Across the river from New Hope is the equally lovely little town of Lambertville, NJ...the former home of River Horse Brewing Company. Eric has been a River Horse fan for some time now, Tripel Horse being his favorite. I was new to the brewery myself, though I already had a love affair with their Oatmeal Stout, and we had decided that on a return trip to New Hope, we would stop by the brewery for a tour. Well, when that time came River Horse had moved! They had brand new digs in nearby Ewing, NJ and we were all too happy to take the drive. It was chilly and rainy...a perfect day for tours and beers.
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| Hello hippo! |
The brewery itself sits very unassumingly off a side road looking like any other office complex building. We saw the sign pulling down the road and got very excited - that familiar hippo we love so much peeking at us from the bottom. Now it's time! Our car pulled into the parking lot with several other beer loving folks and waited for the doors to open.
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| She greeted us again inside the door, wearing her summer best. |
When it was tour time, the doors were unlocked and we strolled into the main beer reception area. There were cases of delicious River Horse against the wall, t-shirts and glassware for sale, and a bar in the corner with several taps just waiting for our consumption. Our guide came out a short time after we checked in and started us off with a taste of the brew of our choice from the taps. Eric was more than happy to partake in some Tripel Horse, being his River Horse love. It's a tasty 10% kick. I was delighted to see they had their Oatmeal Milk Stout up there as well so I had some of that. I love stouts, no doubt about it, and River Horse makes one of the very best. It was the first time I had ever had it on tap and it tasted even better. We also noticed they had some Hipp-O-Lantern available, but we decided to wait until the end for that.
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| So much Tripel Horse...so little time... |
The tour is not the type that gets you sloshied. If that is what you are looking for, look elsewhere. In addition, you must be on a tour to sample the beers at the facility. No stopping by to taste. You get several samples in 4oz. glasses enabling you to really have a good look at the variety of beers that River Horse offers and appreciate them. Start with your first in the lobby. From there, you move into the brewing center in a large warehouse. It looks like any other warehouse, except for the huge shiny vats, bottling apparatus, and distinct beer smell. And barrels. And labels. Ok, so it's like the most amazing warehouse you were ever in. There were a few employees on site doing their thing, though being a Saturday there was no brewing being done. Still, it's nice to see happy folks around. Who wouldn't be happy working in such a place? There was also some really awesome artwork throughout.
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| Amazing artwork throughout the facility |
The one thing that stood out to me the entire tour was how CLEAN this facility is. They really take care in making sure that they put out the best product in the best conditions possible. We were able to view several wine barrels in which they were aging a new brew for the fall...which I am delighted to see was just bottled this week...and our guide gave us a run down of what they were working with. Our guide was great. Extremely knowledgeable about the brewing process as well as the business of brewing and able to answer every question that came up. And funny. Dude was funny. Beer is a serious business, but if beer is your job, life is pretty darn good!
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| Mmmmmmmmmm...can't wait... |
The tour took us through the brewing process from start to bottle. We were able to see the different stages of what makes each beer it's own taste and texture with a great description from our tour guide on everything. How it moves from stage to stage around the facility, what happens at each stage that may or may not change everything about the particular beer being mad, etc. My describing it to you would do it no justice. You have to see it to really appreciate it, and I was fascinated. The bottling process, the labels, each step is an important one in making a well loved and recognized product in a market flooded with competitors. The brewery as a business is amazing. We were informed about how the spent grains are returned to local farmers for feed. That made me really happy to hear. We love a business that gives back to it's local community, especially in a renewable way. Along the way, we were occasionally invited to sample a beer. There were kegs and taps strategically placed throughout the facility.
As our tour winded down, we were again invited to the lobby to partake in another brew from the bar. This is where I opted for that amazing Hipp-O-Lantern, one of the best seasonal fall beers. Eric and I picked up a couple pieces of glassware for our collection which were very reasonably priced. We stayed for a bit to watch the next batch of beer lovers come in for their tour, and we wished them well.
The tour costs a whole $5. It's WELL worth it being both educational and fun. Plus the beer. The beer is delicious. We have lots of Jersey pride as it is, but knowing these folks represent our fine state in the beer world makes it all the better. If you can get yourself down to Ewing, we strongly recommend the tour. You won't be disappointed. As always, we are big fans of River Horse and if you ever find yourself debating some yourself, give it a try! You will be a River Horse fan too!
River Horse Brewing Company
2 Graphics Drive
Ewing, NJ 08628
2 Graphics Drive
Ewing, NJ 08628
609-883-0890
Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 12-5pm for take-out beer and merchandise. Tours run every Saturday and Sunday
www.riverhorse.com
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