Hometown Special: Taking it back to the Garden State at Screamin’ Hill Farm Brewery
Updated: Sep 23, 2021
Cheers to another New Jersey Hometown Special! This time Alisa’s special guest was her dad-Marcus! The PERFECT fall day started with sunflower picking and ended with Screamin’ Hill Farm Brewery and it was the perfect way to end the fun filled day. Screamin’ Hill has an amazing set up currently where you can bring your own chairs, blankets, tables if needed and hang out outside looking over some beautiful Garden State farmland while enjoying a nice cold beer with friends or family! Alisa and her dad had the pleasure of being served by Matt, who was phenomenal- sharing fun facts about the brewery, the beer, and history. We would love to tell you all of Matt’s fun facts, but you are just going to have to wait until you visit to the brewery (;. Luckily, some of them are just too good not to share.
"By evoking the rich heritage of six generations of farmers with our handcrafted ingredients, we bring the authenticity of flavor, emphasis on individuality, and salt of the earth character directly from our fields to your glass." -Screamin' Hill
First of all, Screamin’ Hill Brewery just celebrated their 5th year (fourth to the public) this past summer, whooohooo we love a good local brewery and brewed an Anniversary Ale to celebrate (one we would have loved to try).
Who doesn’t want fresh beer? Screamin’ Hill Farm brewery is the freshest you will get. Practically all the ingredients in the beer in your cup have come right from the farm you get to overlook while you sip. For the pumpkin beers they use their own pumpkins, they use their own tomatoes, basil, and habaneros. They use their NJ grown hops and make their own base malt. Every beer tasted fresh, clean, and crisp throughout every sip. New Jersey isn’t called the Garden State for no reason and Screamin’ Hill lets you know why.
1860 Series
The 1860 Series is another cool brew that Matt let us know about. This series honors the fact that since 1860, the family has been farming on the same land in beautiful New Jersey! This Farmhouse Ale only uses ingredients grown on the farm, we love and respect that- homegrown 100% of the way! It comes in a beautiful bottle with a nostalgic label. The 1860 Series is fermented for six months in an oak foedor (a huge wooden barrel) with the wild yeasts, and because of this the series has such fun and different flavors!
Matt had Alisa and Marcus wanting to try every beer on tap that day, but of course the number of beers outnumbered the number of drinkers. With a great location in central Jersey (yeah it exists), they will definitely be meeting up there soon for another fall day!
Brew Babes Featured Beers
I Love it When You Call Me Big Pumpkin!: 10% ABV
“I love it when you call me Big Poppa!” Marcus grew up in Queens, New York listening to Biggie Smalls and of course we had to try this beer with a fun play on words in honor of the Notorious B.I.G., representing east coast rap. Now back to the beer-with an ABV of 10% you better watch out because this beer will sneak up on you. The color is not golden, but a deeper caramel color and the smell screams fall. It is a malty beer, a little on the heavier side, aged in whiskey barrels and then aged in maple syrup, and then in their Pumpkin’ Pickin Ale made from all their fresh farm pumpkins! This beer is sweet, malty, and is perfect for a fall night by the fire.
Oktoberfest: 6% ABV
We love a good Oktoberfest! It is described as an Amber Lager. This is a smooth and crisp beer with all Oktoberfest flavors, and is very bold until the last drop. We could have sat there all day just drinking this if we could!
Back Road Rambler: 7.1% ABV
Alisa was told to try this brew by her friend Justin who is a waiter at The Heart of Bordentown, aka “The HOB”. They almost always have a Screamin’ Hill Brewery beer on tap at the HOB, so Alisa was excited to give this a try. Back Road Rambler is a great juicy, refreshing, hoppy, flavorful IPA, just how Alisa likes them. She also loves her hazy beers so this was perfect. After this IPA she will be back to try their newest one as soon as she is back in New Jersey!
Wolfpack: 5.7% ABV
“Three best friends, 3 best hops”- credits to the Hangover movie. The first sip and Alisa said, “Whoa, this has got some crazy flavor to it, I need to find out more about this beer”. Matt explained to us that this is a combination of their favorite versions of the Single-Hop Series: Mosaic, Idaho 7, and Ekuanot...the three best friends. Alisa and Marcus loved the fact that it tasted “seasoned”. Wolfpack did not disappoint and we loved the story behind the beer making it even better.
Desperado IPA: 7.2% ABV
The Desperado IPA took first place for Marcus at Screamin’ Hill Brewery! It is also a fan favorite at the brewery, so it is a must try during a visit. Marcus and Alisa both agreed that this is very smooth due to the El Dorado hops with reminiscent fruit flavors. The pour itself is very appealing, a deep golden color which complements the smell.
Want to visit Screamin' Hill Brewery?
Location: 83 Emley's Hill Rd, Cream Ridge, NJ 08514
Website: https://screaminhill.com/