Ghost Hawk Brewing Co.

Ghost Hawk Brewing Co.Ghost Hawk Brewing Co.
Ghost Hawk Brewing Co.Ghost Hawk Brewing Co.
Brewery, Bar

321 Rivet River
Unit #6
Clifton, New Jersey, 07014
United States

(201) 960-1165 | map
ghosthawkbrewing.com

Ghost Hawk Brewing Company is a collaborative effort between two Clifton natives, Tom Rachelski and Steve Bauer. Born from a passion for delicious beer, and escaping the mundane routines of everyday life, this project has been in the planning stages behind the scenes for quite some time. With the addition of veteran brewmaster Chris Sheehan, this venture is only a short time away from coming to life. We have secured a killer location in our hometown of Clifton, NJ, and we are ready to quench your thirst with a dynamite selection of hand-crafted ales, lagers, stouts and more.
BEER STATS
Average:
4
Beers:
104
Ratings:
242
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.31
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
10
pDev:
10.21%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mdfb79:
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Reviewed by mdfb79 from New York

3.89/5  rDev -9.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Cool industrial vibe, good selection of beers and beers were solid. Bartenders were nice but not super attentive; place was mostly empty but they were talking to some people they knew and it would take a while for them to come over and get your next beer.

Looking forward to seeing what else they do and will def go back.
Jan 19, 2020
More User Ratings:
Photo of MacMalt
Reviewed by MacMalt from New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
This small brewery exudes Jersey atmosphere. Located at the junction of Routes 3 and 21 in the Meadowlands, in a small industrial building. It's probably the darkest brewery I've visited; the red lights in the brewing area create a unique ambiance. There is a large bar and several tables. The crowd seemed to be mostly local. The atmosphere was more like a bar than a brewery. The servers were efficient but not very talkative. There was a tent in front of the entrance grilling hamburgers. But if you like food, this place is located across River Road from Rutt's Hut, one of the most iconic eateries in New Jersey. The beer ranges from okay to very good. There's a good selection of cans and a BA Stout in bottles to take home. Ghost Hawk is definitely worth a stop.
Mar 10, 2024
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Reviewed by slander from New York

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
Not so close to but not too far away either. Been out a few times before & after work but first scribbling in the little book of crazy now. On 21 and quickly off 21 and loop around back down some to the shared building with a distillery next door making for an easy one-two, most dengerous. And goddamn rippers across the street; 2 with mustard, please, and by that, I mean, 3, please, and thank you…

The room is like triangular. Actually, it’s not like triangular, it is triangular. Cinderblock and concrete walls with a roll up garage door forward alongside a (wo)man door. Concrete floors, beam & corrugated ceiling with a pair of spinnys up there keeping everything kewl. Strung filaments bulb lighting tracing the mezzanine wrapping the backside of the room loaded with merch and pallets of cans and malt and baby tanks and what not. A single I-beam in the center of the room pasted with brewery and other stickers.

‘J’ish bar on the inside wall, wood block butt topped under laminate, gnarled rounded wood lip, horizontal plank base, & a piping foot rail. Seating for a dozen stooled on the stretch. Barback wall is light & dark wood horizontally with strung filament bulb lighting. Logo’d center flatscreen tap, can, & bottle board (beer, style, ABV) over 2 sets of 6 non-descript handles and a center CO2 purge handle in between. Barrels lining atop, merch mounted on one end and a hawk on a tree piece above on the other end. Logo tin above the purge and a crowl crimper on the end of the bar.

Brewery proper is all around the room, tanks & tanks, lots of stainless. Either some of it is backlit purple or I just see shit all shimmery, who can say. Flats over the front, rear, & behind me; I’m getting my Lebowski on (the dude abides). ‘Passaic County’s first craft brewery’, or so says the sign there (me, pointing). 3 door cooler to the rear for the take-a-way. A half dozen hightop baby table rounds tracing the bar + more outside under the canopy when that was up (Came a few times during outdoors Covid life, am happy to be back inside).

