Cricket Hill Brewery

Type: Brewery

Location: 24 Kulick Road

Fairfield, NJ 07004

United States

Phone: (973) 276-9415

Website:  www.crickethillbrewery.com

Tours:  Friday 5-7

Cost:  $2 for four beers, note that you cannot buy extra beer tickets as more than 4 samples per visitor would be a violation of New Jersey state law.

Visit Date:  Every Friday :)

Beers:  East Coast Lager

               Hopnotic IPA

               American Ale

               Colonel Blides Cask Ale (Alt Style)

               Jersey Summer Belgian Style (Summer Seasonal)

               Fall Festivus (Fall Seasonal)

               Paymasters Porter (Winter Seasonal)

               Maibock (Spring Seasonal) 

Notes:  I'll start by saying that Cricket Hill is my local brewery, I volunteer helping run the bottling line and during the Friday tours often help out carding visitors.  I would feel it were a conflict of interest to post any sort of a review of Cricket Hill were it not for the fact that I only learned of Cricket Hill when my boyfriend found them in his GPS.  My admiration and respect for Rick, the owner and Dave, the brewer developed through the brewery, and while I consider them friends now, I did not know them prior to dropping into their fine establishment.

All that being said, Cricket Hill is a great brewery.  Every friday, from 5-7 the brewery fills with visitors and Rick gives a passionate speech (check youtube!).  Pretzels and chips are given away.

My personal favorite is the Paymasters Porter.  I cry every year when they stop brewing it (are you reading this Rick?) They made a Dark Lager once that was pretty good, but I
haven't seen it again.  Dave does a very good job consistently brewing very clean, easy drinking beers.  Don't expect any quadruple IPAs, because Rick is looking to be a gateway beer for bad beer drinkers.  All of the brews are good session beers and prime examples of their styles.