American Craft Beer Week - Cricket Hill brewery in New Jersey

Cricket Hill brewery has been around for about 10 years, and is located in Fairfield, NJ, about a half hour west of New York City. The tasting consisted of four beers, all of which are quite pleasant, and fit into the lighter end of the craft beer spectrum. As founder/owner/brewer Rick Reed explains it, "you can make a big beer that people can drink one or two of a night, or you can make a session beer that people can drink all evening. It's hard to send you kid to college on one or two beers a night."

And his beers qualify as "session beers". With alcohol levels in the 5% abv range, these beers are on the lighter side of American craft beers; but for those of us who weaned ourselves on imports in the days before decent American beers, it is a refreshing change. I could envision drinking quite a few of these beers in a night, and enjoying the entire evening.

First off was the New Jersey Summer Breakfast Ale. A light beer, with a high wheat content, and a lot of citrus flavor from the hops, this is quite refreshing. While I'm not a big fan of wheat beer, this could be a nice refresher.

Next was the East Coast Lager. Not my favorite; Reed describes this as a beer to bring the Coors Light drinker into the craft beer fold. While it is certainly a step up from the mass produced beers, it's a little light for my tastes, and I imagine that will be true for most people who have been drinking craft beers for some time. However, on a hot afternoon, I think this would hit the spot; and it would make a great choice for a party.

Now we get to the really good stuff; American Ale. Unlike most ales that are brewed by American craft brewers, this IPA is dominated by East Coast Golding hops, not American varieties like Cascade and Centenial. This results in a much softer beer that is never harsh, yet is refreshingly crisp. The small amount of Cascade hops used show through as just a slight and pleasant pineyness on the finish (in fact, it's subtle enough that I can't even be sure if it is indeed Cascade).

My favorite was the Hopnotic IPA. In this case, the hops are totally European hops. It has more in common with a Bass Ale or Newcastle Brown than with most American IPAs; a trait that I imagine would make it greatly more food friendly, and a better refresher when drank alone.

For the person new to craft beers, I highly recommend the Cricket Hill beers. And for those who have been drinking big beers for some time, give them a try and remind yourself that beers don't have to be over the top to be a delight to drink.