Heavy Hitters at Two Ton Brewing

Less than a year ago, SubScout John "Gonzo" Gonzalez (left) visited Two Ton Brewing in Kenilworth, NJ and came away raving about it. So with recent business calling me to the Garden State of Taxation, I vowed to stop in and see what all the fuss was about.

My biker buddies were meeting there to celebrate Ron's birthday, so I went up early to scout the place out. As it happened, I was greeted by (unbeknownst to me) the CFO named "Doc" Barbiere. Doc footed the bill for his sons to open up the business, because "it's a father's dream to support his children, and that's exactly what I'm doing."

We hit it off immediately, what with both of us having spent decades in NJ education, and we knew--and shared stories about--many of the same folks in the business. It being October, Doc ordered me up a Two Ton Oktoberfest, at 6.9% ABV, a bit higher than is usual for the style, but this well-balanced, malt-forward marzen would have been right at home at Prince Ludwig's table.

I scoured the menu, and remembering Gonzo's love affair with the "Hammer and Ale" DIPA, I inquired about it, and Doc ordered me a glass. The "Hammer" that dropped on me was an exceptionally well-balanced, West Coast style Imperial IPA that rang in at 9.1%. Wonderfully complex (did I detect pineapple notes?), I know that the phrase "dangerously drinkable" is one of my favorites, but it certainly is apropos here, with that nice balance deftly concealing the big ABV.

Ironically, Doc is definitely not a beer nut like yours truly, but before he took me on a personal guided tour of the facility, he insisted I try the 9.2% Belgian Tripel, and it was dead on style.

He showed me the cozy outdoor biergarten, now shuttered for the season. But he took me downstairs into The Library, an Inner Sanctum-like spot bedecked with books and a testimonial plaque to the solid bond of brothers, one to which I have always subscribed with my own three sons.

Back upstairs, I met former student, now owner of Woodbridge Builders Billy Kaczinsky (below right). Bill's a regular at Two Ton with his contracting business conveniently "right around the corner." (Thanks for the beer, Bill!)

Doc's son Jim does the brewing, while Matt handles the business end--but also jumps behind the bar when things get busy, and "busy" was starting to happen. Fortunately, my biker buddies arrived with the food, and Dana's delicious Brats and Kraut helped fuel me before I "just had to sample" another Two Ton Heavy Hitter named Brite Squad Barleywine. Clocking in at 10.2%, this beer was a beautiful, complex combination of hop bitterness and malt sweetness, and it sort of leaned toward the British style in its slightly sweet finish.

Barleywines are not an easy beer to brew, but Jim seems to have gotten his money's worth from the homebrewing kit his girlfriend (now wife) bought for him as a gift in his younger days. And beer is clearly the gift that keeps on giving. That's Doc and son Matt below.

So impressed was I with "The Hammer," I had to have just one more, and it is worth noting that Gonzo reported this beer as the first Two Ton made "for the masses." That it is still a favorite attests to its staying power.

And speaking of staying power, I probably would have stayed for more had I not been driving, and had they not turned the lights on to close up at 9 PM.

It is not at all surprising that Two Ton is attracting a faithful, dedicated following of local beer nuts like Bill and Gonzo and the beautiful JulieAnn (left).

And they can now count among that number one reptilian-looking, not-so-local yokel from North Carolina.

Cheers!

The PubScout--immersed in the craft beer scene since 1996

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