11 beers up at current, 9 on tap (Ghost Hawk Lager, Kellerbier, 5%; Apex Predator, NE IPA, 6.8%; Blueberry Daedalion, American Wheat Ale with Blueberries, 4%; Cherry Daedalion, American Wheat Ale with Cherries, 4%; Ravendark, Export Stout, 7.3%; Narcissus, Rye Saison, 6.7%; Ghost Ride, APA, 5.9%; Trouble, Imperial IPA, 9.3%; Sun Soak, Session NE IPA, 4.3%) + 2 canned offerings (Updraft, Maibock Kellerbier, 7.7%; Rise & Shine, Session IPA, 4.5%).

Cherry Daedalion was a sweety, and I hadn't had a blueberry wheat since forever and Blueberry Daedalion took me right back there. Blueberry was nice, but Cherry was the Win. Sun Soak Session NE IPA was a tasty hazy, true; Narcissus Rye Saison was spicy and Belgian candy sugar pleasant; and Ravendark Export Stout was solid as usual, a shame I missed the Cream Stout.

Revisited the other night for a few with coworkers for birthday beers. Started with the London Bridge, Robust Porter, 6%, just lovely; and while some of the other wins were Leaves Turn, Nut Brown Ale, 4.7%; Hapsburg, Vienna Lager, 5.2%; and Apex Predator, NE IPA, 6.8%; I just kept returning to the Ghost Hawk Lager, Kellerbier, 5%, on LUKR pour (Crisp, then Smooth, then Crisp again, then Milk). Good range for a dozen taps.

Without a doubt the best of show of the breweries on the outbound Lincoln Tunnel latitude. Brewer Chris Sheehan has always made excellent stouts & porters and it’s good to see what else he’s got in the wheelhouse. I’ll gladly do the 2 county hop to come out here for a few after work or just because.
Nov 22, 2022
 
Rated: 5 by christiannicosia from New Jersey

Apr 11, 2020
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Reviewed by lackenhauser from Maryland

4.51/5  rDev +4.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.25
Cannot really get more industrial vibe wise-you are basically sitting next to the brewery. Early on with about 30 folks in there it was quite loud. I had the stout and NEIPA-both excellent, the stout being my favorite. I showed up at opening and there were already 15 folks inside-service was quick, attentive and friendly to say the least. The 2 girls were certainly busy but held their own and never seemed overwhelmed-by the time I left the crowd had easily doubled. selection was decent-2 IPAs, a stout, barrel aged stout, lager and a saison that had just come on-I believe 8 beers in all.

Having been gone from the area for over 20 years I had no idea these folks were here. Directly across the street from Rutt's Hut famous hot dog house, which is the reason I was in the area. Good things brewing here for sure.
Sep 16, 2019
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Reviewed by cjgiant from District of Columbia

3.54/5  rDev -17.9%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3
Small shop that has a nice bar (could jam in 2 dozen patrons), about ten 2-seat high tops, and a couple picnic tables. Your are almost sitting in the brewing area. The service seemed to get a little overwhelmed at times, but was otherwise fine.

Selection is small at this point, a couple pale ales, some wheat ales, an IPA and a barrel-aged offering. They have taps for more, and are fairly new, so there may be more coming.

The beers are decent, but the ratings as of this review are skewed by ratings that are not very representative at all (look beyond the numbers here). Even though the menu was pale ale heavy, they didn’t suffer from a huge “sameness” issue.
Aug 17, 2019
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Rated by Hefsbeercaps from Ohio

3.96/5  rDev -8.1%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Great music and incredible wooden bar and setup, would definitely go back
Jul 14, 2019
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Reviewed by npolachek from New York

4.32/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25
Solid Clifton NJ based brewery. Nice bartenders - good music - ample room for many people as well as families etc. high top tables as well as picnic tables. Solid place.
Jun 16, 2019
 
Rated: 4.37 by Curt3 from Ohio

Jun 13, 2019
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Rated by Joannaszab17 from New Jersey

5/5  rDev +16%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Beers are awesome, and the place has a really cool vibe!
May 05, 2019
Ghost Hawk Brewing Co. in Clifton, NJ
Brewery rating: 4 out of 5 with 242 ratings