Tag Archives: CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE NJ

SLACK TIDE BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

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CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, NEW JERSEY

Inside a tin-roofed, stone-based, tan aluminum barn house mall at Cape May Court House, SLACK TIDE BREWING COMPANY opened for biz during December ’15. Using locally sourced natural ingredients from the Cape May region, this three-barrel outpost owned and operated by brothers’ Jason and Taghd Campbell crafts well-rounded diversified suds.

Slack Tide’s nautically-themed tasting room features an six seat, eighteen-tap serving station with a pristine white-tiled blue wall backdrop. The cement-floored pub also contains nifty palate wood accents, fourteen chaired tables, a centered blackboard beer list and one TV. Several silver tanks, wood barrels and a canning line dot the rear.

Located on Route 83 Just Minutes from Sea Isle and Avalon ...  Bell Buoy - Slack Tide Brewing Company - Untappd

First up this sunny February ’20 afternoon, ‘easy drinking tropical fruited’ moderation, Schoolie Pale Ale, brought sharply citric IPA briskness to the fore as spritzy lemon zest brightened grapefruit rind bittering, orange peel sweetness and pineapple tanginess above the lightly spiced salty bottom.

Then came a string of variegated India Pale Ales starting with centrist moderate-bodied flagship, Tipsy Dipsy, a durable Citra-hopped Imperial IPA (with well hidden 8% ABV) boasting lemony orange-peeled grapefruit tanginess, tart pineapple salting and subtle peach, nectarine and clementine illusions alongside lightly creamed vanilla-dabbed pale malting.

Possibly as popular, dry West Coast-styled IPA, Angry Osprey, serenaded piney grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering with salty mango, lemony herbal notions and grassy hop astringency.  

Dry pine lacquering enjoined zesty orange-peeled lemon zest and yellow grapefruit rind bittering for double dry-hopped NEIPA, Neutral Buoyancy, a lactose-teased medium body with mild hop bittering and earthen compost surfacing latently.

Another New England IPA, The Ridge, loaded oaken vanilla-laced lactose upon tangy yellow grapefruit-juiced orange rind bittering as well as sour gooseberry-guava-passionfruit illusions, dainty peach-tangerine-mango spicing and light herbal peppering.

Mild coriander-spiced orange zesting gained vanilla-creamed banana and clove sweetness for amber-clouded Belgian Blonde, Bell Buoy, leaving a daub of salty white-peppered basil and dill herbage upon the gentle sourdough base.

Then came a cast of stellar stouts.

Nitrogenated Monkey Face Stout, a dry Irish Stout, retained mildly creamed nut-charred dark coffee roast and Bakers chocolate bittering.

Creamily milk-sugared French roast coffee and Vermont maple syrup combined for sweetly soothing Imperial Breakfast Stout, Morning Bite, leaving dark chocolate, maple oatmeal and toffee subsidies to fight back its lightly embittered tarry hop sear.

Like a vanilla iced coffee, lusciously decadent sweet stout, Manatee Milk, utilized Columbian coffee to amplify its Madagascar vanilla bean bittering, milky lactose-sugared chocolate syruping and spiced toffee nicety.

COHO BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

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CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, NEW JERSEY

Just off Route 9 inside a red cinder-blocked, bay-doored, light industrial warehouse in Cape May Court House, COHO BREWING CO. celebrated its first anniversary January ’20.

Situated only a few miles from Cape May Brewing and 7 Mile Brewery, Coho crafts some of Jersey’s finest, well-rounded beers.

The creation of 1982 Wildwood High grads Karen Buckingham and retired cop Mike Johnson, their simple concept was to get non-beer drinkers to enjoy approachably flavorful fare. Buckingham had hired Johnson in the past to do barbecues when he was a kitchen-bound home brewer.

She asked the reluctant Johnson, “If I buy big boy toys, will you brew for me?”

Thereafter, Coho Brewing came to fruition. Brewmaster Justin Low (formerly of Dock Street and Westchester’s Iron Hill) stepped onboard to set up equipment and was key to coordinating development. He’ll soon help in the Imminent expansion thru Coho’s right side wall.

The cement-floored pub house features an L-shaped fifteen-seat bar with fourteen centralized tap handles, three wood community tables, overhead door and high ceilings. The brew tanks are set up next to the serving station and a TV hangs from the front mezzanine.

Taking a cue from the Court House moniker and Johnson’s stint in law enforcement, Coho’s beers often have criminal justice system tag names.

My wife and I explore Coho while conversing with Buckingham-Johnson as the pub packs up on Saturday afternoon Leap Year ‘ 20.

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Respectfully “duping” Prism Shandy Blonde, Spatter Pattern Blonde Ale utilized sweet ‘n sour blood orange puree to elevate its lemon candied Radler-like soda fizz and ripe tangerine tang above white-sugared pale malt spicing. Previously, Spatter Pattern’s Blonde Ale base underscored 5-0 Pineapple Ale (while a future offshoot, Apple Cinnamon, is in the works).

White-peppered banana, bubblegum and clove saddled moderate-bodied Hung Jury Hefe, bringing slight vanilla creaming upon sweet orange peel and earthy herbal subsidies.

Crisply clean Finnish farmhouse ale, Chalk Outline Sahti, stayed subtle as rye-honeyed pale malts gained peppery banana-clove subtleties and mild juniper berry bittering.

Caramelized vanilla creaming engaged Nineteenth Amendment Dubbel, a candi-sugared delight with dainty Banana’s Foster, crème brulee, stewed plum, spiced fig, spruce tea and toffee illusions.

Combining Hung Jury Hefe with Splatter Pattern Blood Orange Blonde Ale created Mistrial, a spritzy Radler with sweet honeyed wheat, lemon bruised ginger and wispy banana-clove tones relegating its blood orange tartness.

Merlot wine-barreled blonde ale collaboration (with nearby Jesse Creek Winery), Thin Blue Vine let tannic purple grape esters pervade oaken cherry, white pear and lemon-soured blackberry wisps.

Dewy floral citrus pleasantries daintily suffused Indian Trail Pale Ale, buttressing limey orange-dried coconut and pineapple tropicalia with dank wood dryness.

Approachable yellow-hazed flagship, Hazeas Corpus NEIPA, a concise Cascade-Mosaic-Citra-hopped moderation, brought coniferous pine needling to juicy grapefruit, pineapple, tangerine, mango and peach tang as well as salted orange spunk.

Quirkily unconventional stylistically, floral-perfumed cologne spicing and sprucy juniper bittering inveigled zesty lemon-limed orange juicing for muskily bold Juror No. 1 NEIPA, leaving herbal lemongrass, candied grapefruit and pine oil on the dry pale malt back end.

Aged in white oak staves and soaked in Back Bay Bourbon, Speakeasy Blonde Ale retained a rummy bourbon vanilla lilt for its lemony white wine spritz and delicate dry pale malts.

Aged in rum, embraceable spice ale, NOI-Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity, let mild spruce-tipped juniper bittering contrast vanilla-creamed Jamaican allspice as well as ginger-snapped cocoa residue.

Dark-roast chocolate and dried coca nibs fortified Overruled Porter, sweetened by hazelnut-glazed maple oats at the richly dense mocha finish. By the way, mixing vanilla cream soda with Overruled Porter creates a deliciously creamy milk chocolate shake with molasses, toffee and gingerbread snips.