Latest reviews from Cape May

“Ambiance: New place, built in a barn at the historic Cold Spring Village in Cape May. What a great idea. The barn, I'm not sure if they used an existing building but I think so, because it's super old-feeling and rustic inside and out, in the best possible way. A lovely way to spend an afternoon. Service: Fine. Selection: A handful of taps (8?), all of their own stuff. Everything I had was average to good, and almost everything had a slightly sour note to it. My guess is this new brewery is still figuring things out, and maybe needs to re-sanitize some of their tap lines and brewing equipment. But you can see that good work is being done and an effort is being made. Hopefully they can take things up a notch as they continue. Food: None inside, but there's a grill outside and a snackbar as well. Value: Tremendous for the area. Sampled all plus a pint for my wife, under $20. Overall: Beers are average but have potential, environment is great, and there's plenty else to do right there in the historic village, so this is definitely worth a stop during your beach vacation, especially if you don't want to deal with the teeming mass of humanity that usually besieges Cape May Brewing Co. I plan to check this place out every year when we go back, and I anticipate them getting better over time.“

JDBaker11058 1729 days ago

“We came here on 10.8.2018. This is one of the few non-profit breweries in the United States. All the generated profit is used for investments in the small town. The place is definitely more a touristic attraction than a beer focuses brewpub. Very nice spacious outside area where you can find games like horseshoe throwing. The brewery is inside a beautiful wooden barn with very traditional decoration. A lady was singing some country songs when we visited. The farmhouse ale I had was quite ok. Unfortunately they serve the beers in plastic cups.“

Schlenkerla 2107 days ago

“Place reeks of bleach when you first walk in. Decent draft list, and some decent food. But what is with all the bleach.“

jeremytoni 2540 days ago

“Very cool building among Cold Spring Village’s historic buildings. Old barn disassembled, moved to Cold Spring Village, and reassembled. Being an historic not for profit brewery (NJ’s first)...the staff wears period costumes. The is a very nicely appointed brewery and the people working there are not only good for conversations...but also for history...brewery-wise and other. As for the beers...only 4 when I visited last weekend. American wheat, German wheat, red (hoppiest of the four), and porter. The American wheat was the least interesting of the four...the brewer said it was for those who weren’t into really distinctive craftbeers. He also mentioned it will make a good base for future fruit beers. The other three were average to good...nothing was really a standout. One of the staffers said putting the brewery there was part of a plan to get more traffic visiting Cold Spring Village...hopefully that will work. And hopefully their beers will get better over the winter in time for next year’s tourist season. The score I gave was helped some by the building and the staff...so improving the beers will be essential going forward.“

PRBeer 2754 days ago

“NJ first and only non-profit brewery set in an old barn that was moved from miles away (told me took over a year to move). Only 4 beers on tap with nothing really standing out. Said their plans are to have 8 on, so they need sometime.“

hopdog 2816 days ago

“ Ambiance: Second story location above Cabana’s on Beach Ave. Loads better than the dumpster fire (forget the name) that was here before. Great interior. Nice tables and decor, plus a great view of the ocean from the balcony. Service: Went a couple times, service was good (some girl, I forget her name) to great (Bobby!). Selection: Not a huge list, but decently-curated. A few macros to keep the beach-bro crowd happy, but then a nice mix of local craft options. Food: Really good food. This place qualifies as a gastro-pub. Good pretzels, and a great charcuterie board. Value: Pretty typical for the beach. Pricey, but not a full gouge. Overall: My absolute number one seed for good beer at Cape May. I’ll be going back every time we’re in town.“

JDBaker11058 2870 days ago

“Ambiance: one of the higher end fish joints in Cape May, replacing the old Pilot House in the same space; a great improvement over that shambling wreck of a place. Decor is seaside fancy/chic, but the only good part of the Pilot House, the in-room fish tanks, are still around. Service: again, anything has to be better than the Pilot House’s service, which was indifferent at best and hostile at worst. This place was a tad uneven. Greeted and seated quickly, but the server could have been a bit more attentive. Selection: we’ve been coming to Cape May every year for four years running, and this place has the best tap list by far. Only 3 or 4 of the taps were macros, and everything else had a nice balance of local and local-ish stuff (Flying Fish, Forgotten Boardwalk, Dogfish Head, Yards, Glasstown, and Cape May Brewing, which was doing a tap takeover the evening we were there. And one of the Glasstown beers was their "house beer". Food: Good. Wife loved the fish and chips, my steak sandwich was fair. It’s again a definite improvement. Value: this place is pricey. They probably have a lot to pay for what with the renovations they did. If you’re going to have a good seafood dinner in town and want to pay for the experience of having good beer choices, this is the place. Overall: Heck yes I will go again. Best beer selection in Cape May guarantees at least one visit per vacation.“

