flattish coffee bean roast, mild dark cocoa remnant and tarry hop-charred nuttiness.
Upon September ’21 mid-afternoon swing, discovered six more Seven Tribesmen brews.
Tartly sour blueberry spicing gained a lemon twist over the cushy white wheat bottom of Jersey Delight Blueberry Ale, leaving mild raspberry-cranberry snips upon its pureed blueberry adjunct.
Blood orange tartness greeted candied tangerine piquancy for Blood Oath Blonde Ale, an easygoing citric affair.
Salted pink guava, passionfruit and caruba tartness swayed Sea Chanted Fruited Sour, propping up slightly acidic lemon lime licks and distant rhubarb compote saucing.
Vibrant Cathedral Grove IPA brought lemony yellow grapefruit, mandarin orange, peach and mango zesting to clay-like hop stead, picking up subtle passionfruit-guava tartness and delicate pine tones at the brisk tropical fruited finish.
Sunny NEIPA, Hop Gambit, let lemony orange-peeled grapefruit zesting seduce its mildly creamed wheated oat base.
Sweet hazelnut coffee-glazed dark chocolate roast inundated Campfire Tales Chocolate Hazelnut Porter. Served with skewered marshmallow, its rich Nutella-like cocoa, hazelnut and vanilla scheme and slight coconut toasting reached the honeyed Graham Cracker base.
On warm Sunday afternoon in April ’24, soaked up a few more Seven Tribesmen elixirs.
Soft-toned black cherry tartness received floral lemon spritz over blanched white wheat base for Cherry Blush, a delicate blonde ale.
Fruited kettle sour, Hades Destiny, let milk-sugared vanilla sweetness pick up oaken cherry, tart raspberry and puckered Jolly Rancher watermelon snip.
For reluctant Belgian blonde, Rose Gold, slim milk-sugared oaken cherry tartness dimmed as lemon-candied spritz spread over dainty pale malting.
Lightly salted chocolate pretzel-like German dark lager, Brezel, weaved spiced toffee, glazed hazelnut, burnt coffee, sarsaparilla and cola illusions thru mocha walnut breading.