Mea Culpa, Otra Vez, Gonzo...

It's tough to admit a blunder, but a man does it when necessary. Though I admitted one about Caldwell's legendary Cloverleaf Tavern in this story, it's time to admit another.

My SubScout Gonzo (aka the inimitable, Hollywood-handsome John Gonzalez at lower right in the above picture) discovered a new brewery in his hometown of Rahway called Wet Ticket Brewing, and he submitted this fine story about it many months ago--almost a year ago, to be exact. But, as it often does, life intervened, and despite Rahway's easy proximity to me, I never got there to see if Gonzo knew what he was talking about.

As with the last occurrence, this blunder was duly corrected.

And Gonzo certainly does know what he's talking about.

Because after seeing a Facebook invitation to attend Wet Ticket's One-Year Anniversary Celebration, I decided to hie myself thither (this last phrase only sounds good around Christmastide, what with the shepherds, the wise men, the stable animals, etc.).

There, I met owner/brewer Tim Pewitt, his lovely wife Selina (above), and his son Tyler. I also met Tim's partner "Banker" Al Povalski. All four were bustling about in preparation for the event, hanging decorations, bringing out glasses and growlers, and overseeing the arrival of chafing dishes for a celebratory hot buffet. Assistants, like lovely Jen pictured below, tended to a steadily growing stream of customers entering the nicely-appointed, tastefully-decorated and airy tasting room.

Wet Ticket has twelve draft lines flowing at any one time, a ten-bbl system and a twenty-bbl fermenter, but the main attraction of the event was a specially brewed Anniversary Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon barrels

It's actually the same 9.2% regular draft Imperial stout (which is delicious) but the anniversary edition got the barrel aging.

Tim set me up with a flight that included a Kolsch, Spanktown IPA (Rahway's former name--don't ask me why), a Pecan Porter and the stout, and none of Pewitt's and assistant brewer Jim Betz's beers go below 6%.

The Kolsch was really outstanding with a good hoppy/malty nose. It was crisp and clean on the palate with good carbonation and nice lacing. It is perhaps the finest transitional beer I've had in many a day. Any Bud drinker who is not lured by it probably will die thinking that Bud is what beer tastes like. Hey, to each his own. Some people, if they don't know, ya can't tell 'em. And the Hoppy Kolsch Pewitt offers is just as good with a tad more hop bite.

The IPA was designed to compete with those famous West Coast IPA's in style, and Spanktown holds its own there. Three different hops--Simcoe, Citra and Amarillo--go into this, and then it undergoes three rounds of dry-hopping, which gives it a slap-you-upside-the-head finish. If you're a hophead, don't miss it. In fact, don't miss their Blood Orange IPA or Dream Ticket DIPA, either.

The Pecan Porter was smooth and easy to drink with a nice balance of chocolate and very subtle pecan notes. Six different grains go into this baby, and if you like a nice, relaxing session beer with layers of flavor that make an appearance after it warms, this is a good one.

The regular draft stout was equally smooth (oats, I suspect) and had a very solid chocolate, coffee profile. There was even some vanilla cream detectable, as it, too, gets better as it warms. I haven't yet had the Barrel-aged version, but i'll get to it. And I'm suggesting you do the same. At $15 a bottle, it makes a nice stocking stuffer--for your own stocking.

I asked Pewitt--who is equally, and justifiably, proud of all his "babies" (beers)-- what a year in the beer business has taught him. His face lit up when he answered, "It's been more fun than I thought it would be!" And seeing how he works his room, which by now was filled to near capacity, I believe it. The guy clearly loves what he does and what he produces; and just as importantly, his customers do, too.

Gonzo, who probably cut his GQ modeling session short to come down and hoist a few, had nothing but praise for what he calls his personal "Cheers" bar. "This is my place, and an awful lot of people feel the same way. I love it here, and it's been great for Rahway. Tim's beers are excellent and he makes you feel welcome and like family."

Speaking of family, Pewitt's wife Selina (above), a Spotswood school administrator by day, is also doing yeoman's work as Pewitt's helper. This southern belle is very happy and upbeat about what her husband has built, even though it sometimes limits their "us" time. But she's also happy he's not "burning off my kitchen stove knobs with his home brewing equipment" anymore.

In sum, Wet Ticket is building--has built-- a very solid customer/fan base and it's easy to see why. They added a fan in The PubScout, who will definitely be back.

As to where Pewitt sees Wet Ticket in five years: "Who knows? Bigger space, more beers, more happy customers? That sounds good to me."

And I'm sure it sounds good to Gonzo.

Especially if it's still in his beloved Rahway.

Cheers and Merry Christmas!

The PubScout