JDBaker11058 3197 days ago

“ambiance: good sized place in a corner on Beach Avenue in Cape May. Definitely a dive/beach bar combo. Two bars and a stage area, along with some tables and high-tops. service: been a handful of times, service ranges from fine to good. selection: they have seven or eight taps and about the same in bottles. A lot of macros, but some decent stand-bys, such as Allagash White. Was hoping for a few more in the local craft vein, but they only have one on draft from Cape May Brewing Company each time I have come. food: typical bar fare, but done decently. Tater tots, nachos, fish tacos, etc. value: not bad for Cape May, actually, which is a pricy town. Three apps and a few drinks will run about $50. overall: not a bad place if you want a quick drink and a bite. There’s live music and trivia, etc. Pretty typical beach bar.“

JDBaker11058 3197 days ago

“Nice little beach bar w/a decent beer selection. Food was OK, nothing special. Good place to catch a game in the off season....which is why I was here on a trip to Cape May. Got to watch all the Steelers fans cry when they lost to my Ravens....so that was a bonus!“

beachbum25 3244 days ago

“Prolly the only game in town!? Small shop, limited selection, older stock. Found some Joisey local brews i was wanting so all is good. Quiet, friendly staff. Its all good!“

sloth 3322 days ago

“Busy little place. Had several decent drafts and a few decent looking bottles that i saw. Bartenders were cute, young things. Typical local bar ambiance. TV,s were too loud. People seemed nice enough, laid back. I had Cape May,s DIPA and the wife had SNPA. Both seemed fresh and clean tasting. Didn;t eat there but there were plenty of folks dining so i guess it might not be too bad.Pissery was fairly filthy. Worth a stop if yer boppin around Cape May and want a decent pint. Prices seemed about PFTC.“

sloth 3336 days ago

“Never imagined finding such an extensive micro selection while in a beach town in the heart of winter! Founders, DFH, terrapin, lagunitas, local NJ stuff, & much more! They have a tiny make your own 6 pack section & a good amount of large bottles. Staff was knowledgable & courteous. Enjoyable experience!“

jrodooo5 3400 days ago

“Decent beer selection for a liquor store, but a very nice selection for a liquor store in this area. Prices are probably too high, but on par for where you are. You could do a lot worse than to go here for beer. They had Carton cans, which is nice for those of us that live in NJ and even more so for those that do not. “

ben4321 3575 days ago

“Probably the best draft selection you’ll find in Cape May. It has a long curved bar, plenty of table seating and tvs, and friendly service. Worth a stop if you’re here on vacation.“

blipp 3578 days ago

“A pretty standard tourist bar that always seems to be busy. Draft line up has standard BMC selections, a handful of offerings from the big regional micros, and one rotating selection from Cape May Brewing. If you’re in Cape May, it’s worth popping your head in, I guess.“

blipp 3578 days ago

“This is an alright bar. They had a small but decent draft list. Mostly NJ and PA craft, with some other well know places thrown in. Examples would be: Cape May, DFH, Yards, etc. Bartender was friendly. We only eat wings, but they were tasty as well. Decent spot for this area, but this would just be another bar and would not even be worth adding in a city with decent beer bars.“

ben4321 3582 days ago

“I have been here a few times, figured I would stop in today and finally write up a formal review. This place has all of the old school charm you would expect from being in downtown Cape May. There is plenty of room to spread out including a large outdoor seating area if you want to dine out there. Inside there are a couple different dining rooms as well as a back garden area. A medium sized bar area with lots of paintings, a few TV’s and plenty of natural light. Quality is pretty high across the board. Top notch food ingredients and beers are served in the correct glasses. Service is quite good from my experiences. They probably won’t be able to answer your beer questions but they are attentive which makes up for it. My glass has never been empty for very long here.

