Brewpubs in Northern NJ?

Not that i know but if you go 15 minutes southeast theres an island called Manhattan with a few solid beer bars

 

Nah. No brewpubs in the area. I've never been to either, but Andy's Corner Bar in Bogota and the Copper Mine Pub in North Arlington are pretty legit.

I'd love to push you towards some Jersey places with the obligatory Kane and Carton recommendations but they're gonna be a bit of a drive. Depending on where you are in Bergen County it might not be all that far to the Peekskill Brewery in Peekskill, NY, and they are building quite a reputation for themselves.

 

Bergen County itself has zilch in the way of brewpubs.
In addition to what Mike suggested you can also hit The Shepard & The Knucklehead
Peekskill is awesome, I meam awesome, but its a good 45 minute drive w/o traffic. Again depending on traffic you could also get to places in Manhattan like the Blind Tiger in about the same amount of time, of course you'll spend another 45 minutes looking for a place to park.

 

Yeah the Shep is cool. I've been there a few times. Nice and quiet when I've gone. If you're willing to drive to the Shep, though, and want some food, the Taphouse Grille in Wayne has really good food - which I think is something the Shep is lacking. And regarding NYC, I would probably avoid it unless you really want to make a day out of it. In which case you'd probably be better off taking mass transit.

EDIT: Oh, and the Shep has like 90 something taps. It's pretty impressive. However I do worry about freshness there.

 

You can stop by Ramstein in Butler, NJ- they have tastings and are awesome.

 

For Manhattan I'd definitely take the bus- much cheaper than paying for parking, and you can drink more .

Another suggestion is Defiant- just over the northern border in Pearl River. Neill is at his best with Belgian and English styles, and they are served unfiltered and naturally carbonated. The vibe is pretty unique, too- kind of like a bar was set up in the middle of a working brewery, with pallets of grain and kegs surrounding you.

 

+1 one for Defiant and don't forget about Growler and Gill in Nanuet. It's a bottle shop/bar with 16 taps with a limited pub menu.

 

Three Wise Monks in Garfield; if you want to travel and not go into NYC, Cloverleaf Tavern in Caldwell (like 20-25 min from Bergan County).

Bottle Shop: Ramsey Liquors and Cable Beverage just accross the border in NY.

And 2nd obligatory post to go to Kane/Carton.

 

The "brewpub" doesn't exist in North Jersey. But if you're in Bergen County you have to go to the Copper Mine. And yes Peekskill Brewing is 10000000% worth the trip. The brewmaster from Ithaca is now at Peekskill. Eastern Standard is basically Flower Power and its always crazy fresh. I've had 15 or so of their beers and they're all amazing. And Kane and Carton are worth the trip as well and both can be done in the same day, but their beers see good distribution on taps in Bergen County. Beermenus.com is a good site to use. Also surprised there has been no Barcade Jersey City mention. Again completely worth the trip.

 

I work in Bergen County from time to time and have asked the same question myself....

+1 to Barcade in Jersey City
++++++1 to Peekskill Brewing

...and surprised that no one mentioned Captain Lawrence, which is about 25 minutes south of Peekskill.

 

Kind of odd since Bergen County was the site of one NJ's first big craft beer bars- wasn't it Company B's? Is it still there? Never went there but always heard the had QC issues.

 

Brewpubs do exist in Northern NJ, just not Bergen Co.

Trap Rock in Berkley Heights
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/876
Gaslight in South Orange
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1340
Long Valley Pub & Brewery in Long Valley
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/587

Not sure if the OP is actually looking for Brewpubs but if he is these are his best bet. If he is looking for bars with good taps or breweries, then many of those mentioned above are good suggestions.

 

I'd like to point out that while the Copper Mine is great for beer, if you're looking for food too, they don't serve it. you can bring it in though.

 

Company B's is long gone, and they had A LOT of issues, especially near the end.

 

At one time they were pretty hot and probably one of the first big craft places in the area.

 

I'm not disputing that. Just saying it crashed and burned at the end.
I think they also had some issues with underage patrons that helped quicken the demise.
There are still a couple of reviews here that imply this. http://tinyurl.com/kd6xmt6
The last sentence in slander's review says it all:
"A shell of it's former great beer bar self."

 

As much as I liked craft beers at the time and the scarceness of decent places I am surprised I never made it to this place in it's prime.

 

Bolero Snort Brewery is in Bergen County - Ridgefield Park. You should be able to find them at a few spots within the County - just check their wesbiste. They also distro in other NJ counties.

 

Looks like thanks to this thread my wife and I are going to head to Peekskill this Saturday. Pretty cool. Never realized it was quite so close to the Garden State Parkway.