The Garden State Guide
Craft Beer &
Breweries of
New Jersey
From the Jersey Shore to the Highlands – seventeen breweries, fifteen still pouring, that prove the Garden State pours only the best.
New Jersey is known for its tomatoes and blueberries. The craft beer scene deserves the same reputation. From a modest space at the Cape May Airport to a German lager specialist in the Highlands, the Garden State has been quietly building one of the best craft scenes on the East Coast.
Cape May Brewing Co.
Started in a modest 1,500 sq. ft. space at Cape May Airport in 2011, Cape May Brewing has grown into one of the state’s most recognizable craft names. Their Coastal Evacuation Double IPA has become a cult classic, and every seasonal release is worth the road trip down the shore.
Axe & Arrow Microbrewery
Axe & Arrow is one of the newer entries on this list. Their tap list swings from approachable lagers to genuinely experimental ales – worth checking back regularly to see what they’re pouring.
Two Ton Brewing Co.
“In Our Brewster We Trust.” Two Ton keeps things unpretentious and community-first – a Kenilworth neighborhood spot where the regulars actually know each other. The lagers are the move, but everything on the menu earns its place.
Beach Haus Brewery
Beach Haus is Belmar’s brewery. It nails the easygoing shore beer experience without sacrificing craft quality – rooftop seating, food on site, and a lineup that’s as at home in a beach chair as it is at the bar.
Village Idiot Brewing Co.
The name is a joke. The beer isn’t. This Burlington County staple has built a devoted following on the strength of what’s actually in the glass – flavorful, consistent, and completely unpretentious.
Ghost Hawk Brewing Company
One of North Jersey’s most distinctive taprooms. Ghost Hawk is hop-forward and unambiguous about it – big beers, a spacious room, and the kind of energy that keeps people there longer than they planned.
Ship Bottom Brewery
Named after the town of Ship Bottom – where an 1817 shipwreck led rescuers to chop through a capsized hull to free a young woman trapped inside, the sole known survivor, who drew a cross in the sand as her only way to give thanks – Ship Bottom Brewery is the Jersey Shore in a glass. Crisp, sun-ready beers perfect for a beach chair at 2pm – and somehow even better at sunset on the bay.
River Horse Brewing Co.
One of New Jersey’s original craft pioneers, River Horse was founded in 1996 in Lambertville before moving to Ewing. Their Tripel Horse Belgian-style ale and Hop Hazard Pale Ale are genuine classics – both still worth ordering decades later.
Three 3’s Brewing Co.
Three 3’s has a beer garden, a family-owned feel, and a tap list that doesn’t play it safe. The small-batch releases sell out. The crowd-pleasers actually please crowds.
High Point Brewing Company
New Jersey’s German lager specialist. Brewed under their Ramstein brand, High Point’s obsession with traditional Bavarian brewing has produced wheat beers, märzens, and bocks that hold their own against their European counterparts – and most New Jerseyans still don’t know they exist.
Cross Keys Brewing Co.
Cross Keys is Gloucester County’s brewery. The lineup is approachable without being lazy, the tasting room feels like somewhere locals actually hang out, and it’s not trying to be anything other than what it is.
Climax Brewing Company
Climax has been part of New Jersey’s craft scene since 1996 – the oldest microbrewery in the state. Classic German Lagers and English Ales, brewed the same careful way they always have been.
King’s Road Brewing Company
Two locations – Haddonfield and Medford – and a rotating tap list that moves confidently across styles, from crisp pilsners to pastry stouts. King’s Road is the kind of brewery that brings in people who don’t usually agree on beer.
Somers Point Brewing Company
Somers Point Brewing sits just off the water in Atlantic County with a welcoming taproom, solid beer across the board, and enough events to give people a reason to come back when the summer crowd thins out.
Neck of the Woods Brewing
Pitman is a small town and Neck of the Woods fits it – a taproom that feels like a locals’ discovery, with a beer list that ranges from straightforward to genuinely creative. Its reputation has grown well beyond Gloucester County.
“Jersey has never needed anyone else to tell it what it is. These breweries know that. Every pint proves it.”
– Only NJNew Jersey has spent decades being the butt of the joke – the turnpike, the accent, the exit numbers. The craft beer scene never got that memo. These breweries are as good as anything you’ll find in Vermont or Colorado. They just don’t feel the need to tell you that.
At Only NJ, we don’t celebrate the state because we have to. We do it because places like these keep earning it. Find your brewery. Bring a friend. Come back next season when the tap list has changed.
Wear your Jersey pride. Drink local.
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