Autodidact Beer

Store front brewery in a small strip shopping center on the main drag. Straight bar perpendicular to the entrance on the right seats about 10, with a few tables about the room and on the patio. 10 beers on tap; cans to go. Friendly bartenders.

In a strip mall, long and narrow space. As the same modern aesthetics as a lot of the trendy breweries - concrete bar, modern white and black color scheme , plants. 10 beers on draft - a Pilsner, Dark Mild, Stout, and the rest hoppy beers. Had the Mild and the Stout they were solid but not "great". Beers available in tasters, half pour, and full pour sizes. Bartenders were attentive. Some beers available to go in cans. They serve coffee as well.

It could have been just the day. But I achieved hop fatigue much sooner here than oakflower. The other styles were good but overly balanced and could have been more edgy. Worth while stop, very good coffee. A medium sized and active stop. Water is filtered. Some fun spots to sit besides the bar. Yop notch service.

I've been to a lot of breweries around the country, specifically in the north east, and frankly Autodidact has done a really nice job creating an open, warm, and interesting space in such a short amount of time. This is probably one of maybe 3 breweries that my wife was happy to revisit with me. The taproom is awesome, with plant life, great lighting, and recently they've added a few barrels in the there as well. The bartender said the barrels have a mixed culture saison in them, so i'll definitely be back around when that beer is ready.

Our first visit here the tap list was pretty IPA heavy, which is cool with me, but recently they've been getting a lot more variety on tap, and they've added a few new taps as well. I had their English Mild, a Czech Pale Lager, and a Cream Ale on a recent visit. All of them were great.

If you're in the Morris County area in NJ, definitely check them out!

These guys are great! Staff has always been super friendly and accomodating, and they have done a great job getting variety onto the taplist despite the fact that 90% of the people who visit these breweries only want an IPA. Had their English Mild and Witbier the other day and they were top notch.

Autodidact Beer is another attempt at the minimally decorated haze nanofactory complete with uncomfortable chairs and a changeable letter board menu that is apparently now a fully-realized business model.

I was staying at the hotel behind the strip mall that contains autodidact, and there's nothing better than a brewery next to the hotel on "vacation," so I planned to end my night here. It's a small, narrow L-shaped room with windows in to the brewery and a small outdoor seating area in back. It's not really the best layout for a bar, but they make do with the hand they're dealt. This place had a bit of a younger crowd, which must mean that there's a perception that the hazies and sours here are some of the better of the area. When I arrived, there was a young (15?) girl on the small music stage by the front with a guitar, strumming out mediocre Alanis Morrissette covers and stuff of the like. And the entire front portion of the bar space appeared to be her family and friends rooting her on. It really felt out of place for the image that the brewery is trying to paint with the decor/beer names/attitude, etc. I grabbed something I could actually drink (black IPA) and moved to the back to avoid the ear razors.

The beer itself was out of balance and not the best example of the style. It was way more ashtray than chocolate orange, which are two different directions that the style can move in. Maybe they're better at the NEIPAs, but this guy isn't gonna be finding out. It was aggressive in sweetness, body, and bitterness, painting a clear (ahem) predictive picture of what those hazies taste like. Planning to stay for two, I left after one.

No complaints about the service, although the bartender did show a lack of awareness when figuring out who to help first at one point, with a few folks waiting for several minutes while she attended to people walking directly up to her.

If you want a large selection of various IPAs of various clarity levels you're in luck. If you want actual stylistic variety, you're out of luck... or good for one-two at most. There was definitely a saison type beer along with a lighter offering and maybe 60-70% of the menu was various pale ales.

I will personally not return here, but it's clearly not a place looking for my business. Wearing a Bissel Bros cap? This spot is for you. Wife drives you to Treehouse on the weekends? You gonna love it here. Never looked up the calories on your favorite HIPA cause you're in denial? Welcome to Autodidact.

 

This newly-opened brewery is located in a strip center on eastbound Route 10. There is good parking in the lot behind the center. There is a Japanese Raman restaurant a few doors down. The space is nicely fit-out; light and airy with lots of tables. There is also limited outdoor seating in the back. The opening day vibe was raucous with lots of locals and beer nerds. Otherwise, depending on the day and time of your visit it can be crowded or nearly empty. The staff is friendly and welcoming. The beer is quite good for a new brewery. I was pleased to see cans available from the opening. Autodidact is a welcome addition to the Morris County beer scene.