Two Ton Brewing

 

A fun smaller place with a basement library bar thing. An outside space is available during the nicer weather. Thet had a bagpiper playing Christmas music the first time I went there. Friendly staff. Decent selection.

 

 

Two Ton opened its tasting room in Kenilworth in Fall 2018. It's located in an industrial are very close to the Garden State Parkway. The space is really nice: there is the main tasting area adjacent to the brewery, as well as a downstairs "library" and an outdoor beer garden. There is a loyal clientele and the atmosphere is very friendly. When you walk in you are typically greeted by a "hello." The biggest physical issue is the parking, which is limited. They often have a food truck on premises, which is welcome. The staff is extremely friendly and willing to discuss beer with you. The beer itself ranges from acceptable to quite good and I have not doubt it will improve. I think the trajectory for Two Ton is straight up and would recommend a visit.

From Saturday 3/9/2019

This brewery is 15 minutes from me. I finally had the chance to swing by today for a tour and some tasters.

I will not bog down this review with commentary about the beers I had since I added my cursory notes as reviews for each one. At a high level, after sampling 6 beers (Alt, Dunkel, IPA, Tripel, IPA, Sour) it seems like this place makes quality beer and I will definitely return.

The brewery is located in a small industrial park right off the Boulevard. It’s right off N. Michigan. (Connection between 22 East and Boulevard with The Black Thorn)

Limited parking as I arrived there at 12:30 right after the 12PM open time, with only 2 or 3 spaces available. Spots are indicated with Two Ton parking signs. The Latin Garden food truck in the parking lot. I did not eat any food, but most people there were eating and the food looked and smelled awesome. I could see parking as an issue if the place gets crowded.

By the time I arrived there were a few groups, couples and solos there. Several folks with babies and young kids which seemed welcomed by the brewery. Games and toys to keep the kids entertained. Specifically, the kids were playing with Mr. Potato head dolls.

It’s a small spot with the bar, tasting room, and tanks all right there in the same room when you walk in. In addition to the main room, there is a small, long and narrow outdoor patio area that will be nice during the spring and summer months. There is also a “speakeasy” in the basement. A smaller, cosy room that feels library-esque with lots of books. Four taps dedicated to experimental brews. (They had something with peanuts and another one with habanero at the time). You can rent that space for a private party. Probably would hold 20 - 30 max with the lower end of the range being most comfortable.

Standing room at the main bar, a small bar with stools running along the brewing area and several table and chairs along the side and back. A couch and coffee table area as well. I chose to stand right at the bar since I was solo and wanted to chat with the servers.

It’s a nice spot. An industrial feel. Nothing crazy, but not dumpy or boring by any stretch of the means. Just a nice, cozy venue. The tanks are situated behind a glass partition so you are right there next to the brewing equipment which I like.

I tasted 6 beers while I was there. I will start off by saying that I think $9.00 for four 4oz tasters is too expensive. Putting that aside...

Great variety of style available. See my comment above about the different ones I had. There were 11 beers on tap. Big, chalk board menu on the wall and printed menus on the tables/bar. In addition to the beers I had there was a blonde ale, a Nitro chocolate vanilla porter, coconut nut brown ale, two dry hopped Berliner weißes, a pomegranate version of the sour IPA I had and an American Barleywine. Like I said, great variety. They seem to like / specialize in brewing German styles as well.

The girl and guy working the counter were super chill, friendly, nice and funny/chatty. I really enjoyed hanging out there. The owner was as the bar on his laptop and seemed like a nice fellow as well. The brewer, Jim, was running around as well. To illustrate how nice of a guy he is: I have a friend who owns a craft beer bar/restaurant who knows the guys from Two Ton as a result. I said to the brewer that my friend told me to say hello. He grabbed two tasters, took me back to the tanks and we shared a couple tasters of IPA right out of the tank. Talked for about 5 minutes about the beer and whatnot. So cool, nice, genuine and friendly.

In summary, I really had a great time. I would characterize the beer as well made by style. All good to excellent. They also do some twists and funky tweaks. Clearly they know what they’re doing and I look forward to going back.