as a savvy consumer, or at least someone who tries to be, i get a lot of the ‘daily deal’ emails from places like groupon and livingsocial. most often i just glance at it and delete it, but sometimes it is for a brewery or restaurant that i don’t know about so i check it out a bit more. one day i got an Amazon local deal for JJ Bittings Brewing Company. it sounded like it had potential at least. so i googled it up and found it was not too far away AND they make their own birch beer! that was an unexpected surprise i must say. having their own root beer is unusual, birch beer is a true rarity. but rad for me. so i was in for the $10 for $20 worth of consumables deal. it is not too far from my wife’s work, so perhaps we could get lunch on a slow day or something.
fast forward seven months later i still had not gone and it was going to expire. so i just went myself for lunch one day, knowing i could eat $20 of food by myself if need be. it seemed a slow time for them so i was seated and my order taken fairly quickly. the place itself was pretty nice, all of the brewing tanks are in the middle of the room, protected by glass walls, but of course visible. i inquired about the birch beer but my waitress knew very little beyond the fact that they make it themselves and no one else was there who knew more. oh well. i got some anyway with no ice along with a veggie burger and sweet potato fries. the drink came quickly and i took some pics of the dark birch. i had expected a white birch for some reason, or perhaps hoped for it as it is my favorite variety, but no matter. i had done a lot of yard work in the morning so i was thirsty and eager to try it out. i was very happy after that first sip. i try to keep my expectations low when i try a new soda, especially one on draft at a brewery. this one though was pretty spot on. the wintergreen level was excellent, which is one of the major factors that makes or breaks a birch beer for me. the sweetness was right on also. i would guess it is cane sugar they used as it was not syrupy and heavy as corn syrup drinks seem to be. carbonation was perfect, definitely there and adding something to the drink without taking anything away but stabbing me or making me burp a lot. this one reminds me a lot of Boylans regular Birch. it is not creamy but i think it would work as a base for a float anyway. i am surprised they do not offer a birch beer float actually. oh well, i should have put that on the comment card i suppose.
Anthony’s Rating: 93
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| Type: | Brown Birch Beer | Comes In: | On Tap |
| Available: | NJ | Obtained in: | at Brewpub |
| Head: | Tiny | Sweetener: | unknown |
| Caffeine: | No | ||
| Website: | http://www.njbrewpubs.com/ | ||