Selection is what I like to think of as the typical restaurant selection these days. About 6-7 craft taps, usually 1-2 being local, and the other usual suspects filling in the rest. Some dogfish and other known crafts and a dedicated Cape May Brewing tap round out the craft, with the big boys filling in the rest. Food is where this place shines. They are most known for their excellent breakfast foods, they are a little pricy but well worth it. All of the food is hand made using fresh, top notch ingredients. I have yet to have a bad meal here. Prices are a touch high across the board but any place you go in downtown Cape May will be the same. Overall, it isn’t a beer bar or anything but it is a perfect weekend brunch spot if you are in town.“

orangesol 3981 days ago

“Stopped in here earlier today to check out the local selection. More of a liquor store than bottle shop, about a 85-15 ratio toward wine / liquor. A little cramped once you get inside with all of the beer in the back isle. Service was decent, I was asked if I needed help twice. Quality is pretty good, I checked a few bottles and nearly all were fresh. Selection was surprisingly good, albeit a little small, for a liquor store of this size. I saw a few bottles of Firestone §ucaba, a few bottles of B. Nektar, a bunch of DFH and plenty of six and four packs. Prices were good and comparable to some of the other places in the area. Overall, a decent little store with a good selection and prices that is right downtown. Not the best in the area, that’s Joe Canal’s in Rio, but more than serviceable for where it is located.“

orangesol 4028 days ago

“Ok food, service, and selection of beer.“

jeremytoni 4315 days ago

“An okay place with a nice wine selection but with limited beers. Some basic locals and your other basic beers. You won’t find any hidden gems here.“

micronaut129 4329 days ago

“ Ambiance: Smallish place in a half-warehouse sort of building in the middle of town. Standard liquor store interior. Clean. Service: Friendly, but not particularly useful when it comes to beer. Selection: This is literally the only place to buy retail beer in town. The selection was reasonable in that light. About five cases of sixers from macros to a few micros, with some foreign jobs as well. About a case and a half of singles. Can’t break sixers. Mainly a wine town, reflected in the store here. Food: NA. Value: Actually surprisingly reasonable. If I ran this place, I’d be charging a lot more since I’d be the only game in town. Overall/Notes: Again, the only game in town. Here on vacation, picked up a six of Hoegaarden, a six of Sam Adams Oktoberfest, and singles of Unibroue Ephemere and New Holland Dragon’s Milk. Enough here to get the job done.“

JDBaker11058 4625 days ago

“An apparently popular tourist place, the Ugly Mug seems to be THE venue for live music. It was established in 1926 and hasn’t been cleaned since, it appears. The bathrooms are simply awful; the kitchen area reeked. I did have a good house-brand beer but it’s not enough to entice me back...sorry.“

Signalwriter 4786 days ago

“Petite place charmante, mais pas super pour les amateurs de bières. On y retrouve quelques victory, rogue et stone, mais pas de grandes surprises. Les prix sont également asser élevés. Préférable d’aller chez Joe canal discount liquor store à rio grande.“

OliverG 5499 days ago

“Vastly improved from when I last reviewed this place almost 10 years ago. The selection size isn’t too bad, but they definitely have stuff in there not found in other local stores. Was able to pick up some Clown Shoes and Carton beers, so I consider that a win. Will be going back more regularly.“

slipkrash 6382 days ago

“Some good micro six-packs and a few big bottles of Belgians (e.g. La Chouffe) and domestics (e.g. Allagash Musette). Good selection for this ritzy neck of the woods.“

DenverLogan 6513 days ago

“So so. You can’t break six packs. There are only about 25 beers sold as singles. There was some Salty Dog and some River Horse as I recall. Not much interesting. Oh yes, Flying Fish, and some Victory. There was one bottle of Dogfish Fort (750ml), which was unusual in its presence. I think there were two other liquor stores in Cape May but I didn’t venture into them and they looked smaller than Collier’s.“

austinpowers 6578 days ago

“I was surprised to see such a broad selection compared to every other southern Jersey liquor store I’d seen. Thank goodness for Ratebeer pointing me here. Now, maybe if they get more support they will broaden their already solid lineup.“

willblake 6912 days ago

“If you think my rating on this place is high, spend a week down there searching EVERY other bottle shop, and THIS is BEER PARADISE as far as Cape May- Wildwood goes. I mean it.“

Lou18 6926 days ago

“This is a decent liquor store on the South Jersey Shore. Regional selection includes Dogfish Head, Victory, Weyerbacher, Brooklyn, Troeg’s, Flying Fish, and Magic Hat. Some quality singles are available. Not worth a side trip, but this is the place to go for beer if you find yourself in Cape May County.“

whaleman 7099 days ago