While many headed to Brewery Ommegang this past weekend for Belgium Comes to Cooperstown , one of the best annual beer events in the country, I had to reach back a couple weekends for my last road trip experience. Kelleigh and a friend were headed to a wedding just north of downtown New Hope and I played the role of their chauffeur. Before I get kudos for being a nice guy I did agree to drive knowing my huge upside. The wedding road trip placed me between two breweries I hadn't visited in years.
Once the ladies were taken care of I headed straight to Milford, New Jersey to t
he Ship Inn. 
The ship was the first brew pub established in NJ since prohibition. The setting of the brewery is almost too picturesque. A stylish Victorian building over looking a sleepy creek on a quaint main street. As nice as the setting is I traveled to the idyllic spot for some of the best British style beers in the area. Staying with tradition I started with a cask ale.
Looking at the menu I kept with the British theme and ordered the sampler plate. Sorry that I can't remember the name of everything (that's why there is a wonderful picture) but the Scotch egg, the cheese and onion pie and the pasty were fantastic. A sausage wrapped egg with a side of fried everything. Ohhh yeah! How can you go wrong? I Combined that with two pints of Brown Ale and I was in English heaven.
After cleaning my plate and saying good bye to a few people at the bar I headed south to the heart of New Hope to catch at least one beer at Triumph Brewery. If there is Ying to the Ship Inn's Yang then Triumph is it. Where the Ship is historic, quaint and warm, Triumph is modern, loud and flashy. Not a bad thing just different. It's what you would expect to find in New Hope. The space is huge and stylish with a cool hang out feel. Perfect for the flood of tourist that take over the town on warm summer evenings. By the time I arrived my time was very limited. Remember this chauffeur was still on the clock (that would change) and the reception
was winding down. No time to play. Straight to the big beer.
he Ship Inn. 
The ship was the first brew pub established in NJ since prohibition. The setting of the brewery is almost too picturesque. A stylish Victorian building over looking a sleepy creek on a quaint main street. As nice as the setting is I traveled to the idyllic spot for some of the best British style beers in the area. Staying with tradition I started with a cask ale.Served at room temperature the Best Bitter was a lightly carbonated amber colored ale had a gentle malty aroma. The hops were mild and a fruity, nutty, tea quality came out quick with a few sips. The bitterness came in at the end but the taste remained mild throughout. Ringwood yeast rules in this house and creates a very good cask ale.
Sitting in the Ship it's easy to forget you're in Jersey. Obviously British pubs are the influence but thankfully it's not done in an overblown Disney fashion. It's just a warm, open comfortable space that doesn't give off the typical bar vibe.
Looking at the menu I kept with the British theme and ordered the sampler plate. Sorry that I can't remember the name of everything (that's why there is a wonderful picture) but the Scotch egg, the cheese and onion pie and the pasty were fantastic. A sausage wrapped egg with a side of fried everything. Ohhh yeah! How can you go wrong? I Combined that with two pints of Brown Ale and I was in English heaven.
After cleaning my plate and saying good bye to a few people at the bar I headed south to the heart of New Hope to catch at least one beer at Triumph Brewery. If there is Ying to the Ship Inn's Yang then Triumph is it. Where the Ship is historic, quaint and warm, Triumph is modern, loud and flashy. Not a bad thing just different. It's what you would expect to find in New Hope. The space is huge and stylish with a cool hang out feel. Perfect for the flood of tourist that take over the town on warm summer evenings. By the time I arrived my time was very limited. Remember this chauffeur was still on the clock (that would change) and the reception
was winding down. No time to play. Straight to the big beer.Triumph Double Witbier clocked in at 8.0 abv so saith the chalkboard. The color of the beer was quite shocking. Think a slightly less orange glass of Tang and almost as hazy. A little unnatural looking. The aroma was a shot of alcohol, citrus (lemon, tangerine), banana and clove. Those flavors followed in the taste but the big malty wheat quality was an aggressive smack to the face. This beer doesn't hide the 8%. Its big. As much as I like a bold extreme brew this one seemed a bit artificial. I admit that I had to rush it down but a toned down version of this might work a bit better.
After getting a few calls from Kelleigh I soon showed up at the reception on time. Too smooth. The benefit for being a nice guy was a great day at two good beer stops I hadn't visited in years. The bonus of the evening, Kelleigh took the wheel for the journey back home. Thankfully my driving duties were officially done.
After getting a few calls from Kelleigh I soon showed up at the reception on time. Too smooth. The benefit for being a nice guy was a great day at two good beer stops I hadn't visited in years. The bonus of the evening, Kelleigh took the wheel for the journey back home. Thankfully my driving duties were officially done.
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