CLAYTON, NEW JERSEY
Occupying a gold-bricked green-roofed lodge with a front patio, grassy side biergarten and three overhead doors, CORE 3 BREWERY came to fruition in the small Gloucester County borough of Clayton during summertime 2019.
Core 3’s exquisitely antiquated furnishings sit atop a wood-designed porcelain floor – including a loungy mantled fireplace section (with two green cushioned couches), historic latchkey barnyard door, Edison lights, exposed pipes, ancient candelabras and decorative boot cleaner.
As of my February ’21 visit, Core 3 was a two-barrel nanobrewery doing small batches of 30 gallons at a time. The windowed tanks currently take up a small space behind the bar.
Stylish maize-dried grassy-hopped herbage saddled muskily raw grained cream ale, The Road To Fislers Mill, weaving dehydrated orange tartness and recessive dark floral nuances thru the rustic finish.
Toasted amber graining and nutty cocoa tones picked up light nutmeg-cinnamon spicing for wintry pale ale, The Graceful Maiden, a ‘radiant holiday warmer.’
“Ethereal” East -West IPA marries Belgian witbier for The Ghost Machine White IPA, allowing mild coriander-spiced orange tang to scurry thru salty white-peppered Sauvignon grape esters and vodka-tinged alcohol ethers above flaked oats base.
Yellow grapefruit rind bittering and sour green grape esters contrasted creamy crystal malt sugaring for Nonesuch NEIPA, leaving mild floral herbage and tangy tangerine zest upon the back end.
Perky grapefruit zesting and tangy pineapple-orange drift gained dank pine-lacquered hop char and bark-dried remnant to stimulate Bristlecone Basil Imperial IPA.
Dark chocolate-chalked rye breading received black grape jam influx and mild cola nuttiness for Nevermore Black Saison, a dryer stylish choice.
Oat-sugared molasses draped cocoa-dried dark chocolate malting, mild tarry hop bittering and nutty undertones for The Barbaros Oat, a sturdy milk stout.
There were two nitro brews on hand this eve.
Caramelized rye malts draped dry black-peppered pumpernickel breading for nitrogenated rye ale, The Trestle, a ‘well polished’ easygoer.
Milk-sugared Kona coffee richness persuaded fudgy Madagascar vanilla sweetness to elevate ‘espresso’-like nitro porter, The Therapist & His Elixir, a fascinating nightcap.