Checking Out the Bad Ash Brews at Ashton Brewing
With a focus on flavorful, balanced beer, Steve and Donna Ashton opened up Ashton Brewing when they had an opportunity to retire early from their day jobs. With over 30 years of experience with craft beer they were excited to become apart of the NJ Craft Beer movement in New Jersey.
I got a chance to visit the Ashton Brewing over the Summer when breweries were first allowed to open outside beer gardens per Covid-19 regulations. If their location in Middlesex looks familiar, it is the previous home of Demented Brewing which closed in March 2019. Ashton Brewing has definitely made the space their own with friendly, welcoming staff and easy-drinking beer in a relaxed environment.
Ashton Brewing has four distinctive flagship beers; Hop Garden IPA which is dry-hopped differently each time they make it, Velvet Elvis an American Stout, ‘Aina a saison, and Aura a witbier or Belgian style wheat beer. However, Your Lips…Are Juicy, a New England IPA, and Jersey Dreamin’, a Czech style pilsner are both emerging as signature beers.
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We ordered a flight to get an idea of what Ashton Brewing has to offer. Beers on our flight included:
– Jolie Blonde, a Belgian Style Tripel
– El Cobre, an Amber Mexican Lager with a lime zest
– La Vie in Rose, a Saison brewed with hibiscus and ginger
– Stella Blue, a farmhouse ale made with butterly pea flower
I was a big fan of the Stella Blue, which is definitely on the more unique beers I’ve had. The butterly pea flower gives it a vibrant blue/purple color to the beer with a green tea flavor.
Before we left we purchased a pack of their “All Together”, a NEIPA which proceeds go to brewerystrong, a non-profit launched to support New Jersey hospitality workers.
When asked what makes their brewery different, Donna responded “I think the one thing that will make us stand out once we are operating normally is our focus on education. We plan on offering people more opportunities to learn about beer production or styles depending on what they are interested in. This is so important to who we are. If we get one more person to really appreciate craft beer it will all be worth it.”
For additional information on Ashton Brewing, be sure to check out their Website, Facebook Page and Instagram.
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